Footing depth in stalls

[Horseman15]

I’m finally going to get the barn under construction. For the interior of the barn I’m thinking that I’m going to run geotextile fabric down on the leveled dirt. From there I’m going to use a base stone, then cover that with stone dust or similar. Concreting the aisle isn’t in the budget right now so it’ll be stone (I may use mats). I figure I’ll just do the entire inside of the barn the same way unless there is reason to do things differently. The feed room will have the same stone floor as the rest of the barn. The barn will be open to them whenever they’re out in the attached fields.

My questions are;

What would you suggest for the sizes of stone for the base?

How deep would you make the base layer (s)?

How deep would you make the stone dust?

Is this good for the stalls as well as the aisle?

How much would you compact each layer?

Thanks

[Palm_Beach]

I’d do mats in the stall, very well installed mats. One digger will pay for the mats. I don’t think you need all those layers for a barn aisle. My old barn had dirt aisles, my current barn has rubber pavers. If you go with stone/stone dust - just remember all the little pieces of shavings and hay that will land in your aisle and need to get raked/swept up. Stone dust will clean up easily, larger stones not so much. But anyway, congrats!!!

[2DogsFarm]

@Horseman15 What you’re planning sounds very much like what my excavator put down for me - sans geotex - 14yrs ago.

9" of gravel - large rocks: 2-3" diameter - tamped down, then 6" stonedust n the aisle & stalls.
Same footing prep for the indoor with 3" of sand on top the gravel, no stonedust.

Stall floors have been compressed by horses’ weight until they feel like concrete to me.
No mats, just pelleted bedding right over the compacted floor. They drain great - never any ammonia stink, even in the favored pee spots. Horses are Out more than In, free access to stalls from pastures.

The aisle is not quite as compacted. Still hard enough so it feels like concrete to me, but horses leave very shallow hoofprints & I can sweep, even hose it down.