Field Maintenance

What better way to spend Good Friday than doing some maintenance in the lower field. Last year we had the pond dug out further and the resulting soil was spread across the field. And it must be said, there was quite a lot of it. Much of it was spread flat(ish)ly across the fence line but halfway through it rained, and rained, and rained, which meant that a large part of it sat in large peaks and troughs and we had no option but to leave it to dry out. we fenced it off temporarily when the mares went out there, and there it sat unmolested until this afternoon. One benefit of the dry weather is that it has now dried out sufficiently that we could get out with the harrow and tackle it. Our chain harrow wasn't really man enough for the job so we weighed it down with a pallet and lots of rubber matting, the sort that will put your back out as soon as look at you. It did the job though and some three hours later, the whole area is now satisfyingly flattened and suitable for horses. Hurrah! It is very satisfying indeed to be able to reclaim the land and then watch the mares come and investigate, horses being second only in the nosey stakes to cats. Unfortunately there is a lot of old rubbish in the soil including but not limited to a huge quantity of baler twine, plastic and rocks, so it has taken a long time to clear it up. However I think we have made huge progress and can now reseed the area. Which is nice. We've also harvested a load of willow whips which will need planting along the periphery. The oxygenating plants that we installed in the pond seem to be helping clear up the water and it will be a great spot for barbecues in the summer.