Managing Winter Mud: Sacrifice Pasture Design

Temperatures have started dropping and already the bane of all winter pastures in the South is upon us - mud.  Constantly trekking through mud is not only physically exhausting for horses (and us!), but it also can cause several hoof issues - such as thrush and laminitis - as well as injuries to muscles and/or bones.  For the most part, mud is unavoidable.  The soft footing that leads to mud will likely kill any vegetation growing in high traffic areas.  To keep the damage minimal, it is highly recommended to designate a sacrifice pasture.

A sacrifice pasture is a small paddock (a MINIMUM of 200 square feet per horse, but 1,000 square feet per horse is recommended) where horses are confined during winter when the forages are not actively growing and the ground is wet to prevent overgrazing and trampling.  A good sacrifice pasture should be located on higher ground - away from any wetlands or any other area that regularly floods after rain - and should be surrounded by grasses or any other type of vegetation to filter out potential runoff.  To avoid the build-up of manure, and to help control parasites and odors, the sacrifice pasture will need to be cleaned frequently.

Even with frequent cleaning, a sacrifice pasture can become muddy, so good footing material in sacrifice pastures becomes essential.  Below are a few options to consider:

Photo from Life among the Tall Pine

Photo from Equiery

Photo from Tualatin Soil and Water

One thing to consider regardless of which footing you choose for your sacrifice pasture, adding a layer of Geotextile Fabric underneath greatly reduces the number of times footing needs to be replaced.

For more information about mud management contact your local Extension Office or check out some of the following articles:

• Mud Management
• Why Install an Equine Dry Lot?