Winter hacks

Rain, cold and dark are a challenge, but these expert tips will give you the ammunition to face whatever winter has in store, writes Stephanie Bateman

- Stephanie Bateman

IT'S that time of year when our lush green pastures turn to muddy bogs and we spend more time mucking out and - filling haynets than riding our horses, but all is not lost. With a little organisation and pre-planning, you can tackle these wintry issues to make for a wonderful winter with your horse.

Mud-busting

THERE'S no getting away from mud in the winter when it comes to keeping horses, but there are ways to reduce it both in the field and on your horse...

Preventing fields from becoming poached is hard, but not impossible.

"Use high-quality rubber honeycomb grass mats," advises John Mathews of Fieldguard. "They can be laid at any time of the year, but spring and summer are best to allow the grass to grow up into the holes before winter. Rubber matting will follow gentle undulations - if the area is reasonably level, mats can be laid directly onto the ground. If they are laid on to mud alone, with no existing grass, seed the area first."