The muddy swamp that is the field has finally dried up, so work begins on repairing the sacrificed paddock and learning from what went wrong after our first winter with the foster ponies. You might be thinking I’m nuts, wanting to prepare for next winter even before summer has arrived but I really don’t want a repeat of last winter.
Just to recap. I spent most of it trawling through the mud with my wheelbarrow poo picking, while others had accepted they couldn’t poo pick any longer, I kept going. I think this is when I realised my obsession with horse poo. I have devoted a whole post to it and affectionately named it BROWN GOLD. I’m sure you’re (not) going to be excited to read it.
I admit I wasn’t in the best physical shape with 2 under twos and I’d never done this kind of work before so every part of my body was either in constant pain or screaming in agony. I spent many hours wishing someone would concrete the whole damn field so I wouldn’t have to drag my sorry self around it. I felt I had made the biggest mistake taking on this project, my dream was not suppose feel like this but I didn’t dare tell anyone, I couldn’t bear the look of I told you so.
To top the physical exhaustion I can’t count the number of times I fell in the mud because I lost my footing, the wheelbarrow got stuck and on three occasions I remember it like it was yesterday being pushed or nudged, call it what you will by the cheeky one (Oreo).
Trying to haul myself out with nothing to grip onto was not a pretty sight, I’m only thankful that no one was around to see this spectacle. To add insult to injury, I was greeted with laughter when relaying my mishap to my not so dearest husband.
Anyway, what have I learnt from my first winter with the ponies. Muddy and clay fields are a nightmare! And it is true, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. So the main problems identified were access, muddy gates and a water log out-building. Our strategy was to reconfigure the field. Currently the field was divided into two sections. Kim came up with a plan which meant splitting the field into 5 paddocks with a middle lane and gates adjoining each paddock.
The thought behind this layout was to:-
Prevent or minimise the main gateway and lane getting muddy and waterlogged
Make the field and boundary accessible and safe for kids, family and friends
Allow paddocks to rest and be repaired
Be able to move ponies around so they didn’t get bored, they could graze more effectively and always be turned out or into a poo free paddock
Provide a safe and separated paddock for newbie ponies
Over 100 posts needed to be bashed in and around 200 pegs needed screwing. This was a mammoth task which we aimed to complete in half a day. Work started at 9am. Once again our (Phil and I) naivety shone through. We didn’t think of the simple things like how were we going to get the 100 posts around the paddock, screwing 200 pegs by hand was not only tiring but time consuming. Fortunately Kim and Dean saved the day by bringing the appropriate tools and work finished around 1pm. My 3 Superheros (Captain Kim and her faithful right hand men DIY Dean and Gadget Phil) did a magnificent job. Well done, dinner was on me.
Footnote: I was broken mentally and physically during the first winter with the ponies. I have come to realise horse ownership particularly those that keep ponies/horses out 24/7 are a seriously dedicated tough bunch of people. I will never ever complain or moan about the weather being too cold, wet and miserable and the woos of having to stay in now that I have experienced looking after horses in the winter.