We have a field in our new property with an old pond spot that was never dug out. We don’t have horses in that field yet. Any suggestions for what measures should be taken before we decide whether or not to put our two mares in there? Depending, a fence may have to go up around the area but how do I know how wide it needs to go or how wet an area may potentially become? Etc. General questions I realize, but any input on this
I’d say you won’t really know until next winter what that field will do.
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Might want to pull up the TOPOGRAPHIC MAP of the area as from the photos it is unclear to me how such a pond/tank would have filled. If it was dug where did they put the dirt?
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geospatial-program/us-topo-maps-america
I had one friend who was looking at buying a ranch in eastern Colorado that had a similar site that turn out to contain discarded chemical drums, estimated cost to clean up was over $100k in 1990s dollars
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It hasn’t been dug out yet but ty for the link, we are planning to look into it. Hopefully it’s just dry and clean with no underground running streams. lol
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Have you walked through it? Is it just a low spot that accumulates water in springtime? Or is it a “sink hole” where water bubbles up from deep underground? A true sink hole may be a problem, it may give way and horses get stuck in deep mud etc. If it just accumulates run off water from nearby higher land because it’s a low spot, no problem… our horses have one of these and LOVE it. Everyone gets in, and they have a pool party, splashing, pawing and playing together… great fun! They drink out of it too, usually pawing and drinking and it’s disgusting, and I certainly wouldn’t do that myself, but they have had no ill effects of doing this. they do this instead of using the pristine auto waterer. Apparently, it’s “fun”. Or “interesting”. Or “tasty”. The area later dries up and grows a particularly tasty grass which is also very popular.
I tried fencing it off when we first moved here, trying to keep horses out of there while I further explored the area. I was unsuccessful with that plan, they broke in through the electric wire, and explored it themselves. At that point, I gave up and removed the attempt to fence them out.
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Make a pond: good for the horses, good for the environment and wildlife.
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NancyM love it, love the visuals. Willesdon, I love the idea of a pond though my personal experience in the past with one was that it was a gnat factory and that was even with a fountain moving the water constantly. I know not everyone’s experience has been mine but it was miserable so it put me off ponds w/ horses in such close proximity.
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To me it looks like a low spot that is simply wet during spring planting time so it was not worked when the rest of the field was planted.
Are there any old farmers in your area that you can bend the ear of. They love to tell stories and they probably can tell you how wet that is during the various seasons.
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I was thinking the same, ty
Check the USDA web soil survey, see what is going on. Then check in your state for your GIS mapping, they usually have historic aerials back to the 1940s. if you are comfortable posting the address, or an address of a public place with in a mile or so of your property, I can take a look for you and see what I can come up with.
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What zone are you in? I am all for natural ponds and ‘swampy’ areas. The more the better. However, that being said, my concern here in 6a/5b New England is not about the summer and bugs. There are always bugs. Nor does mud bother me. I am concerned about ice. I have one section of field that I simply do not use between January and April. The seeps/springs/and almost a pond in one corner create slow flowing ice sheets that do not melt, freeze solid, and are a true hazard. I routinely end up with ice sheets several hundred feet long and well over fifty feet wide that are solid. True skating rinks. (and I have horse that has permanent damage from doing the splits on the same) So, if your pond/seep/spring does that…you have two choices, not use that paddock in the winter or tile the life out of it. I just don’t use it. But that is not an option for everyone.
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Thanks B & B. That’s a definite concern of mine. Ugh. I’ve been out of town but my son is looking into it and there’s a farmer nearby who hays a lot of residential farms in the area who will help us figure it out. There’s enough acreage to place fending and a shedrow in the back of the property away from the spot. But then it’d be a bit farther than I’d like for daily management of the horses and land especially in winter.
You may not know until the winter. I have one seep that is invisible in the summer, but pops up in the winter when the vegetation can’t grab all the water. Take a look at Google earth photos in the past, you may be able to spot the problems more clearly if there are winter/spring photos of your area.
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So, it was not dug, and has never been dug out. It has to be naturally forming as on the survey there is a narrow line of wetlands bordering a small portion of one side of the field. For now I have to assume there’s something related to that which may be creating the existing small wet pond area, and the weedy growth around it. Aerially, I can see the affected area is small in comparison to the size of the field. But, will be talking to local farmer to determine if he can help with more details and seasonal changes - however with regard to summer, the area around when walked is currently totally bone dry. Though of course that’s not enough information yet.
GIS mapping view, showing larger area of wetlands to the left. The left border of the home acreage has a narrow line of wetlands, and the spot in the middle of the field (that field gets hayed) is the small pond with weedy growth around it. The faint shadow square area at the top is the leach field closer to the house. The field overall is about 15 acres.
since natural there may be little if anything that can be done expect fence it off
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Yes which would be fine with me, but I still need to do some more digging (pardon pun) about the ground condition in all seasons, surrounding the pond-y area
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So the turquoise and pink is the wetland soils? Much of that area looks like it has existing shrubby vegetation? A couple of things, you really want to observe how the pond drains into the wetlands and how your leach field does (I know, I know, they shouldn’t, but they do) because those are the two likely sources of sheet flow.
To be honest, with 15 acres and two horses? I’d just fence off the area designated as wetlands!
Once you figure out how that pond drains, you will want to manage your fences so that the travel path of the horses doesn’t cross that if at all possible in periods of extreme wetness and or ice. This will inform your pasture rotation. My problem is the seeps I have run nearly three quarters of the way across the field.
If you can arrange your pastures, you may find that having a wetter and a drier pasture is really helpful. I can get a lot more grass that way.
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B&B, yes, while most is not part of the property in question, the blue and pink is wetland soils with shrubbies. The more I think about it, the more I realize that (as you said) fencing off that border PLUS the pond-y area and several yards outside of it, and placing the sheds and horse pasture toward the back and opposite long side of the property, will mitigate any issues. One thing I was really glad to see on the mapping is that there is no stream underneath the entire property…that was my main concern, because that would have made it a sure no-go in my mind. I’m looking forward to speaking at length with the farmer who has hayed the property over the last few years. Thanks for your input! ps good point about the grass 
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