• Property Search
  • Berks County PA
  • Bucks County PA
  • Carbon County PA
  • Chester County PA
  • Lehigh County PA
  • Northampton County PA
  • Poconos
  • Schuylkill County
  • International Horse Properties

PA Horse Farms Today

The Premier Equine Realty Firm Serving Eastern PA

  • Home
  • About
    • Cindy Stys
    • The Team
    • Testimonials
    • Online Reviews
    • Leave Us Feedback
  • Buyers
  • Sellers
    • Property Evaluation
  • High Value Farms
  • Blog
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Tips for Equestrians / Out of the Vortex, Into the Mud

Out of the Vortex, Into the Mud

March 23, 2014 by Cindy Stys

Equestrians across Eastern PA are rejoicing – the Polar Vortex is over and Spring is finally in the air! But with spring comes the inevitable to every PA horse farm: mud.

Mud is a fact of life for Pennsylvania horse farm owners, and come spring our horses transform into hairy, muddy messes on four legs. Boots are sucked off, horseshoes get lost in the muck, and the ground around gates and high-traffic areas transforms into swampland.

If you find yourself cursing the mud around your barn this spring, take heart. There are a few things you can do to prevent a muddy disaster next year.

One preventative measure is overseeding areas of your PA horse farm that tend to get muddy. Planting more grass can help the soil hold firm in wet weather, and withstand horse and human traffic betterthan areas that are planted sparsely. Depending on the type of grass you choose to plant, this can be either a temporary or permanent mud solution.

If overseeding isn’t quite doing the trick for your horse property, you might want to consider building high-traffic pads in areas that become muddy in springtime. While installing pads comes with an initial investment, they can eliminate mud permanently. A high-traffic pad starts with a layer of geotextile fabric against the ground, and is built up from there with about 4” of packed stone, followed by a layer of sifted lime, between 2-4 inches thick. This method can work to eliminate mud near gates,water troughs, and barnyards, and once installed is similar to, but less expensive than, concrete.

Setting aside a sacrifice area is another way to help manage mud on your horse farm. When the weather gets bad and the ground gets soft, turn your horses out in a smaller sacrifice paddock in order to preserve the grass in your main pastures. Rotating pastures is also a good way to reduce mud and maintain grazing areas, as horses are moved to a different pasture before they trample all of the grass into a muddy mess.

Filed Under: Tips for Equestrians Tagged With: PA Horse Farm

newlog

Get in Touch With Us

Contact us right away for more information

610-849-1790

Cindy Stys Broker/Owner

License #RM420165

Latest Posts

  • Hydrotherapy Equipment Could Help Horses with Kissing Spine
  • Benefits of the Cold Saltwater Spa
  • Caring for your Horse this Winter
  • Don’t Want To Spend Another Cold Winter On The Farm? List Now, and Take Great Photos!
  • Spring Is Here, Get Ready To List Your PA Horse Farm!
  • Is Your PA Horse Property Ready For Colder Weather?
  • The End of Dana Point Farm’s Thoroughbred Legacy
  • 2016 Olympic Equestrian Teams Named
  • Chester County Manure Management Workshops
  • Equestrian Estate Available in Nazareth, PA

Cindy Stys Equestrian & Country Properties, Ltd.
720 Smith Hill Rd
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Cindy Stys, Broker/Owner
License #RM420165

Copyright © 2014 Cindy Stys Equestrian and Country Properties, LTD · All Rights Reserved · Design by IG Webs