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Mud solution options?

Around The Farm
#1

This is our 2nd winter here, I had hoped to have some sort of mud control in place by now, but unfortunately some other projects had to be finished first…

So now I am researching options for when it dries up in spring :slight_smile:

We have a 4 stall barn with an attached paddock. I will be adding fencing to create individual runs off each stall. Stalls are 16’ x16’, should I make the runs the same width? What about length? These runs will be connected to the paddock, which is connected to a track around the property with openings to the different pastures.

For now I would like to use some kind of grid system for the runs. I spoke to my county’s extension office and they came out and showed me the product they sell, called Hoofgrid.
It looks and sounds great, any experience here?

When searching online for different options I also found a lot of nonhorse related products like these, would they hold up? Has anyone used products not advertised for horses? And which one? Seems that some of those are way cheaper than the horse version and I am worried there is a reason for that…

Also, for anyone that has installed a grid system or permeable pavers, did you put gravel or cloth underneath? Sand on top or not?

Thanks for reading :slight_smile:

#2

No experience with a grid system.
But I solved my boot-sucking, muddy paddock problem 6yrs ago by having an excavator scrape down 6" then lay geotextile fabric & over that road-base gravel < rocks sized anywhere from 1-2" up to fist-sized.
My horses are barefoot & noone has a problem walking - heck, running! - over this surface.
Current herd is 16H TWH, 13H Hackney & 34" mini - all do fine on this footing.
And I no longer risk spraining an ankle walking on frozen, rutted mud.

#3

Even with a grid system, you must remove the organics down to the subsoil as 2DogsFarm mentions before you begin your footing and then putting in the geo-textile to prevent soil migration. Part of that is also insuring that proper drainage is accommodated through both contouring and other means. This does require a bit of investment in time and money, but it is the only way to assure that you’ll be mud-free over a longer period of time.

1 Like
#4

The Hoofgrid product is a great long term solution. It is a bit of an investment but will last a lifetime when properly installed. Our Hoofgrid paddocks are more then 8 years old with just basic cleaning & picking. Check out Hoofgrid on www,anequineaddiction.com for pictures of a sample installation.

#5

I have HoofGrid inside one of my big run-in sheds – I got tired of having to re-fill pee spots and leveling the humps and bumps that formed. Now I have a nice flat surface in there – easy to clean, maintenance free pretty much. However, the stone dust which I used to fill in the grid is now clogged up and doesn’t drain as well as it used to. I put peat moss down in the horse’s favorite pee spots.

Anyway, the HoofGrid was worth it. I can imagine it would be great in an outside run to create a mud-free flat surface, and perhaps there’s a better way to install and fill it so that it drains well. In hindsight I probably would have been better off using pea gravel.

#6

This is basically what I have except we put stone dust over the gravel. In some places it is somewhat exposed so I keep a pile of stone dust and refresh 1x/year or so. My paddock is about 60x60ish and not divided.

Not sure how well it would work in separate runs - it is possible that they would walk paths into it because of the smaller size. How much time will each horse be in the run? If it’s a lot, a grid system underneath might prevent ruts from repetitive walking patterns.

#7

I had boot-sucking mud in my paddocks so bad that the horses couldn’t walk in it when it froze. My husband scraped it out and put in 2A sub base–a mix of sand and gravel of various sizes that packs down solid. I have to add a load every few years but it’s held up well and we no longer have mud. It’s about $9/ton and I have to get a minimum of 20 ton for them to deliver it. Pretty inexpensive really. I have a feeling that you would just have to describe the product you want because every area seems to have their own name for stuff like that.

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#8

I had Hoof Grid put down in my horses’ 40 foot runs four years ago, and it changed my life. I also had them put it in front of my big gates that are by the water trough in their big turnout paddock. We get all four seasons here, and I was so tired of slogging out through the mud. It was pricey, for sure, but worth every single penny! The local MD Barnmaster company sells it, and they provided the labor and equipment to do it. They did it all in one day, too, which I appreciated.

#9

I have used Stable Grid for at least 15 years now. It is in our stalls, in our run-ins, around our waterers and in the gate areas of our pastures. We installed it ourselves without any problems. Basically you put down a layer of gravel, level it, put the grid on top and fill with stone dust. You have to top off the stone dust. This stuff is awesome and so worth having. It’s one of those products that has made operating the farm so much easier.

Hoof Grid looks like Stable Grid to me. I am sure there are other competitors as well. All I can say is the stuff works and it lasts.

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#10

I got a couple pick up truck loads of gravel and put it on muddy paths and around the gates. I think I used 2 loads, at $25 per load.

#11

My farm is on a base of red clay. Just dumping gravel on it doesn’t cut it. The grid stablizes the gravel and blue stone. But different areas of the country with different soil types can definitely use different methods. I wish I could only use gravel at my gates…it would be wonderful.

#12

Bet Mother Nature takes care of any lingering mud tonight…

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#13

I just finished installing Lighthoof and it’s amazing. We dug down, put down the fabric, then the Lighthoof panels, and filled with 5/8 minus. Bam. It is a game changer!

#14

We have four pens, one pen has gotten rather muddy around the fence line and the others are fine with the exception of the gate (and even some gate areas are fine). These are grazing pens and will be mowed with a zero-turn. Are there any ideas other than gravel and a grid system. I don’t want the horses shifting the gravel over and then it being hit/picked up by a blade and flung somewhere. Realize this is probably a newbie question. Thanks so much!

#15

Someone said they put down carpet at gates.

1 Like
#16

Thanks for all the replies!

After downpours for a week straight my paddock is so muddy that I decided to let the horses in the pasture instead… its getting pretty ruined too bit is not as deep yet.
I think we will go ahead and scrape back the mud when it dries up a bit, then put the fabric, gravel and Hoof Grid/Stable Grid or something like it…

Found the exact same stuff but advertised for parking lots, going to find out if that is any cheaper.

Does anyone have sand over the top of the stonedust? These are just 20x20 runs of their stalls so I would like for them to be able to lie down in them too.
They are usually only in for part of the day, while eating ir during the night.

#17

Like some earlier posters mentioned, we simply scraped off the topsoil and added about 6-8" of stone dust and compacted it. Zero mud in the sacrifice paddocks. Zero mud in the catch pen in front of a large loafing shed. Expect to add a bit of material from time to time, but it isn’t a large expense.

#18

Must be nice! Here in the great frozen north the ground freezes something like 4 feet deep. It’s not a problem until it thaws, which is why we have a fifth season between winter and spring. BO scrapes it down because the poop freezes between their butt and the ground. :smiley: There is bank run gravel around gates and on the heaviest used areas where they hang out. Tall Muck Boots work well. The thing is this cycle repeats itself every year…

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