Mud Management

Mud management is a serious issue with horses and the key, as any horse owner will tell you, is prevention. Paddocks should be properly slanted so that the water does not stand, and drains must be kept clean.

All of which sounds great but when the seven plus inches of snow that we had, on top of about three inches of solid ice, all melted at once because the temperature hit fifty plus degrees for two days straight last week, followed by a week of forties, I knew I was going to need to do some serious mud management.

The problem was the underlying ice. The snow melted and drained, but when there was ice underneath, the water had no where to go. So it sat. On my terrace and throughout my backyard. And seemingly overnight three very happy dogs had in-ground swimming pools, everywhere they looked, filled with dirty, muddy and very cold water. And all I did was wash dogs and wash towels.

The other problem was that in areas of the backyard that had been hit by our drought (hard to believe) last Fall, there was no underlying grass. So when it thawed, there was nothing bu MUD. And I mean three inches of gooey, dirt.

I really was beside myself until I began to think like a horse owner. I knew I needed something to sop up the water and I finally hit upon straw. Sure enough, in consultation with my not so local Agway salesman, he concurred. Ultimately, I will need sod, but for now, straw is the answer.

Two bales later, my backyard looks like the inside of a stall and the mud situation is under control. The dogs are happy to be able to run around without sinking and for now, picking up pieces of straw that clings to their fur is better that vacuuming dirt off my rugs.

Problem temporarily solved unless it snows again and then I have no idea what will happen.