[Pikeman]

Our paddock now looks like a mud bath, it was fine but we had a horse on it this winter. Will it recover on its own when it drys out and the grass growing period returns. I know there is a similar post below.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Yes, amazingly so normally, although more slowly than if it hadnt been trashed, as long as you flatten the ruts.

[Pikeman]

Ok, can I flatten them with the car? Or do I need as ever a special tool? Or roller?

[lachlanandmarcus]

If there's just a few and you do it at exactly at the right time, the car might help. Right time would be when it has the consistency of being squash able and with some moisture in it but not in any way wet looking. So think pottery clay. Try driving on non rutted bits, if you are making a mark then it's too wet.


Ideally you'd use something with wider tyres, even better a roller but if you get the timing right the car might be able to do something.

[Daisys Mum]

We are flattening ours with the quad bike just now and that works

[JMB]

We had a horse in our paddock last winter. It did recover and green up again, but I'm not sure if we should have reseeded or anything.
I've read that badly poached ground can regrow full of weeds and annual meadow grass which isn't ideal grazing.
But I'm sure someone else can give advice on that
J xxxx

[shetlandjim]

It depends on how bad the damage is.

If there is no grass left it will come back but it will take a long time and will need work to fix.

hove and tyres pressing through mud makes a "pan effect" in the soil normally near gates and this causes the ground drainage system to stop working. the pan creates a less permeable area a few inches under ground effectively keeping the water on top and the drains dry. if you get someone in with a subsoiler they can fix this for you.

other good ideas are.
harrow the ground to make a good seed bed then spread some grass seed on it and roll it. keep the animals of it for long enough to allow the grass to get established. topping the grass will help it spread out and fill in any bare patches.

I hope this helps you out.

[Bodger]

Over the years, ground that has had cows and horses on especially in wet weather, will become more and compressed with less and less air in the soil. Eventually, it will need to be ploughed and although your paddock will green up this spring, it depends  wheat stage your land is at as to whether it needs the plough. In the winter, we have our stock in one field knowing that its going to be a mess but also knowing that we're going to plough and reseed it. In this way, each field gets ploughed every four or five years or so.

[ScotsGirl]

I run over mine with a little chain barrow behind the car and tie a pallet on top which makes a better job. Amazing how it smooths out the divets for. Horse hooves.


Mine could do with ploughing and re-seeding but I don't have anywhere else to put the ponies as presumably it would have to be left for a considerable number of months?

[OhLaLa]

This season almost everyone I know has severly poached paddocks, overthegate's suggestion will give you a lovely new paddock. We may well have to go down this route ourselves in due course but at the moment are trying to save our old pasture.
Roll the field (with a roller) so you can flatten out the ruts, but any large patches that are really bare won't recover the grass 100%. We've previously gone over smaller poached areas with the tractor, but this year our winter grazing is beyond even that.
Unfortunately 'weeds' will take advantage of bare patches.
 

[colliewoman]

Run some sheep over it!
They can flatten ground amazingly well and do the sward wonders

[RonMinch]

I had 3 pigs on a small area over winter they trashed it, nothing growing at all. They went two weeks on Friday ago and already the area is starting to recover! I thought they had eaten everything in there roots an all!