Of course here in our dry part of California I dont really need it but thought it might really help some of you in the wetter climates? I have a horse and donkey. Before we get into the materials we use for a hot tub base we need to first. . . One herd owner I know used a mixture of various sized gravel, sand, and crusher dust. Gravel is extremely simple to put on lawns and offers a long-term solution. She began riding at age 2 in Kenya, and got her first horse at age 8 in Alberta, and so continues a life-long journey and love affair with these amazing creatures. Only consideration is to put down rubber mats on top of the gravel in high traffic areas (eg around feeders) as that is where the horses hooves can punch through the gravel and the geotextile cloth starts to get uncovered in spots. Vet found him full of crusher run. I recently joined a horse track group and there was a post on fleece lasagna and how well it works in boggy areas , gateways and lane ways! We just built our barn last fall. 2015-2023 Listen To Your Gut Enterprises Inc. ALL images and text. It isnt something the horses prefer to roll in but give them options on a rainy day and they will stand on it over most other footings. Awesome feedback! will disappear and every year youll be laying new gravel. So the plan is just to do stall mats in the 1212 stall areas. You can use this scraped-off earth to create a nice hill for them to climb/play on in their pasture, which will also create an area of high ground to stand or lie on during winter. Thank you very much for this information, I am in Colorado, down on the plains, so we dont get a lot of rain, but for sure the snow then the horses runs fall apart. See the video at the end of this post here from a woman who also has 2 acres: https://www.listentoyourhorse.com/how-to-make-a-great-waterhole-for-your-paddock-paradise-or-pasture/, Or, this permaculture system: In order to safely use limestone for landscaping, remember these points, and your garden will thrive: 1. When choosing rock for the top layer, choose "traffic bound" or "dense-grade" gravel. It makes total sense though that it would be slippery when wet/freezing. Rain on your crusher dust quickly takes care of this problem though. The result is a durable, all-weather surface that is acceptable for animals.. Note: hiring the tractor cost me $400. Why does Cobra Keep Running Zo out of the Paddock? I have 3 acres and am looking to create a drylot for my 6 sheep Leaning towards the princess option, or somewhere inbetween. Im very lucky they have enough room to go elsewhere than their stalls/paddock. So if you scrape down during a wet season, the rain will just turn the formerly compacted soil into more mud. One yard of #57 limestone gravel weighs approximately 1.4tons. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Luckily there is a super easy way to convert square feet to cubic yards: 1. How To Remove an Old Post using a Farm Jack, Audelina Assigns Me an Exercise to Prepare for Riding, How I Use Wild Oregano Oil with Horses & Dogs, Fencing Pros and Cons & The Best Horse Fence, I Feel Guilty My Vet Injured/Killed my Horse, Horses Help Heal Generational Lines of Dysfunction, Intuitive Herb Selection for Your Horse Part 2, Horse Self-Selects Herbs to Help with Metabolism & Weight Regulation Part 1. x 12 in. Hes recovering, but its been a slow, agonizing process. A French drain offers a gravity-assisted means of keeping the yard free from excess moisture. I think the three layer option seems to be the best. or a covering to avoid water accumulation. Should I let my horses have one season of muddy feet and wait till summer to do the work? I have put rubber mats down on every different gravel footing Ive tested and they always move and become uneven. Crushed limestone typically produced by mining limestone or dolomite rock deposits. Second thing that can really help I was able to do this when I had 5 because there was enough space for everyone, but it no longer worked with 11: https://listentoyourhorse.com/stud-piles-teaching-horses-where-you-want-them-to-poo/. And yes, your farrier is correct but that is one of the reasons I LOVE gravel; it allows the horses to self-trim. They have a program that subsidizes horse owners to improve drainage. muddy , trail users frequently walk to the outside. I was all ready to order my gravel and tractor (my two new horses arrive at the end of April) until I read that you shouldnt do this work when the soil is muddy. Great info. Thank-you! Im mulling the idea of doing a video/blog post just about gravel terminology and what its called in different areas. I will leave the back field open for them through the winter until May/June and let them trash it with their hooves and manure. By May, you can see that the paddock surface is pretty much toast the grass is growing up from underneath and the gravel has almost disappeared from sinking into the soil and the entire thing will have to be re-done again in August for approximately the same cost ($2000 total including tractor to spread it). Remember, I was only looking for this paddock to last a year or two. Although this can occasionally be effective, there is a saying in the trade that "adding a bucket of gravel to a bucket of mud just gets you a bigger bucket of mud.". Heres what the 1/4 inch minus crusher dust looks like on the paddock: And heres what the 3/4 inch gravel looks like on the paddock: I figured this would be a really good test to see which gravel held up best under the horses hooves during the rainy season, because I had them side-by-side for direct comparison! That said, you pretty much have to see the different types and as was mentioned by someone else, you have to know how the surface below it will effect it. Best to get new woodchips and not from a poisonous tree and without any greenery. If 2 inches of 1/2 inch angular rock plus 2 inches granite fines (so 4 inches total) would work in your barn yard, then it will work on your paths. I live in a dry, desert region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I have purebred Arabian horses. Fantastic information Pippa thanks so much for letting us know! Crushed Gravel Cost. Because a farrier with lots of experience with it says its too acidic for the horses hooves. Best article ever- I needed up making it a little simpler and doing geo textile then 6 in granite fines and have no mud in my barn yard- Granite Base. So the layers act as a well-draining foundation. Hi Natasha, I think that will get you through at least 1-2 winters (in the worst rainy climate). This dust forms a cement-like bond when compacted. I forget the size but its small enough to fall through the manure fork. Applying straw, pine shavings, or organic mulch to a muddy yard is an excellent temporary remedy. It wouldnt be the most interesting thing Ive ever written, but it might be useful. Crushed limestone #8G (3/8-1/2 inch) is ideal for channeling water runoff on your property. RIP RAP. And include the UK terminology because thats even harder to figure out Post a link here if/when you do! crushed limestone for muddy yard. My question is this: When I do the paddock area with the 3 layers of stone like you explained; what do you recommend for inside the run in? that would be cool . The process of limestone formation typically occurs in shallow, warm, marine . It consists of a coarse aggregate base and a finer cover layer. I didnt use a membrane and probably would in the future. I will probably go with the princess option , again thanks a million. Every one of my 11 horses knows this. It also lasts far longer than mulch. In that case, I think it would depend on how your drainage is set up from your stalls A barn with good drainage probably requires a different material under the mats, than a stall with poor/no drainage. Thanks you so much! But, if its drier and they do lie down in there, then yes, a really small, smooth pea gravel or sand would be WAY more comfy for them. A couple years ago I had a 40 acre place with a separate 4-stall, 3-sided tractor shed about 150 yards from the house. But that is the law. For home use, it is typically bought in pellets or powder. Mud creates mud. since there is no way I will ever have a covid vaccine , This is an amazingly helpful article! (from Kelmor in Chilliwack) We did not do a geo textile cloth (although I had one in my first hog fuel arena). It seems there is nothing harder for wear-and-tear on gravel than horses hooves! Thanks for the interesting discussion. I think your main question/determinant for the run-in is whether they lie down in there? Regardless of the problem, drying and repairing the muddy yard is necessary. After six winters in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, with 3-11 horses, heres what Ive found works best: 1. If you look at horse stables/properties all over the UK that is what they do. For example, the price for one yard is around $40 at Mains Landscape Supply. The most common approach to firming up a muddy road is to add gravel. Our rock and gravel delivery services have been used to install driveways, drainage systems, garden paths, roads, and much more. If we have low-sugar hay in slowfeeders/haynets available 24/7 then our horses do not have to eat toxic plants to assauge the acid in their gut. I have also not had to top it up in any way, although I pick manure daily, and also harrow it weekly as I dont want to mess up my base by having holes in my sand from the horses playing out there! Gravel for paths is sold by type and size. I am curious as to what you went with if you could let us know. Because this is the most informative article Ive read I was curious what you would recommend under stall mats. However horses oversized the manure on the 5/8 gravel and real difficult to get it all off the gravel which should e an issue. Having said all that, if you have an active herd like mine and youve got an area thats sheltered from rain theyre still going to move it around and carve it out over the winter. Thanks so much for sharing your methods and experience. Damage Caused by Slowfeeders, Hay Nets & Metal Grates and Solutions! HOWEVER, now that were heading into 2022, Ive had almost 3 years with the professional job that Mitchell did and the geotextile cloth is coming through. My dilemma has been what product to put underneath. We have used it both inside the barn and outside. So 3/4 inch minus gravel means that the largest particle size is 3/4 of an inch and all the gravel in the load is guaranteed to be 3/4 inch or smaller. Seriously, DO it. We have tons of experience in residential, commercial and industrial applications . just in case you want to waste your money like I did. So they obviously had serious deficiencies (their hooves were pretty bad too and thin tails). As you can see from the 2 photos directly above, it is much easier to rake all the leaves off of the crusher dust. Rip rap is an aggregate that will perform in the harshest outdoor conditions. Have to be careful, Ive seen a smaller piece (at another barn) of chip get wedged up hard in between the bar and frog. If you need to install a drain or culvert heres my handy step-by-step guide to install a French drain. Its holding up well though and perhaps they will only need to re-do it every 3-5 years now; since theres such a good base on it now. Now, keep in mind that Dr. Swinkers advice is not tailored for a heavy rainfall area. It is mainly used in applications by bodies of water, which is why you commonly see it along streams, rivers and similar locations. Most of the mud is next to the outside wall of my run in, so the water goes right under it and inside the run in; so in other words when its wet, they have no escape from it. Now Im going to moving my other mare over so wanted to check whats the best footing as I live on Vancouver Island, the place with the most rainfall on the planet. This layer of stone is your simulated bedrock, and it's the foundation of your new driveway. Thanks for letting us know . But mine prefer to lie out in the field on the frozen mud, so perhaps sand would be better it would be warmer for sure and I think that plays a big part in their choice. A smaller driveway may only require a budget of $300 to $350, while a longer and larger driveway may require up to $60,000 in budget. I havent tried it myself. When should you scrape down to subgrade soil? Unfortunately, my landscaper/road builder/horse trail builder guy says that you need to scrape off the dirty layer of gravel at least once a year, and re-grade where needed. 1,000 - 1,200 lb. We just had our stable built, with excavation down to the hard soil. Im also going to tell you about the things Ive tried that didnt work so well for me. It will all look normal. Problem is, it doesnt pack down the way Id like. It is still porous so urine soaks through reducing the need for bedding removal. Just purchased Nov of 17 and boy it was a wet muddy mess for my 3 because I only had one month to get so much done before I could move them in. Were doing the paddocks now using your advice. Also check out this post by an Oregon farm as it has a lot of good tips for what works and what doesnt. That cost me $840 including delivery. That is a good idea however I have an intense dislike of the noise of leaf blowers! I dont know if this will help anyone, beyond being aware of it, as Im not sure myself how to prevent it. You might also want to look into the Paddock Paradise, or, Walking Track system. I live in England and have winter paddocks. Answer 2B and 2A are identical except that the 2A contains a small amount of Limestone dust (10) mixed in with the stone, which allows it to compact more effectively. Im definitely going to send your article to my boss and see what she thinks. All I had to do was put fresh on top. What can I use as a surface layer that will pack down fairly hard and not get cut up by hooves? We have been using cheap quarried chalk (local limestone) and compacting it on site. Absolute BEST Barn Design for Horses or Cows Cold or Heat! Jun 2022 24. emerald lake lodge restaurant menu Facebook; significance of number 21 in hinduism Twitter; is it normal for a cvt transmission to whine? More Miracles in the Singing Horse Matrix, Christmas & New Year 2021 Message from Singing Horse Herd, LTYH Podcast: Non-Verbal Observation & Acknowledgment, Connect Deeper with the Singing Horse Herd, Horse Wisdom: Who Are You, REALLY? My arena is also used as the dry area on wet days and overnight hours, I am very happy with my surface. Its the best info Ive found. NATIVE SOUTH TEXAS RIVER ROCK. Just hold on Sue, Ive got a guy coming out this week who contracts with the city here to create all their parks with horse trails, drain peat bogs, etc. Manure and leaves also break down quickly in the rain, so you must clear them off your gravel daily. Also can you find any forums or message boards where people have experimented with both? You will probably have to clear the top surface of the yard after a while and then let it air dry. What is your thoughts of the grids and french drains? Because it packs down fairly solid, it doesnt have the big pointy bits that are inclined to puncture and lead to abscesses. Great info. I really appreciated this article. Mitchell uses the Nilex 4551 Non-woven Geotextile when he builds horse trails in provincial parks. Id highly recommend going to look at farms that offer to let you see theirs and take a good hard look at their horses feet. Like you mentioned, it has blunted edges and wont compact as well as a 1/4 minus quarried rock. Angular Crushed Rock, very stable and suitable for paddocks. It was great to read such an informative article. So another friend of mine who builds both roads and horse trails in provincial parks, says that you cant just put the 3-inch rock layer down. You need good quality freshly chipped. Btw, did a little research on star thistle as I hadnt heard of it, and I think the important point here is how MUCH the horse would have to consume to be negatively affected: The exact chemical compound responsible for toxicity in Russian knapweed and yellow star-thistle has not been defined; however, a sesquiterpene lactone, repin, is believed to be the key neurotoxin present. Typically, you'll use a plastic perforated barrel filled with stone, buried at least 10 feet from your house's foundation. https://www.listentoyourhorse.com/equine-permaculture-in-rainy-climates-system-for-sustainable-pastures/, great info, i really appreciate you sharing with others as it takes time to post such info with pictures, too. Next, on top of the 3 rock, spread another 5 inch deep layer of 3/4 inch minus gravel (sometimes called Road Base). If you are already starting with fairly hard footing underneath, crusher dust may not be your best option but on the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley [of BC, Canada], it is rare for it not to be an improvement..