Pea Gravel in barn yard area...

[SuckerForHorses]

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Here is a pic of the barn/barn yard layout:

[IMG]http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff2/agonyaw/Public%20Album/4a23599b-16ee-48fb-bc6a-b4d417b3cef4_zpsnxriouom.jpg)

My question is this:

That yellow area, and the area under the barn and the other buildings, its really an old concrete foundation from a dairy barn that burned in 1983. [The arrows that I have on there indicate a downward slope along that side where they walk downhill to get to the rest of the paddock.]

Over the years, basically, it’s become a hard grassy area. You wouldn’t know there is still concrete under there anywhere.

Do I need to add a base of anything (like landscaping fabric) if the base is already solid? The pea gravel isn’t going to end up mushy mud because this area drains off rather well, and the concrete is essentially the base.

ETA: also, how deep should the pea gravel be?

[Mosey_2003]

I don’t know about a base, but if you have the money, putting fabric down never hurts.

Personally, I’d probably go about four inches, which would take about 8.5 tons for your area there.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8136019]
I don’t know about a base, but if you have the money, putting fabric down never hurts.

Personally, I’d probably go about four inches, which would take about 8.5 tons for your area there.[/QUOTE]

Any guess on number of yards? I have access to a dump truck to haul it.

[moving_to_dc]

I wouldn’t use pea gravel - it is hard to sift all the “organic matter” out of it effectively, and it will build up over time.

Instead, I’d use crushed blue stone or limestone screenings - the really fine stuff, that sifts beautifully through a fine-tine manure fork. That way you can pick out every horse and dog turd without also tossing away a scoop full of gravel. The screenings also pack down wonderfully over time, but are still “soft” and drain great.

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8136029]
Any guess on number of yards? I have access to a dump truck to haul it.[/QUOTE]

6.07

moving to dc, there is a train of thought that the round pea gravel is superior for conditioning hooves. I agree with the organic material point though.

[SuckerForHorses]

I don’t want it to pack down though. I’m thinking of the “massaging” effect of the pea stone on the feet.

[SuckerForHorses]

Re: picking up the organic matter through pea stone…

if I get the smaller size pea stone, shouldn’t it sift out of the fork rather easy?

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8136087]
Re: picking up the organic matter through pea stone…

if I get the smaller size pea stone, shouldn’t it sift out of the fork rather easy?[/QUOTE]
It will, but it’s going to stick to the poop, so you’re routinely going to lose some of your material.

[Winding_Down]

I am not so sure that the massaging effect of pea gravel would make a difference in brief walks across the area. The idea that pea gravel is good for the hooves in a run-in shed is presumably based on the horse standing for hours at a time in the pea gravel. I would go with whatever is cleanest, since it is basically a walk-through area. I like the above idea of crushed limestone - which is abundant here in Virginia.

[SuckerForHorses]

In the summer, this area will be half of my gelding’s paddock while he’s in there during the day. We are doing night turnout this summer, with daytime being in this “dry lot.”

That upper area you see, between the yellow and the other building, will be his paddock during the day. So half will be pea stone, the other half would be hard grass. He will also have access to the barn - I leave the front door open and he uses the aisle as his “run in” shed. This is concrete aisle with rubber mats over top.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8136102]
It will, but it’s going to stick to the poop, so you’re routinely going to lose some of your material.[/QUOTE]

Good point.

This won’t be a full time paddock area. Only my gelding’s day time lounge area.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=moving to dc;8136037]
I wouldn’t use pea gravel - it is hard to sift all the “organic matter” out of it effectively, and it will build up over time.

Instead, I’d use crushed blue stone or limestone screenings - the really fine stuff, that sifts beautifully through a fine-tine manure fork. That way you can pick out every horse and dog turd without also tossing away a scoop full of gravel. The screenings also pack down wonderfully over time, but are still “soft” and drain great.[/QUOTE]

Excellent advice.

G.

[Jim_in_PA]

It’s always a best practice to remove any organics (top soil and vegetation) check the grade and put down geo-fabric before installing a stone footing. That insures no mud and no soil infiltration of your stone. Do you have to do that? No. But better long term results will be had by doing it right.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8136302]
It’s always a best practice to remove any organics (top soil and vegetation) check the grade and put down geo-fabric before installing a stone footing. That insures no mud and no soil infiltration of your stone. Do you have to do that? No. But better long term results will be had by doing it right.[/QUOTE]

Removing what’s on top will reveal a solid concrete base. There is probably 2 inches of dirt/grass on top of it right now. There really isn’t any mud to be had even in spring.

[HungarianHippo]

a barn I worked at put down pea gravel outside their run-in. I hated it-- when fresh, it was “mushy” for me to walk through, and then it got smushed into the mud really quickly. It just didn’t seem to firm up the ground at all-- it was either on top of it, or deep in it. Whereas the screenings actually have lasting benefit.
I realize you don’t have that latter problem, but I think that will only prolong (or make permanent) that mushy / annoying to walk through phase.

[fordtraktor]

Pea gravel can also be too round and serve as little ball bearings if horses gallop across it. A local barn put it in their riding arena when I was a kid and it made the entire thing totally unusable – deep, slick and dangerous. They ended up having to have it all scraped up and hauled away.

They replaced it with crushed limestone and it was fine because that stuff is angular. that is what we have always used and it works great.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8136385]
a barn I worked at put down pea gravel outside their run-in. I hated it-- when fresh, it was “mushy” for me to walk through, and then it got smushed into the mud really quickly. It just didn’t seem to firm up the ground at all-- it was either on top of it, or deep in it. Whereas the screenings actually have lasting benefit.
I realize you don’t have that latter problem, but I think that will only prolong (or make permanent) that mushy / annoying to walk through phase.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with this. Pea gravel would be the LAST thing I’d want to put down there.

[horsepoor]

I have pea gravel in my dry paddocks and love it, but I have a totally different set up, with Hoof Grid (plastic stabilizing grid) over rock base, topped with just a small layer of pea gravel. Great for hooves, doesn’t pack (which is the point of not using angular rock), easy to clean, no problems with slipping, etc.

However, I’m not sure I would use it where you are describing. I think having it between pasture and barn, you’ll get a lot of mixing and loss. I’m not sure putting it over the dirt on top of concrete would work, as it would just mix, and if you use the four inches you mentioned, that would be too deep (try pushing a wheelbarrow through once and you’d hate it!). I’m thinking screenings might be a better way to go. But, honestly, if it doesn’t get muddy or cause a problem now, I’d just leave it as is.

[HungarianHippo]

Good point above on the ball-bearing factor.
OP, how about creating large buffer areas of pea gravel around the water troughs? You’d need geotextile to keep it on the surface, so a bit extra cost. But you’d get the benefit of them visiting the stone every day, without it being an area that you have to work in.

[Frog_Pond]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8136556]
Good point above on the ball-bearing factor.
OP, how about creating large buffer areas of pea gravel around the water troughs? You’d need geotextile to keep it on the surface, so a bit extra cost. But you’d get the benefit of them visiting the stone every day, without it being an area that you have to work in.[/QUOTE]

I like pea gravel in a walk-through area for hoof conditioning, but, I agree that it can be a PITA for the people to walk through! I’m still thinking about how to incorporate it again where I am now. Putting it around a watering spot could work really nicely. Thanks, HH.

Geotex is not always a good idea – it’s awful when it starts to move, or come up through the gravel, and it does that when the material beneath it isn’t prepared for it, or, the gravel isn’t deep enough. With a few inches of dirt over concrete in a decently draining location, I agree with you, OP - you don’t need the fabric and won’t benefit from it. I have that going on in my driveway right now – pea gravel over very hard packed dirt – and it works very well.