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. When you say horse rooms Im assuming you mean stalls or stables? A really interesting topic, and I have a question: is gravel 4/3 & 4/1 good as an alternative to fine sand in horse rooms, or is fine sand better? Or email them to me and Ill upload them: [email protected] And do you have any pics of the barn you never had to dig out? This is really labor intensive and I totally did not anticipate the amount of leaf raking I was going to have to do! Should I do the same thing, or should I do something different like sand or pea gravel? Base Products: 226,835,102 Total Tons Sold TCS # 166 1 1/2 Base View Spec Sheet. Pea gravel. Im open to hear any new tips you may have to for my situation. Avoid high-clay soils as subsoils. Luckily there is a super easy way to convert square feet to cubic yards: 1. All Rights Reserved. It is fantastic that you took the time and effort to go into such detail. Your email address will not be published. Occasionally if on slope older spent chips need shoveling up but they can go on ground, gardens, hardcore roads. Do you have any pics you can upload? The same Farrier I quoted above also says: It locks together and makes a very firm surface with just enough give to allow for maximum traction. We are going to try a small portion of one horses paddock in a different material and Im considering the drainage panels you mentioned. Your email address will not be published. More importantly, you should know that the kitty litter will need to remain in the yard for at least a day or two before it is completely soaked in and then it needs to be removed. that would be cool . You could possibly place a third layer of 1/4 minus (what we call trail mix gravel) on top of the permeable layers. After just completing yet another experiment, I would say the Geotextile is non-negotiable!! Thanks for the discussion. Limestone - Buckeye Outdoor Supply From what Ive seen in my research, I wouldnt want to use them in a super muddy area unless they went on top of geotextile and road base otherwise, the mud would just ooze up through the grids as the horses walked/ran on them, so youd be continually cleaning the mud off them, or the mud would be mixing with your crusher fines. So you could probably get away with less for each layer and maybe dont even need the 3 rock. It doesnt matter how much they churn it up now, by end of June you wont notice a thing is amiss! Do not just go buy geo-textile cloth from your local nursery or hardware store (tried that, doesnt work!). And repeat, ongoing. Lafayette Dirt Sand & Gravel 337-342-5600 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. BLACK BASALT CRUSHED ROCK (1/2") Decomposed Granite. Course you could always do gravel this year whatever packs down solid the best (in my region thats barrier cloth, followed by 3 rock, then 3/4 minus gravel followed by 1/4 crusher dust) and see how it goes with the mats on top of that. Scrape off the dirty layer (from dirt and small bits of manure) and re-surface/grade. This guide introduced you to just some of the aggregates we have available. Upload attachment(Allowed file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, doc, docx, maximum file size: 8MB. Hi Jini, its been almost a year since I did my paddock, I used your recommended amounts/measurements, minus the Nilex barrier cloth, and its been great. Hi Pat, if you just laid the gravel, but no geotextile cloth underneath, youll get one good winter out of it, possibly two. Slope the ground surface 5% away from the stable and divert surface and groundwater away from the stable site (Figure 8). Will last a lot longer. 3. I started with the crusher fines, but have not been happy with the pee spots, so Ill go back and do the pea gravel, or maybe put some sand down in the pee hole, then the next 2 layers? I have lost so much gravel from throwing it out with the manure, I highly suspect well need to put down a load of crusher dust after scraping/grading this year. NCERT Point | Celeberities Net Worth, Biography Wikipedia and has a variety of uses including as back fill and ground cover in landscaping. A number of articles Ive read on this subject suggest using a minimum of 3 inches of footing (surface drainage material), or to use the same depth your mud gets to. PRICING - State Crushing Landscape Supply Just before we close, lets talk a bit more about geotextile cloth, which many paddock experts recommend using. However, at my current property, after doing everything exactly right, with the commercial-grade barrier cloth and all the right layers, by the end of the winter there were still craters and low spots in the footing. The discussion seems to be wide ranging and I would appreciate your thoughts. How to Make a Gravel Parking Area | Hunker He also uses a roller/compactor to really compress and lock the rock together into a nice firm surface that is not disturbed by punchy horse hooves. Top layer: Crusher Dust, But if not, then youre going to have to put down either geotextile cloth, or the plastic grid mats and then lay your gravel. By February, all the horses hooves were still in great condition (they are also fed low sugar hay, which makes a huge difference to hoof health) and the surface was still in good shape. 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. It was great to read such an informative article. See more related content in our article about, Pros and Cons of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring. 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- After six winters in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, with 3-11 horses, heres what Ive found works best: 1. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. . In the summer. Ive also not had one issue of gravel puncturing or injuring their soles when horses hooves have a place to dry out regularly, and they have a variety of surfaces to choose from, in my experience, their hooves and soles harden up and just take care of themselves. Only a few dont fall through. Live and learn! My own experience (keep reading) confirms this. Because it packs down fairly solid, it doesnt have the big pointy bits that are inclined to puncture and lead to abscesses. I have been doing research on the geogrids and stumbled on this wonderful and very helpful ariticle by Jini Thank you Crushed Stone, Road Base, Granite, Rock Delivery - Select Sand & Gravel It is a material that people are familiar with in almost all parts of the world. It will all look normal. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Kimberly, Oooh thats fantastic Kimberly! Perhaps in smaller, high traffic areas concrete is the cheapest long term solution! It needs to be deep enough that the rock compacts and locks together so one layer (of 3 rock) is not enough. It can also be used for mixing concrete. If you dont care about the hows and the whys and the research and you just want the solution fast, then heres what I recommend after not only turning this area into a dry paddock but also after increasing my herd to 11 horses, moving to another property, and creating a dry paddock there! Post some before/after pics for us if you can You can upload them right here. Nevertheless, if its working well for you, then its always good to have options . Road base costs $18 to $30 per ton. How to Manifest the Land of Your Dreams Part 2, Neem Leaf for Horses Anti-Parasitic, Natural Wormer, Summer Frolic with The Singing Horse Herd, Exploring with a Wild Mustang No Training No Touching, How to Manifest the Land of Your Dreams Part 1, Wild Oregano Heals Horses Intense Bug Allergy & Itching, Horse Wisdom: Transmuting Patriarchy or Dominance, Meditation Journey with The Herd for Anxiety, Loneliness or Fear, Horse Wisdom: Integrating Spiritual Shifts in the Physical Body, Aligning with Dog Wisdom No More Food Anxiety, Understanding & Listening to Dogs My Approach. Before we get into the materials we use for a hot tub base we need to first. How to Lay a Crushed Limestone Driveway | Home Guides - SFGATE How Much Does Crushed Limestone Cost? | HowMuchIsIt.org If the supplier charges by the yard, then the costs can be about $27 . Im curious to know if you ended up redoing the paddock surface area this year again? I read it for research in preparation to write a blog post about a horse farm that uses 1/4 minus for their horse arena and event venue. And I had to do that every year, for 4 years, until I finally got my friend Mitchell to come in and do it right. Please let us know how it goes for you. Would love to know what works for your climate/conditions , Hi Jini, I too live in eastern Colorado and would love to try the paddock recipe youve provided for this area. She said most of the time you can find sheep herdsmen to give you the fleece for free. Perhaps just 3/4 minus gravel laid 4 inches deep and 2 inches of crusher dust (1/4 minus) on top would be sufficient?? RIP RAP. My dilemma has been what product to put underneath. It worked well for them as they were just there for a few years. As long as you keep their hay off the sand (hay nets with a large bucket or built in container to catch escaped hay underneath?) 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.. Modern Gravel Above: In a Brooklyn backyard, garden designer Brook Klausing edged limestone pavers with crushed limestone dust mixed with gravel. The Complete Guide to Horse Paddock Footing - Lighthoof In general, delivery is free of charge for distances of up to 10 miles. 5 Best Gravel for Driveway Types - Better Paving Alternatives However, on the flip side of that argument, heres what a Farrier has to say about why she prefers crusher dust: As a farrier, my favourite footing in this area is crusher dust. 2. The most common approach to firming up a muddy road is to add gravel. ft. ($53.81 /case) $5.07 Save 20% ( 139) Model# GDRCOBRG Merola Tile Coppa Brown Gold 12 in. But trying to clean gaps in rubber mats that are shifting as the ground shifts, becomes a BIG hassle. You need good quality freshly chipped. See how to fix a muddy yard including the different causes of soggy grass, tips to prevent mud from building up, and effective solutions to fix water built-up. But let us know what you find out! Rotted chips basically become soil. This is a boarding facility so all my expense. Because a farrier with lots of experience with it says its too acidic for the horses hooves. Also be sure and check out our French Drain post as that worked brilliantly and may replace your trench: https://listentoyourhorse.com/paddock-mud-or-flood-problems-install-a-french-drain/. Spreading temporary ground cover for mud, like pine flakes, crushed limestone, or feline litter, will absorb the mud and also allow you to shovel it bent on remove the excess water. Next, use a power tiller to churn up the existing soil inside the forms to the proper depthabout 4 inches for a walkway or 6 inches for a driveway or other large slab. ft. (1/3 cu. For example, the price for one yard is around $40 at Mains Landscape Supply. Now lay a layer of large rock or recycled concrete (3 inches wide or larger rock) on top of the Nilex barrier, about 5 inches deep. I live in Chilliwack, so have the same weather as you . Especially Arabians, with their fine coats and sensitive skin, theyre not going to do well lying down on any kind of gravel. Mitchell uses the Nilex 4551 Non-woven Geotextile when he builds horse trails in provincial parks. In the middle of the worst rains of winter, the 3/4 inch gravel has the best drainage and keeps the surface drier, even during a full day of rain: On the same day, heres what patches of the 1/4 inch crusher dust look like you can see how the mud and soil underneath has been churned into the crusher dust. State Approved Road Base View Ad. Hey Rick, so pleased it was helpful! 7 Effective Ways to Dry Up a Muddy Yard - My Backyard Life Problem is, it doesnt pack down the way Id like. Add more gravel from time to time. Why does Cobra Keep Running Zo out of the Paddock? During the rainy season in the Western NC mountains, the mucky, suck your boots off, red clay is the bane of my existence. So I called them up and ordered 45 tons of 1/4 inch minus crusher dust with squared edges (not sharp) and had that spread on the remaining half of the paddock. Many people refer . It packs decently but also isnt as sharp edged so it gets used in beach areas where there will be plenty of bare feet. Crushed Stone - Bagged Landscape Rocks - The Home Depot If you had a docile herd of 2-3 horses you would likely be just fine. If you have loose or sandy soil, you'll need a base layer. This is fascinating! Seriously, DO it. They rot down naturally and every year to 2 years they are scraped off and easily spread on fields or neighbour puts on flower beds or I put on stone farm tracks to prevent water erosion but not too thick. BUT if you can teach them where to poo that could buy you 2-3 years before having to scrape/freshen. 2. So you watch where water flows when its raining, and then scrape and lay your gravel during summer when its dry. 5. They said it packs down better than pea gravel in the rain, there are less of the tiny stones to get stuck in the horses hooves, and its easy to shovel manure off of.