thanks so much for this suggestion !
this looks great,will check it out !
yes that makes sense ,thanks for pointing this out
I forgot to post that we have some of their mats that are years old and still look and clean to look like new ones, have held up well, even outside.
Those were the thick cattle mats, their lighter mats are a rather new product.
I think those may work best for horses, but have no experience with those in horse areas, we use regular horse stall mats there, but horse mats are not good outside, they tend to deteriorate.
i think those mats would be excellent but i see they would come from the usa - i am on the east coast in canada .it probably will cost a fortune to get them shipped.
Yes, freight is a killer on any mat.
Maybe see if you have someone local making those, now that we know they exist?
exactly 
to those who have a crushed rock ramp.what do we need to consider ? will it stay in place,will it wash out ?any other issues we need to address before getting started ?
Check your local concrete, sand and gravel or road contractor businesses for crush concrete, the smaller one, some call it concrete wash, that has fines.
It has some straight gravel, that is the little rounder gravel, but plain gravel alone shift and wash away, doesnât compress.
The angular pieces and fines is what will help the material set and is best all around, as long as is clean and no chunks in it, or metal, etc.
Material with bigger pieces will be ouchy for horses to walk on, rounder straight gravel will shift underfoot, too much fines or sand in the mix will wash away.
If adding material is possible, that is much better than any kind of mats.
Hope that helps.
we used Road Base (product name does vary by regions) around here it is which is very small rock with limestone dust that will pack to the hardness of concrete but will not be slick
In Asia we would mix cement with dirt to make a solid base
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yes that is very helpful.our contractor did an excellent job building the riding ring so i am sure he can get the right type as you are suggesting.i am concerned how this will hold up in wet conditions ,the barn is at the lowest spot of our land,hence the raised barn,and water will pool in front at times unless i was quick enough to dig some trenches to lead it around and away
in 1956 we provided the caliche, the road builders crushed and made road base for it when they built the I-40 expressway.
In 1996 they rebuilt it from the base up, giving away that caliche road base for the hauling and we got some back for our main road, 4" of it over dirt and is still today set and works well even when wet, as long as the road is kept crowned where water wonât stand on it.
The trouble here with road base is that is very hard to find, not many any more use that, but they may where the OP is, is sure good stuff.
The local highway department has used crushed asphalt in little town streets, mixed with dirt and some concrete and it seems to be holding fair, but does require maintenance around the edges and where vehicles turn, it tends to dig out.
I think it is all a compromise, some material works better here, less there.
I think is best to aim for what is available where someone needs material and live with the required maintenance.
thank you,this makes good sense
if going that route, see if there is a mix with recycled rubber from tires⊠some areas use that as it provides a long lasting surface (and reduces road noise)
Incorporating tire rubber into pavement has benefits beyond just recycling: it increases resistance to rutting, cracking, and aging.
https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/road-sustainable-asphalt-paved-tires/99/i7
oh that would be awesome - i doubt we can get it here but certainly will ask to find out
