We are getting around to resurfacing the small sacrifice pen and run that give onto stalls. It is very well drained, although it needs some reshaping, but my question is what kind of footing should we use?
What’s there now is the decade-old remains of the original gravel, which is mostly rounded stones of many sizes, and silty dirt. I’d like something that is 1. easy to pick 2. is easy on my pony’s ouchy feet, and 3. does not collect in hoof crevices.
Suggestions?
I did 3/4" minus, compacted, then pea gravel on top. Farrier recommended pea gravel for their feet – stone dust tends to grind them down, but it does kind of depend on your area if you can get it. Here in the Pacific Northwest it is plentiful!
If you can’t get pea gravel, sand is easy on their feet, but expensive. Hogsfuel or bark chips are also a possibility, but you will have to replace it more often / top it off, as it eventually breaks down and turns to mud – but it’s nice and soft for naps and feet.
Another possibility, though very expensive, is hoof grid then sand on top. The harder your base is, the less frequently you’ll have to replace or top off the footing.
I think sand is the easiest to pick and softest under a tender foot.
I am putting sand in a “moat” around our hay hut tomorrow! And prepping a section by the barn for runs/ a medical paddock which will probably be pea gravel. I’ll also (eventually) do pea gravel by the main gate in the paddock wrapping around to their favorite place to sunbathe.
ETA an update! 12 hours after putting the horses back in with the sand and they LOVE IT (shocking I know lol). I may be doing sand instead of pea gravel in the other areas because they like it so much and the sand is actually cheaper than pea gravel (by about $12/ton) here.
Keep in mind manufactured sand, while still pricey, is significantly less expensive than regular sand. You can also get a mixture of stone dust (teensie tiny stones) and manufactured sand (literally is those tiny stones ground to sand/dust particles. Idk why the stone dust is called dust around here at least, throws me off everytime lol.
We are building a sacrifice turnout using 1/4 minus that will have a layer of sand on top. The 1/4 minus will be watered and packed. It forms a hard substrate.We debated about using mud cloth underneath and decided not to because my horse likes to dig and would tear it up. Another option is to use what is called “arena mix” here, which is a washed sand/pea gravel footing.
Do people worry about sand colic when using sand for footing? I know of a horse that died from sand colic, so I’m super paranoid about it! But I also know we can do everything right and horses can still find a way to get into trouble.
It depends. If you throw hay on sand, it is smart to add pysillium to your horse’s diet. My horse was boarded for months at a barn with sand turnouts and hay was fed on the sand. Never had any problems. At home, my sand/pea gravel turnout allows access to my horse’s rubber-matted stall, so I feed him in there.
I do worry about sand colic. When I lived in California where most horses live on dirt, I used to do the psyllium treatment religiously.
Even though my horses get fed via hanging hay nets, there is still lots of spillage. I am planning on putting stall mats under the nets and keeping them swept, once the sand is installed. Or I can move the nets into the stalls although that just encourages them to poop more there.
I did decide on sand as it is easiest on sore feet.
I love stone dust personally. That being said, I suspect stone dust varies from place to place and may not be appropriate for all climates. Southern New England stone dust packs but doesn’t become concrete, and if the paddock is properly sloped/drained it doesn’t wash away. It is also easier to clean than sand in my experience, because it does pack well enough that manure doesn’t get mixed in as quickly or easily. It also has excellent winter traction in most conditions.
I do worry about sand colic. I am not feeding directly on the hay but in a hay hut with a net with the sand in a “moat” around said hay hut. I clean up any “spillage” of hay around the feeder twice a day and picked up psyllium to start doing monthly as directed.
I am in New England and used 'homemade" 3/8 minus for my in/outs and dry lot. I say homemade because no one around here has actual 3/8 minus, so we got 3/8 gravel and stone dust and had them mixed. This was only somewhat successful, as they didn’t end up really getting mixed together, so when the contractors installed it, it seems like the stone dust ended up on the bottom and the gravel sits on top.
It works pretty well. It drains great, for sure. Last winter they ended up on it all of the time (long story), and both were barefoot. They did end up with some bruising from being on it all of the time. Nothing that made them lame, but you could see bruising on the toes. This winter they will only be confined to the dry lot if the grass paddocks are soggy, so I don’t anticipate seeing this again.
The base is hard packed gravel. We’re putting two inches of arena sand on top. See how that goes.
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