parts of the Pacific Northwest and the U.K., is that there is no hard compacted soil, or shale, or rock beneath the topsoil! So you watch where water flows when its raining, and then scrape and lay your gravel during summer when its dry. Rotted chips basically become soil. However, under the lein-to part of the barn it has the 1" crushed limestone as well. It seems there is nothing harder for wear-and-tear on gravel than horses hooves! We dont have as much rain as you all in the NW but we do have LOTS of hills and so we get drainage across our fields. Thanks for the discussion. You could possibly place a third layer of 1/4 minus (what we call trail mix gravel) on top of the permeable layers. Were doing the paddocks now using your advice. It is abundant, widely available, and inexpensive. 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! 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. Make sure you dont get smooth-edged crusher though it needs to have the jagged/irregular edges to pack properly. State Approved Road Base View Ad. Great info. 6. Just wondering about freezing. There are many opinions of course as to which is best, in fact it can be a bit overwhelming at times so I would appreciate any guidance. My horses are barefoot so seedy toe is a problem with any sort of grit. He was stunned by the county thinking gravel is non permeable and says they are dead wrong. 2. 2.5 inches equals .208 feet START. And next year, I had to spend another $2K to spread 3/4-inch minus gravel on top. One word of caution: Ive been using it for 6 years, no problems, but recently, recently, almost lost one of my horses to colic. Best to get new woodchips and not from a poisonous tree and without any greenery. What does minus mean, when referring to gravel? 3/4" Crushed Limestone Rock, 57 Stone. Your site is so inspiring and YOU are so generous! When the wildies came in they hoovered the minerals at an incredible rate for about 8 weeks and then normalized they ate more in 8 weeks than the next 2 years! Many people refer . 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. Thanks so much Eve, for stopping by and adding your wisdom/experience to this conversation much appreciated! I will probably go with the princess option , again thanks a million. Because even if you clear down to hard pan, put a layer of 3 minus rock, then 4 inches of 3/4-inch minus gravel, and 2 inches of 1/4 minus or crusher dust it still sinks! All of the rock based products are close to the same price being within 10 dollars a yard of each other. The other important thing with gravel, is that it requires regular grading/maintenance. Hey Paul, if your fine gravel locks together (i.e. Good sleep is an important part of a happy, healthy horse. I had my area done 2 years ago. that would be cool . You have to be sort of careful of sharp twigs if not screened but I have not had any problems over 19 years. material calculator delivery rates #10 Limestone Screenings This is our finely screened crushed grey limestone. If you have loose or sandy soil, you'll need a base layer. So I would rather rake and sweep. Crushed Stone #411. 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. But if you live somewhere rainy like the Pacific Northwest or UK, then this industrial-grade barrier material is crucial. 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. And that way I can keep them on pasture year-round in this super rainy Pacific Northwest climate. Paul. Heres a full list of inch to feet conversions so you can figure out the depth of gravel you want for your calculation in step #1 above: 1 inch equals .083 feet Gravel is extremely simple to put on lawns and offers a long-term solution. Crushed stone, a mixture of stone dust and stone of various sizes, packs together nicely. Clear all soft organic soil, grass, down to the compacted subgrade soil. yd. 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. 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. 1. We dont know if it built up over years of ingesting a little at a time, or if he somehow swallowed a whole bunch at once. Youre welcome And how terribly EXCITING!! 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. Okay, now that you know what to do Im going to tell you about all the options available and what other people say. When hes building horse trails, he puts down the Nilex geotextile, then 5-6 inches of 3 rock, then 6 inches of road base (3/4 minus). 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!) Every one of my 11 horses knows this. Mud creates mud. My least favourite footing is hogfuel and Id probably have them stand in mud over hogfuel because when hogfuel is new, it is very acidic and it etches out the sole of the foot, leaving the foot more vulnerable (Ive seen hooves so bad on it that a hoofpick can poke through the sole easily. "It's a very modern look, but I tried to soften it with the gravel and plantings, like the ferns in the gravel," says Klausing. Thank you for your response. Do not just go buy geo-textile cloth from your local nursery or hardware store (tried that, doesnt work!). I write for a quarry and sand-and-gravel operation. Im so happy I found your website! Hi Pat, if you just laid the gravel, but no geotextile cloth underneath, youll get one good winter out of it, possibly two. Like Hoffmans? Dr. Ann Swinker (professor of Equine Sciences) says: Ideally a two layer footing system works best when working with gravel. Now, keep in mind that Dr. Swinkers advice is not tailored for a heavy rainfall area. Applying straw, pine shavings, or organic mulch to a muddy yard is an excellent temporary remedy. Thanks for letting us know . You need good quality freshly chipped. If you had a docile herd of 2-3 horses you would likely be just fine. 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. Any advice? Beautiful! Using these products together will prevent freezing by allowing for proper drainage without needing a french drainage system. The product is commonly used as erosion control, as a heavy drainage material, as a stabilizer or for landscaping. Once these thresholds are reached, disease symptoms have a rapid onset. Source: https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B710/. You have to pick up manure everyday but so worth it. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. 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). yd.) Thx, Kimberly, Hi Kimberly see points #4,5,6 in the first section: Create a Dry Paddock in even the Rainiest Climate. Thank-you! And I would think youd want to use sharper-edged gravel (not smooth) so it can bite into the limestone and hold I discovered this by adding a load of smooth gravel on top of my crusher dust (1/4 gravel) to see what would happen, and it just slid around and was useless. For a 2040 metre area I would put 20 cubic metres. If you were to follow Dr. Swinkers advice, you could use pea gravel 0r 3/4-inch minus gravel on the bottom and crusher dust on top (crusher is really just tiny gravel with gravel particle dust), or limestone gravel and crusher dust, or limestone gravel and sand. Plan on spending anywhere between $32 and $55 per cubic yard of clean crushed rock and $15 to $37 per cubic yard of minus crushed rock. One cubic yard contains 1.4 to 1.5 tons of stone. We recommend using this for the topcoat layer for patios and walls. Also, if you want your paddock to give your horses the opportunity to self-trim their hooves then definitely dont put crusher dust as your last layer on top. part of doing a crushed stone base to to dig up the grass and top soil and dig down . With an older or sedate herd, maybe youd only have to top up once ever 2-3 years. It can also be called quarter minus, or flume sand. Ive not heard of that. These are just a few of the many ways limestone can be used: 1. Crushed rock with fines is called Crushed rock 40mm minus. I have found your article here really helpful! When choosing rock for the top layer, choose "traffic bound" or "dense-grade" gravel. Crushed Limestone Is Ideal for Livestock Stalls Powdered dolomite lime is excellent for all types of plant agriculture, and solid hydrating limestone is great for building. This is a boarding facility so all my expense. BUT if you can teach them where to poo that could buy you 2-3 years before having to scrape/freshen. So instead of implementing what I know would be a great solution, instead, Im trying to figure out the most cost-effective way of making sure my horses dont get thrush and can maintain healthy hooves through this years wet, rainy Winter and Spring. I think it also depends on the crusher I got one load that was insanely dusty, I was concerned about them inhaling it. The gravel and/or crusher dust only lasts one season and so you have to pay out the same amount every year. 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.. Because this is the most informative article Ive read I was curious what you would recommend under stall mats. Also check out this post by an Oregon farm as it has a lot of good tips for what works and what doesnt. It also drains well and is easy to hose down. My mare has Cushings and sometimes laminitis. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The same problem occurs when you shovel manure. Go ahead and compact again. Avoid high-clay soils as subsoils. Again, this article is fantastic! It doesnt matter how much they churn it up now, by end of June you wont notice a thing is amiss! Thank you for your great article!!! And then the cloth gets moved around by their hooves. That's where limestone from Baker Lime can help. If you live in a climate that only gets occasional rain, or a short rainy season, then you may be able to just lay either a commercial-grade shielding fabric or a specialized plastic draingrid on top of the hard pan soil, then layer 2-4 inches of 3/4 inch minus pea gravel and top that with a 2-inch layer of 1/4 inch minus limestone gravel, or crusher dust. It makes total sense though that it would be slippery when wet/freezing. and I love the photos!!!! If you look at horse stables/properties all over the UK that is what they do. . Fortunately, some remedies are transitory, while others are long-term. 1,000 - 1,200 lb. After scraping down to compacted subsoil, put a commercial-grade barrier material on top of the hard pan soil. So if you scrape down during a wet season, the rain will just turn the formerly compacted soil into more mud. Regardless of the problem, drying and repairing the muddy yard is necessary. To create driveways. Like you mentioned, it has blunted edges and wont compact as well as a 1/4 minus quarried rock. GABION ROCK - 4" X 8" CRUSHED LIMESTONE. Please feel free to share your experience and experiments in the Comments section below. Which made me think nursery pallets > easier and cover more space and probably a lot cheaper. ft. (1/3 cu. And yes, I can also concur with your friends experience. Make three zones in your rain garden: a moist zone at the bottom, a middle area, and a transition zone at the lawns border. 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. So then when the ground shifts, it may develop sink spots, become wavy, etc but it doesnt matter since your mats are one piece. It worked well for them as they were just there for a few years. 2. Then I thought: What if they get a thrush infection and I need to keep them completely off mud I wont be able to do that without cross-fencing the paddock! One thing everyone does seem to agree on, is that if you are using crusher dust or pea gravel, its best to scrape off the topsoil (mud) first and get it down to the hard soil surface, then lay your footing. So make sure your two layers, over your Nilex Geotextile, are at least 10 inches deep. Even I get confused. 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. He suggests you lay down 5-6 inches of a 3-inch minus rock layer first, to provide that hard layer and then put your gravel on top of that, or you will just have to dump the same amount of gravel every year, year after year, because it just keeps sinking. 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. If you dont have the budget to hire a tractor to remove 6-12 inches of soil, what is a cheaper alternative that might still work, if youre in an area with only occasional rain or flooding? Occasionally if on slope older spent chips need shoveling up but they can go on ground, gardens, hardcore roads. What are the environmental impacts of using a coral reef product? 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. Regarding freezing, when it gets below zero, it all freezes.
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