We have a very long driveway (about 1/2 mile) and it is in need of repair in some places. I didn’t want to gravel it with big gravel like most driveways because my horses are barefoot and I would not be able to ride on it then. Looking for ideas to repair the holes and still be able to use as a riding surface (as well as a driveway). Would screenings work? We don’t have much traffic at all. I work from home so it’s really just my husband going to and from work and delivery trucks.
Screenings (stone dust) will work – does need to be maintained/leveled with a harrow – and it will be dusty in summer if it doesn’t rain often.
You might consider what’s called (in my area) 3/8 wash gravel. It’s small round pebble type gravel. My horses are barefoot too and they have no problem with it in the 3/8 size. Harrows nicely too – easy to keep level – and looks really nice.
road base, if compacted will provide a stable surface with little dust… later if desired it could be chip sealed to provide a paved road.
here is link to various materials with photos of just what they look like and approx coverage rates
http://www.rmmaterials.com/driveway-materials.htm
here is a chart for coverage per ton to specific depths
1" = 240 square feet per ton. 1 1/2" = 160 square feet per ton. 2" = 120 square feet per ton. 2 1/2" = 96 square feet per ton. 3" = 80 square feet per ton.
Crushed blue stone, while a great surface for a driveway, is hard and has no give. All the horses at my barn were either foot sore or getting foot sore. It is very dusty when it is hot and dry. The barn owner kept it as a base and resurfaced with a sand composition for riding. It’s much nicer now.
Thanks for the replies and info. Anyone have experience with recycled asphalt?
The street next to us is recycled asphalt. I ride on it regularly but it is too hard to do much more than walking and a bit of trot.
I’m watching this with great interest as I have a long driveway too and ride on it. I’d also like to know if you find a surface that will be ok for the driveway but great for the horses to be ridden on. Thanks
Not paved 
We bought our house with the long (700ish feet) driveway already paved. I can lead him down it, but would not want to ride on it (is also on a bit of a hill) as it gets slippery 
Kept wishing it was gravel or something but hubby appreciates the pavement.
We did 3/4" minus, compacted, which provided a very hard, stable surface and then topped that with screenings and compacted those. It resembles an arena base, and when my ring is too wet to ride, that usually means that the driveway footing is perfect for hacking!
The screenings are annoying though, when wet they stick to your shoes and you track in small rocks, and when it’s dry they are a little dusty and you track in powder. It’s a fair trade off though, I guess.
My neighbors did a the entry/exit areas of their barn in this. It packs very hard eventually, and I probably would want to do more than walk on it.
Oops - sorry. I can’t seem to edit and my post didn’t end up in the right place. My comment above is about recycled asphalt.
Stone dust is used for Standardbred tracks. It would compact down with vehicles driving on it, but not enough that it wouldn’t stay soft enough for working a horse.
However, if your horses are shoeless, it can “eat” away at their hooves. We were always careful to how long/often we took the babies/yearlings onto the track at home, when getting them used to leading/wearing a harness.
