Fixing muddy paddocks with erosion

[4horses]

I came across this article on managing mud.

https://listentoyourhorse.com/which-paddock-surface-is-best-for-a-rainy-climate/

Any ideas how this will work on top of a hill? My drylots are at the top of the hill and everything erodes over time. I have a 6 inch drop going into the drylots. I put boards along the bottom of each drylot to prevent some erosion, but then those boards trap water and create mud.

I would like to get a load or two of sand… But that will eventually wash away with out a barrier system. The same with rocks… I bought some bags of river rocks to go under the gate- those rocks just washed away and went down the hill. I do have a neighbor with a tractor who comes once a year to push everything back up the hill.

How do you deal with both mud and erosion? I’m considering removing the boards at the bottom of the fence and running a french drain? Then fill the rest of the paddocks with sand and the manure areas with limestone gravel?

This is Florida, so we get rain daily during the summer. But any fill added will be better than no fill. The paddocks have been refilled yearly with whatever sand washes down the hill, so that probably has just contributed to the mud, as the compost manure washes downhill too.

[wsmoak]

How big are the areas you are dealing with? Could it be terraced to make flat areas of a useful size?

[Simkie]

You’ve got to give the water somewhere to go–either direct it around your paddocks, so it’s not washing away your footing, or build in french drains in the paddocks, so the water filters off of it without washing away footing. Probably both, really. Big job!

[walkinthewalk]

Ditto the French drains but, would it be feasible to also install some sort of ground grid system for mud control?

I don’t even know which type, so I haven’t posted any links. There are different materials and different styles. Some lay flat on already existing ground, some are tall grid squares require they be filled with gravel.

I am sure none of them are cheap, but the right system might be very effective in preventing erosion while offering your horses paddocks that are mud-free:)

[ayrabz]

Usually the people that can do this kind of work, will come and give you a free estimate on what they suggest… I’d utilize ANY free estimate to learn what is involved and what the prices would be. We can all say ‘when I had some erosion this is what I did’ but it probably won’t be anything like what your issue (s) is/are. I had a guy come, give an estimate for ffrench drain in front of my run in right to left, and around corner/barn to gradual drop off (a good run) which needed submerging, rock, and in front of run in some cutting of ground to a better fall, and replace with pads of bluestone, etc, etc. I’m please with what he did…I feel he didn’t have the right angle around that corner and I’m still getting standing puddles which does create muck but NOTHING like the barn flooding prior to his work! You have to have eyes on the ground, and weigh some of the options they’ll suggest and bid for you! Best of luck!

[Leather]

A picture of the area would be helpful - as others have said, it depends on whether there’s a draining issue that needs to be addressed or if it’s more of a ground stabilization issue, what your substrate is like, and some logistics like whether the entire dry lot would be rehabbed or just a portion of it like a high traffic pad. :winkgrin:

I had mud in my paddocks due to lack of ground stabilization not drainage issues, so was able to fix it with heavy duty non-woven geotextile cloth and a packable road base type “gravel.” It’s got a fairly steep slope but there hasn’t been much erosion because we had everything compacted really well with a plate compactor.

Grid is usually the best bet for slopes, but there was no way that I could afford doing the whole paddock in that! There are a couple of areas of high traffic that I have reinforced with geogrid that I found on Amazon. No delivery fee since I’m a Prime member and you can order small amounts. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FM2PYKN/