The biggest issue is the immense amount of dust generated in the stalls. ), Mischief, Feed Dishes & Increasing Awareness, Absolutely Easiest Way to use Horse Manure to Create a Worm Farm, Guided Meditation to Connect with your Horse, Dog, Cat or Pet, Paddock & Pasture Permaculture Setup for Rainy Climate, Livestream: Despair, Shielding & Using Imagination to Create Reality, The Dead-Easy Simplest Way to Compost Horse Manure, Horse Herd Communication Energy & Body Language, The Treacherous Creek, Tree Ecosystems, Horse Wrestling & Smooches. But thanks for sharing as Im sure others on here may love the tip . But as I pointed out above, examine the crusher before you order it, to make sure it is just crushed rock fines and doesnt contain any clay particles. I havent tried draingrids or mudgrids myself, so I cant comment on them. e.g: 500 square feet x .5 feet depth = 250 cubic feet. Okay, now that you know what to do Im going to tell you about all the options available and what other people say. The most popular material for dog potty areas is, without a doubt, pea gravel. Wow thats crazy! The key is to get it deep enough so top layer stays dry but enables urine to work on chip below which in effect exchanges wet for decomposing chip. Nearly all the faces of the fragments are fractured. Ideally, gravel should be 3/8" but 3/4" would also work. 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? Since I have not prepped the paddock surface and the gravel will be dumped straight on the grass, I decide to order 39 tons of 3/4 inch minus gravel from Fraser Valley Aggregates. Clear all soft organic soil, grass, down to the compacted subgrade soil. #4 Gravel stone is made of limerock from 1 inch to 2 1/2 inches in size. That was a very interesting read! It was great to read such an informative article. I would love to turn one of my higher ground areas into a huge covered area with drainage footing and then 8 inches of sand on top just for them to use to lie down Maybe someday. As I have 2 horses I intend to build a small turnout paddock for the winter months. Kimberly, Oooh thats fantastic Kimberly! Typically, you'll use a plastic perforated barrel filled with stone, buried at least 10 feet from your house's foundation. BUT your depth must also be in feet, not inches. NOTICE I ended up calling a guy with a tractor anyway! If your horses are restricted to a small area, they may then start pulling on the cloth to play with it. When I called a local nursery that sells everything (pea gravel, crusher dust, limestone, sand, mulch etc. So the plan is just to do stall mats in the 1212 stall areas. They are then free to honor their body wisdom and *listen* to their body because they are not in physical or psychological scarcity. Ive never seen 3-inch woodchips for sale anywhere in the Vancouver area. The result is a durable, all-weather surface that is acceptable for animals.. Because a farrier with lots of experience with it says its too acidic for the horses hooves. All Rights Reserved. Especially as 1,000 lbs in concentrated disks punches down on it. And yes, I can also concur with your friends experience. Crushed limestone gravel is relatively inexpensive and makes for an attractive, natural looking but durable walking surface. Yes the mats may pull away from the edges/wall as the ground underneath becomes uneven, but Im thinking that would be less hassle than multiple join-lines separating. The Easiest Waterhole for Horses that Doesnt Produce Mosquitoes! Thanks so much Eve, for stopping by and adding your wisdom/experience to this conversation much appreciated! But Im afraid the only thing that is maintenance-free is concrete! If I had known I would need him, I would have had him spend 30-60 minutes removing that topsoil/grass layer first, before spreading the gravel. crushed limestone for muddy yard. Just before we close, lets talk a bit more about geotextile cloth, which many paddock experts recommend using. Angular crushed rock is what we recommend for use with Lighthoof mud management panels. The question is: what should I put down on the surface of this paddock; what drainage materials will work best and not cost me crazy money? The thing that packs down the hardest especially if you water/soak it and use a 1000 lb compactor is Crusher dust. just in case you want to waste your money like I did. The 3/4 inch gravel gets stuck in your manure fork and you end up throwing away a little bit of your money every day when you clean the paddock: 3. Remember, he uses 5-6 inches of 3 rock on top of the Nilex geotextile, then 5-6 inches of 3/4 minus gravel on top of that. Rip rap is large nearly boulder-size crushed stone. That is a good idea however I have an intense dislike of the noise of leaf blowers! Manure and leaves also break down quickly in the rain, so you must clear them off your gravel daily. Remember, I was only looking for this paddock to last a year or two. Because the 4 of gravel that was on top, has either been moved around by punchy horse hooves, or been thrown out along with manure that breaks down into tiny particle sizes. You might also want to look into the Paddock Paradise, or, Walking Track system. If you are putting it over mud, you arent going to get the positive results that many of us see with it. I have a horse and donkey. 3. Especially Arabians, with their fine coats and sensitive skin, theyre not going to do well lying down on any kind of gravel. It seems there is nothing harder for wear-and-tear on gravel than horses hooves! Unless you are willing to have the top layer scraped off (and evened out again), and new crusher dust (1/4 minus) laid down every year ($$) its just never going to work well in a rainy climate. For home use, it is typically bought in pellets or powder. I wish I had better news for you. My questions are as follows: if I use your advice of geotextile fabric with layers of gravel am I going to get washing of the fine gravel on the slopes with heavy rain? 4. After tilling is complete, spread the required amount . Nevertheless, if its working well for you, then its always good to have options . My friend Mitchell Allen, who builds horse trails in public parks uses this exact material. The sand was dumped and spread about 2 weeks later. Same issue of course. To ensure adequate drainage for the stable when using any type of flooring, elevate the top of the stall floor at least 12 inches above the outside ground level. The two layers lock together and when compacted, created a smooth surface for turf to be laid on top of. What Is Rip Rap Gravel? I forgot to mention our new barn has 12 stalls, so this will be 12 paddocks. 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. I tried that one year and it was the worst gravel ever because it slides around so much it also mixes with all the manure particles and you cant ever get the manure off the smooth gravel. And that should be no problem for their hooves either its such a short time. The process involves breaking of collected rocks down to the specific sizes with the help of different rock crushers/machines. Youre welcome Suzy! Btw, nope, he doesnt know anything thats not already in this article. If you ever test your soil and find it to be too acidic -- or below a pH of 7.0 -- a gardening expert would recommend adding lime to the . How Can Animal Communicators NOT be Vegan? So I want to lay down some kind of surface footing that will encourage water drainage and help keep my horses hooves drier, so we can avoid thrush and other hoof problems that are common in this rainy climate. Thank you for your response. Can anyone comment on the use and longevity of products like Lighthoof? So far so good. BUT, what am I going to put on their paddock surface to create a paddock footing with adequate drainage? Neither of these materials work well alone. The water will travel through the rocks or gravel before entering the pipes. 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). When they lie down, they go to the higher ground. Crusher dust is gravel that has been crushed to the size of 1/4 or less. 5. Are wood chips the same thing that we call hog fuel or bark mulch here?? The most common concern about using crusher dust which is just tiny, crushed gravel is whether it will be too sharp for the hooves. In hindsight, even if I could not afford to remove the topsoil and lay down the proper layers first, I should have dumped 3/4 inch minus gravel directly on the grass (at least 3 inches) and then dumped 1/4 inch minus crusher dust directly on top of the gravel (at least 2 inches deep). In muddy areas, perhaps you would even start with 2-4 quarry spalls (basically what you refer to as a 3 clean rock; clean means doesnt have fines). x 12 in. Gravel for paths is sold by type and size. Post some before/after pics for us if you can You can upload them right here. It is still porous so urine soaks through reducing the need for bedding removal. So I would rather rake and sweep. You should dig the hole 4 feet deep and just as wide. What can I use as a surface layer that will pack down fairly hard and not get cut up by hooves? But let us know what you find out! Im mulling the idea of doing a video/blog post just about gravel terminology and what its called in different areas. It can be used for special build driveways for example on muddy roads, but for normal driveways we recommend #57 size, which . Et voila! Heres what it looked like after the two truckloads of 3/4 inch gravel was spread out: I was happy with this for a few days, and then I started fretting about the fact that there really wasnt much room for them to move around and exercise, yet stay on the gravel. how essential is the geotextile if you have scraped down a few feet? Yes three walls and an open stall doors to the outside. Horse was very lame. 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. First layer of rock should be 40mm crushed rock, with no fines in it. Upload attachment(Allowed file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, doc, docx, maximum file size: 8MB. Will dogs poop on pea gravel? Can be used for landscaping, back fill and mixing concrete. Every one of my 11 horses knows this. RIP RAP. by Tony Boone, COO Crushed stone trail located above normal floodway by a stream Arrowhead Trails, Inc. has built over 500 miles of natural surface trails since 1995. A muddy backyard in a small property can be solved with ease by covering the mud with concrete. It needs to be 6-12. 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. These methods quickly dry up the yard, allowing you to operate on it with a . So you watch where water flows when its raining, and then scrape and lay your gravel during summer when its dry. 2. 250 cubic feet divided by 27 = 9.25 cubic yards. Any advice? Our extensive resources allows us to quickly procure the base materials you need, have it transported and professionally installed. Limestone helps keep the soil pH higher. I would put drains (herring bone or french) if I did it again just to avoid water logs. This size rock resembles lemons or grapefruits and provides a firm base for the driveway. I live in England and have winter paddocks. Every bit of feedback is useful , Hi! Pea gravel is so good for their feet. It gets as wet as the paddock, so the same footing will probably be best. Add about 4 inches per level and compact each layer. I have put rubber mats down on every different gravel footing Ive tested and they always move and become uneven. Gravel is extremely simple to put on lawns and offers a long-term solution. what do you think? Natural Decomposed Granite This is a great alternative to mulch that can be placed around plants, shrubs, and trees. Excellent article, and appreciate the before and after pics. 2.5 inches equals .208 feet How to Manifest the Land of Your Dreams Part 3. So for the 1000 lb plate compactor you rented was that a separate machine? Have you ever read about this? And in a paddock entryway with 8 inches total of gravel/crusher. I really appreciate the knowledge you shared. Among the other options are crushed stone #411, quarry process, pea gravel, jersey shore gravel, marble chips, and river rock. It is mainly used in applications by bodies of water, which is why you commonly see it along streams, rivers and similar locations. Please let us know how it goes for you. Your plants also draw nutrients from their surroundings, especially the soil, that help them to flourish. It can also be used to level stepping-stones. Just wondering about freezing. Scraped out dirt, put in drain, geotextile, big rocks, then 57s, then screenings. 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. In order to safely use limestone for landscaping, remember these points, and your garden will thrive: 1. Meditation Claim Your Reality in this Crazy World, When your Horse says No Perhaps the Process IS the Point, How to Manifest the Land of Your Dreams Part 4. Ah glad you found it Lawrence! It is abundant, widely available, and inexpensive. Your email address will not be published. Horses pulverize the manure on top of the gravel and very difficult to pick up the manure. I live in a dry, desert region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I have purebred Arabian horses. It is a material that people are familiar with in almost all parts of the world. The two in front look taller than usual, Thank you so much for the invitation, but I will have to wait until I can afford my own plane (or fractional jet ownership!) 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. Thanks again for the very informative article! Thanks you so much! With my crew, I need to add a layer of fresh 1/4 minus every Fall. 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?) So if your paddock usually turns into 5 inches of mud, then use 5 inches of footing. We recommend using this for the topcoat layer for patios and walls. I have since left that boarding place, but the owners (who bought their own horses after being inspired by mine) did indeed dump 4 more boxes of crusher dust on that paddock ($1400).