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Weather

FLOODING and heavy rainfall have caused further misery for horse owners over the Christmas period, with sodden fi elds, manèges and, in some extreme

cases, submerged stable blocks. Statistics from the Met Offi ce show that 2012

was the second wettest year according to national records for the UK, which date back to 1910. April and June were both the wettest on record.

The persistent wet weather resulted in total 2012 rainfall for the UK of 1,330.7mm — just 6.6mm short of the record set in 2000.

Dawn Webster from Cavendish Bridge Farm in Derbyshire was fl ooded twice in December, causing chaos and costing her thousands of pounds.

“The water just started coming up in the fi elds, but we had no fl ood warnings in place so assumed it would all be OK,” she said. “But suddenly the fi elds and manège were 3ft under water and it was rising fast.

“It then fl ooded the stableyard, so I had 37 horses to move — and it’s not that easy to

Floods cause misery for horse owners

relocate, especially with show horses and a stallion.”

She added that her food and hay supplies were ruined.

“We had no electricity, all my leatherwork was ruined — everything was trashed. There was raw sewage everywhere so the place needed disinfecting. And then the horses had been back a week when it happened again,” she said.

“It’s cost me a fortune — I had to pay landowners for space, diesel to travel [the horses] and all the lost gear and my insurance doesn’t cover any of it.”

Owners worriedWORLD Horse Welfare told H&H it has seen a rise in calls during the bad weather.

“We received noticeably more calls in December, but we are trying to reassure people that there is rarely a risk to welfare, so long as there are drier patches in the fi eld and fresh food and clean water are regularly provided,” said the charity’s Tony Tyler.

“Owners need to use common sense and move their horses to safer, drier ground or bring their horses into stables, just giving limited turnout if at all possible.

“But if this is not an option they can sometimes help reduce the problems by putting straw down and temporarily fencing off particularly wet areas.”

The charity is also struggling with the wet weather at its Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Somerset.

Several fi elds are under water, or are so waterlogged they cannot be used.

“Springs are popping up, causing damage to tracks, and we had a landslide in our outdoor school. All of this will need to be repaired,” said farm manager Claire Phillips.

Claire’s team have also seen a greater increase in skin problems in horses than they usually do at this time of year.

Shirley Light of the Brendon Stud said she’d seen more foot abcesses this year in their young horses who live out.

As H&H reported last month, mud fever has Pic

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156The number of horses and ponies taken in by Bransby Home of Rest last year — the most in its 145-year history

Continued heavy rainfall has created more chaos for owners for the beginning of 2013 with fl ooding of schools, fi elds and lanes. Amy Mathieson reports

Sodden fi elds across the country have forced owners to change routine — such as here at Nikki Hitchen’s yard on the Notts-Lincs border

A wet day’s hunting

for Shelley Roebuck

with the Cheshire

Farmers Draghounds

Claire Allmett’s fi elds are sodden in Kent

4 HORSE & HOUND . 10 JANUARY 2013

COVER STORY

Suddenly the fi elds and manège were 3ft under water and it was rising fast. Everything was trashed — it’s cost me a fortuneDawn Webster Cavendish Bridge Farm, Derbyshire

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How to fl ood-proof your yard

IF you think you are in danger of being fl ooded, your fi rst step is to work out a fl ood plan. “It’s very important to do this so that people on the yard know exactly what to do and who to call,” said Ross Cockburn of CSI Flood Products. “Include where to take the horses, emergency telephone numbers and where and how to turn off the electric, water and gas supplies.”

The British Horse Society’s Lee Hackett added: “Move all horses to an area away from standing water, even if that means turning them out in the fi eld.

“Make sure your hay is up off the fl oor on pallets because hay is non-salvageable once it becomes damaged by fl ood water.”

Miles Greenwood of Equine Pasture Maintenance said that, if possible, create a winter turnout area in advance.

“Horses damage wet ground and it can take a lot to bring it back,” he says. “If you do turn out in fl ooded fi elds, harrow, aerate and re-seed your paddocks in spring when the ground is dry. Add lime, potassium and phosphorus back in to the soil to get it ready for summer.”

For stables, manufacturers Scotts of Thrapston advised investing in deep fl ow guttering to drain rainwater away quickly.

“Treat your timber with a microporous wood stain and seal your brick work to reduce water damage,” added a spokesman.

Keep your yard high and dry with these tips from the experts, writes Stephanie Bateman

� Sandbags are a cheap and effective way of stopping fl ood water, £55 for 100 hessian sacks

� Hydrosacks are eco-friendly and lighter to use than sandbags, £12 for two.

� Water extraction pumps remove standing water fast. Prices range from £55 up to £350.

� Module fl ood barriers are reusable blocks that slot into each other and protect whole areas such as yards, as well as stables, buildings and gateways from water. Prices start from £125. All available from www.fl ood-products.co.uk (0800 083 0953). Your local council may also provide sandbags in an emergency. SB

5 useful fl ood products

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I jumped my fi rst hedge and it was like an out-of-body experience Kate Reardon the Tatler editor on taking up hunting see page 43

World Horse Welfare’s Somerset centre was

completely submerged

Richard Hubbard survives a wet landing with the Mid Surrey Farmers’ Draghounds

Cavendish Bridge Stables (above and left) in Derbyshire suffered fl oods up to 3ft deep

been rampant this winter (news, 6 December 2012) and 36% of readers in our online poll said their horses had suffered from the condition this year.

Routine changes CHLOE SPENCER from Old Windsor has been on a fl ood warning at her yard.

“Our fi elds, being on clay, have not fared brilliantly, and because my horse is on restricted turnout due to an injury, his little patch of swampland is now off limits,” she said.

“When the weather’s good enough, I’m trying to get to Windsor Great Park to make the most of the tracks, as they’ve closed all the fi elds in the Park due to waterlogging.”

Nikki Hitchen from the Notts-Lincs border also has waterlogged fi elds.

“Our horses aren’t turned out during the winter as the land gets churned up,” she said. “The horses were being turned out in the school, but when the water got deep we had to keep them on the yard and in a corral, as it would have been a nightmare getting them through the deep puddles.”

Claire Allmett from Kent admitted she’s “really struggling” with the ground.

“Although we’re not fl ooded to the point of being completely inaccessible, we have had so much rain that access to my turnout fi eld has become a nightmare,” she said.

“The continuous rain has meant the walkway to the fi elds is either fl ooded or, when it dries, it leaves us near knee-deep in mud. It’s treacherous getting the horses in and out.”

It’s not just wet grassland that is causing problems for riders. Hayley Stokes from Northern Ireland has been forced to ride on the roads due to waterlogged fi elds, but that comes with its own problems.

“I don’t generally hack at all, due to my road just becoming far too dangerous, but I went out on Christmas Day, hoping to have a nice quiet ride,” she told H&H. “But no sooner had I got out the gate than a Jeep fl ew by, going

10 JANUARY 2013 . HORSE & HOUND 5

through a puddle and spooking my horse.” Many other H&H readers on our Facebook

page have experienced similar issues.

Positives from negativesH&H reader Kate Aspey said she’s decided to make the best of the situation and has been using all the fl ooded tracks at her livery to practise water jumps.

“My fi ve-year-old gelding Charlie has been a bit hesitant going into water at competitions, usually only walking through, but now he’s happy cantering through it — roll on this coming season,” she added.

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