This is a clever idea for those of us who need to use a paddock. How high up in inches on that frame? Estimate?
I seem to remember maybe it was railroad ties and they were half or more sunk in, so almost level with the pen’s floor?
Nut sure you need to frame it, as sand that migrates will be fine footing somewhere else also.
yeah, I remember a poster describing a farm that dug down a bit into the existing grade ,to make a pit, and lined the sides of the pit with timbers. It’s a great idea if you have access to a backhoe.
My sand was just piled on level ground ~6yrs ago, and it has spread quite far. Started as a pretty deep pile covering 15x15ft (ish) area and now the sandy area is at least 50x50ft. Which I don’t mind at all-- the whole barnyard area is much less prone to mud and frozen hoofprints as a result! But if you were on a hill, your sand would end up at the bottom unless you devise some form of containment.
@Bluey thanks for that - liking that idea.
@HungarianHippo was your sand piled on a grassy area? Any chance we can get a pic?
We put our pile in the drylot/barnyard, so it was already just a dirt surface. I don’t have any pictures that really would show you anything of interest. It was a big pile of sand, that eventually became a sand/dirt mix, that’s about all there is to it.
My “old guy” (21 year old Friesian) loves his sand hole. He takes a nap in the sun every morning. And he’s loving the cooler (finally!!) weather today …
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I am sure my big guy would just love it. He had brief unintended access to a triaxle load of stone dust and promptly played ‘king of the hill’ and dug, which with his dinner plate Shire feet he is very good at. No, he will have to content himself with recreating his mud spot in the carefully reseeded, barely established grass over the drainage ditch or making a nice spot for ice to collect on the carefully graded, crowned, and compacted stone dust runway to the paddocks. Which can be efficiently ungraded and uncompacted by those aformentioned feet.
Maybe I should get him a sand pile!
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Seven months, people. It took the fella 7 months to discover the joys of his sandpile. Up until maybe six weeks ago, the sandpile was essentially untouched. It made it through the winter, etc with barely a hoofprint around the edges. However in the last few weeks, it has been discovered and though horse psychically knows when I am coming to the barn and therefore I never actually catch him lying in the sandpile, others have witnessed general rolling, sleeping, and hanging out therein. Hah! Got 'im! 
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if you had planted some really nice plant in the middle of that pile of sand, then told the horse never ever step foot in there, plant would have been crushed as soon as you turned your back on the horse
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Just have to post I finally got a sand pile made. Right after delivery we had pawing and interest but that was it. Not one roll yet. I have this theory…that maybe I can use less shavings/sawdust if they’ll start “crashing” out on the pile.
We’re trying to compost and even with adding ammonium sulfate and water it’s a slow process. I like deep bedding and sure do notice them laying down at night with a nice deep bed.
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My horses are out 24/7 and I have an unfenced “native soil” dressage arena, which here in Aiken means sand. Much to my chagrin, the horses love to roll in it. But - only if is dry as a bone. I found running a sprinkler cycle twice a day keeps it moist, and the horses now choose to go elsewhere to roll. They chose another location, again with totally dry sand. I think they take pleasure in creating floating clouds of dust when they roll.
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I’m posting again that I moved my pile to flat ground. Had it on a slight hill and now thinking they’ll like it more flat. I’ve now had plenty of rolls and me ponies are liking their new toy!
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