All-weather paddocks

[lilak357]

The barn I currently manage has decided to add dry lot paddocks to contend with the mud problems that have been around for (what I’ve heard) the last 12 years. It’s a 14 stall barn on 17 acres in the mountains :nonchalance:. We’ve received over a 100’’ of rain this year and we are DROWNING. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be making the improvements. I’ve done a lot of research on the construction: graded down, install the geotextile, add 6" of gravel to drain, top with 3-4" of screenings for the tenderfoots.

I’m mostly asking for “wish I’d known” experience from people who have this set up, as well as the short and long term maintenance requirements. I will be mucking every other day if not daily that horses are on. Here are some of the questions I’d love to get answered while we’re still in the design phase:

1. do they need to be dragged regularly as an arena would? I’ve heard contradicting claims on this.
   a. if they do need to be dragged, how wide would be the minimum requirement to turn a kubota and drag around? I’d prefer for them to be in longer, rectangular “runs” and would rather them be longer than wider if possible.
2. How often do you top off the screenings, and is this with heavy or light use?
3. A mild side bar, but for adjacent paddocks, what’s your favorite fencing? I was thinking diamond mesh with a sight board and electric strand on top.

I’m sure there’s more questions, but this is a start at least!

Thanks in advance!

[soloudinhere]

Paddocks like this have to be kept meticulously clean. Picked every day, and if you feed hay, it needs to be fed on a mat (or in a haynet over a mat) and the waste cleaned out every day. Organics are what creates mud so getting behind on it means a lot of work for naught. I don’t drag mine but I do landscape rake and fill in low spots annually.

I like no climb fencing with a top rail especially for close proximity as they can’t stick their heads through it to mess with each other.

[Calvincrowe]

I have this exact set up. I have no climb with a steel pipe top rail set on round steel posts every 10 feet. My paddock area slopes slightly, so we didn’t grade (the barn sits up higher than the land, like on a pad) so we were able to lay geotextile–and please use very good quality–then cover with 6" of angular screenings. Do NOT use round pea gravel as it will never, ever pack and your diggers will uncover your cloth ASAP. I know some love pea gravel on top of a 3/4"minus base and that may work well, but I like the small, angular as a top layer.

I totally agree that you must clean the organics off it daily–all manure, hay and leaves as well as any dirt from hooves. I renew my screenings depending on which horses on are it-- some are harder on the footing than others, if it rains a ton, or I’m not good about cleaning. It’s been about every 3 years on average. We’ve had this set up for 12 years so far. I’ve dragged mine a time or two but don’t find it necessary-- it was more about softening up the rock hard screenings after a particularly hot, dry summer. Our paddock is one very large space (roughly 100 wide x 60 long) that we divided into two. I can get the tractor in and out but it’s tight with the drag on.

As a person who both has horses at home (boarding retired horses) and has one boarded at trainer’s farm, I love a barn with dry turnouts that allow a horse enough space to MOVE-- long enough to trot a bit, walk, stretch, maybe even canter. My favorite facility had 24 x 60 foot paddocks off stalls, very nice. They swapped every other day so horses could come/go. Those not ‘out’ went out each day in smaller, square turnouts, so everyone was out of stalls daily.

Hope that helps-- I am a strong advocate for sacrifice paddocks/mud free paddocks as we live in a wet climate here in SW WA, and pastures are ruined by letting horses on them during our wet season. It’s also much better for the environment to restrict livestock and improve run off conditions.

[Garythesquirrel]

I also live in the Pacific NW. I clean twice a day and take a leaf blower to the footing once a week to remove any small bits of hay, manure and bedding that falls through the tines of the manure fork. My runs are about 100’ long by 30’+ wide attached to individual stalls. I also have rubber mats in high traffic areas such as outside stall doors, by gates and water tubs.

[Guilherme]

@lilak357

The barn I currently manage has decided to add dry lot paddocks to contend with the mud problems that have been around for (what I’ve heard) the last 12 years. It’s a 14 stall barn on 17 acres in the mountains :nonchalance:. We’ve received over a 100’’ of rain this year and we are DROWNING. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be making the improvements. I’ve done a lot of research on the construction: graded down, install the geotextile, add 6" of gravel to drain, top with 3-4" of screenings for the tenderfoots.

I’m mostly asking for “wish I’d known” experience from people who have this set up, as well as the short and long term maintenance requirements. I will be mucking every other day if not daily that horses are on. Here are some of the questions I’d love to get answered while we’re still in the design phase:

1. do they need to be dragged regularly as an arena would? I’ve heard contradicting claims on this.

Are these working areas or turnout areas? Most folks around here don’t “drag” their turnouts regularly. And we get 50" of rain routinely (and this year we’re already past 62 at my house). They do pick out the areas as required.

a. if they do need to be dragged, how wide would be the minimum requirement to turn a kubota and drag around? I’d prefer for them to be in longer, rectangular “runs” and would rather them be longer than wider if possible.

I’ve never measured the actual distance for dragging, just got the drag where it needed to be. But we don’t drag much in small areas as we have few small areas for turnout.

2. How often do you top off the screenings, and is this with heavy or light use?

I’ll defer to others on this.

3. A mild side bar, but for adjacent paddocks, what’s your favorite fencing? I was thinking diamond mesh with a sight board and electric strand on top.

Electrobraid, mostly.

I’m sure there’s more questions, but this is a start at least!

Thanks in advance!

The first job is to carefully survey the area and plan for the drainage you’ll be dealing with if you’ve got 100" of rain coming BEFORE you move the first shovel full of dirt!!! I didn’t do this right after we moved here and was sorry for that decision later. You also will likely want to consider your base layer. With this kind of rainfall you’re likely to be spending a lot because you’re going to get run off from the surface as well as drainage from the base as the surface will be porous. Some “tiling” might be required. Use of “barriers” like landscape timbers or RR ties on the downhill side will prevent your surface from washing away. You will need to plan to redistribute the surface material from time to time. A good gravel base will be necessary to prevent the erosion of your substrate. Another lesson we learned the hard way. ;(

Your intended use of geocloth and gravel is a very good start.

Again, the maintenance program for a riding area and a turnout area will be different and will depend on area size, stock loading per square yard, materials used, frequency of use, etc.

A no-cost, local resource you might be able to task is your local Soil Conservation Office. They will often do a site visit and give you some ideas on layout and construction. Your County Extension Agent is another resource you’ve already paid for in your taxes. Use it!!!

In this sort of work remember the 5Ps: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. And can save a lot of money.

Good luck in your program.

G.

[DoubleDown]

I’m in the PNW, and have 24’x60’ runs off of my stalls with a12’ overhang. I highly recommend the overhang, they hang out under it quite a bit in the winter. We excavated a lot of dirt to build the barn, so I was able to start with fresh dirt, it’s also on a slope. We put down 3/4" rock, compacted it, then concrete sand on top of that. No fabric, I didn’t like the idea of the horses being able to possibly get to it. I did have some migration or sand and rock to the bottom of the runs, horses got wild and tore some up, then the rain pushed it down. Next summer I think I’ll borrow the neighbors bobcat to push it back up a bit.I have gutters too which is a must in my area, and drains built all around the barn and parallel to the runs.

I clean out the runs each night, but it’s really hard to get every last bit of poop up and not sand when it’s been raining all day, so some muck is developing. I don’t drag it.

I have corral panels as dividers with hot tape on the top rail. My mare did jump out once, and the tape has stopped her from doing it again.

[Calvincrowe]

I forgot to add that I also have a barn overhang and gutters and drains. An absolute here in the PNW! I get a ton of wind (Columbia River Gorge) which keeps leaves and hay off my paddocks pretty well.

[lilak357]

@soloudinhere

I like no climb fencing with a top rail especially for close proximity as they can’t stick their heads through it to mess with each other.

May be a dumb question, but how are your boards configured? I’ve only seen the no climb on un-shared fence lines where the post is on the outside, and no climb and sight boards are flush on one side. do you have to double the fencing? or just add 2 sight boards? does that even make sense??? does anything??? my brain is fried keeping track of all these considerations lol

[soloudinhere]

@lilak357

May be a dumb question, but how are your boards configured? I’ve only seen the no climb on un-shared fence lines where the post is on the outside, and no climb and sight boards are flush on one side. do you have to double the fencing? or just add 2 sight boards? does that even make sense??? does anything??? my brain is fried keeping track of all these considerations lol

It’s a top rail in the truest sense, it is a 4x4 on top of the fence posts. the no climb is on the inside and stapled to both the posts and the top rail so it can’t come loose. Works great, the fencing was here before I was and it’s still going strong…

[BlueDrifter]

How exciting to be planning for this. I have ZERO experience with my own barn, but I loved the idea in Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson that suggested making a track rather than a turnout. Keeping it wide enough to allow a drag. Feed stations, water stations, sand stations at various point to encourage movement. Green pasture or barns on the inside of the track.

Have fun! 100 inches!!

[Outyougo]

Another poster from PNW. In Willamette valley I have two choices. Keep horses out all the time—mud all winter shoes lost in mud shoes lost in dry summer due to poof hoof quality, clay mud all the way to shanghai. Moon craters in summer. Feed hay all year lots of weeds. Option 2 keep horses in stalls with small run in rain time (November to April) turn out on dry days a few hours a day. Keep turn out picked. Drag pastures to distribute poop piles. Compost stall waste.

On option 2 I buy much less feed, loose way few shoes. Good pasture prevents invasive weeds.

deer coyotes elk and salmon are native to this area. Horse are not. Management helps the planet.