I have a (dusty) gravel driveway that I would like to change to something that the horses wouldn’t slide on if they hit it running. Asphalt and concrete are not my choices. What do you have?
Don’t have but planning after house remodel: tar and chip.
^^^ This. I have a dusty, gravel driveway too. Have looked into replacing with tar and chip, and since the gravel “base” is already in place it’s relatively inexpensive to install.
Thanks! I’ve never heard of this, but I have an old asphalt driveway that will need replacing and this looks like a great option.
Thanks, but what the heck is tar and chip? Does it smell like tar? Does it melt in 95 degree heat? Never mind. I googled it. That looks very good!
No matter what you pick beware of the folks who want to “seal” the driveway. I’ve seen multiple equine “slip and falls” on sealed pavements over the years. I’ve never researched it but whatever they use gets slick in wet weather and can get slick in hot weather. It’s been a few years since I witnessed one of these so maybe the products have gotten better. Just be aware that this is something that folks will try and sell you and it may or may not be a bad idea.
G.
I don’t now about the tar and chip, but I have a stone drive (I had an asphalt long ago), with regular maintenance and freshening it is def the best.
Stone meaning gravel? Dust City, which is what I have now. That’s what I want to get away from. I agree with the sealing (that’s for asphalt). Makes it slick as snail snot!
Many estates have pea gravel driveways… I imagine the cost is $$$ (maybe not?), but it looks nice, it’s not dusty, and it’s definitely horse friendly. I don’t think I’d want to snow plow it though, if that’s a concern.
Assuming that “tar and chip” on a driveway is the same as the paving in some country roads such as in the middle of nowhere West Virginia… the tar can get a little bit bubbly on really hot days (like 95 deg and upwards).
We plow some pea gravel over dirt road base. It does cause some movement of the gravel, but it seems to last ok on the footing that’s slightly softer underneath (such as paths to paddocks) vs the harder base surfaces. The worst though is the big rain storms. We don’t get a lot of them, but the ones we do, because the pea gravel areas have good drainage and the gravel washes downstream.
It is much less dusty than traditional gravel driveways and also provides good traction in snow or muddy conditions. Takes a lot of pea gravel though (guessing $$$) to have a really nice surface. You may want to install some kind of grid system between your current base to help keep the washout/migration to a minimum to protect the investment in the material.
Our new drive is “recycled” asphalt…professionally installed. They graded, spread the “crumbled”, recycled asphalt from highway do-overs and rolled it with a big steam roller machine. Looks like black top, stays in place, but a horse “can” get a grip if necessary…not slippery. I never saw it before, but it works well. We “had” a slimey, black dirt, driveway when we first moved in…couldn’t get out if it rained because it was like grease!!
1 Like
