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Prepare for proud and happy farm brag

Congratulations, everything looks wonderful

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Has this been weather-tested yet?
I have an area just outside my stalls (at the dutch doors that open to the sacrifice paddock) that is making me nuts :crazy_face: with mud prevention.
I have had it dug down 9", geotex laid & topped with gravel. Still became ankle-deep bootsucking muck in a couple years. Then I added 6" composite sills to the stalls, thinking less bedding would get pulled out.
2 yrs ago I had it dug down to the geotex & refilled with gravel. Back to muck now :dizzy_face:
I am desperate for a solution, considering cement (grooved for traction) but worried about that under snow & ice.
Help me, Obi-Wan :flushed:

P.S.
You have Angry Burritos, I have the Mini Kracken, who now gets locked in his stall, so he can’t “help” the oh-so-tolerant horse finish his grain.
Little booger tries to manipulate the carabiner that locks his back door.
I tell him “When you grow thumbs!” :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Yes definitely, the LIghthoof (really any grid system but stumbled on someone selling their Lighthoof before getting moved to Japan) was a “first year” project, so they were installed in 2017. We dug down 5ish inches, laid ground cloth, spread and staked the Lighthoof and back filled with…5/8-. I think. I know it’s a size larger than they recommend but no local company carried that size, and I contacted Lighthoof and was told it was fine.

This winter we did finally scrape accumulated mud and poo off the rocks on the paddock side with the FEL and hauled away I think two of my little dump trailer loads. Before that the only maintenance was on the smaller all-weather runout, and it was just adding rock; I think we had to add maybe three times so far? But they’ve become mucky except on the paddock side because they carry the mud back and forth on their feet and legs. I generally don’t pictures that show how nasty it gets here but let me see if I can find one…

Here ya go, you can see behind the adorable pony how much disgustingness we get. The Lighthoof on this side is honestly more to keep mud and muddy traffic from undermining the concrete pad, I knew it was going to muddy no matter what.

Sigh…
I WISH that was my level of Ick :tired_face:
I’m dealing with ankle-deep mudmanure. Now frozen solid.
Which probably means when my shoer comes Thursday - if I can shovel my gate out to let him in - I will not be able to close the horse’s or pony’s stall doors. Which means I turn them out in the indoor & catch for shoer :roll_eyes:
Fun times…

I am in awe of your progress!

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Oh I remember that from living in Alabama… Never again, ever. :skull_and_crossbones: Boot-sucking, shoe-pulling, trip-hazard-when-it-dries mud.

How did I not see this fabulous thread until today??? Wow. Inspirational.

Your place looks great and it is super impressive to see all that you have done. I remember a few years ago when you were describing the raw land and your plans.

Everything is impressive: the neat and sturdy fences, the generous spaces and well-kept look, the thought and planning you put into everything, but I am especially envious of those beautiful grassy pastures! It makes me sad to think that my old mares will never get to see that lush comfort, though I try to make them as comfortable and well-cared for as I can on their large dry Southern California paddock.

Wait, maybe I am more envious of the mud thing. Laying that grid system was really smart, and even though the mud photo you posted shows mud, I can’t help but be impressed that I can still see the horse’s entire back hoof. Yes, he’s standing on concrete, but the mud has not dragging up onto the pad and his legs are not caked in ooze.

Back to the planning: you may feel modest about paying the bills rather than doing the labor on some of those big projects but the design and planning is absolutely key and you deserve to brag about how well things turned out. Picking out good contractors is also something you have clearly researched and you can put another feather in your cap for getting the right people to accomplish your vision.

How did your landscaping turn out? You had a thread a while back discussing ideas for plants around your house and I’m wondering what you ended up with?

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Is that not the truth?
Did you catch that amazing picture around post 10, of the three straight soldiers, standing there at attention, for inspection? :star_struck:

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Ohhhhh! Well, you remember I had posted pictures of my house in town and how I had loved the look I had created there, as well as “getting” the big beauty bark and rock areas when I bought - so I did wind up copying that to an extent. Went with peagravel and sooooorta regret that, it mixes readily with everything and I have to rake out the beauty bark every six months or so, plus it comes into the house on shoes and pant cuffs.

OK so first I went with evergreen blueberries that were suggested, and hated it. Pulled them up and potted them and they are on the south/deck side now (you can see them in the picture of my arena construction with my dog and his found prize), and in front of the house I have an evergreen clematis taking over the porch and then two evergreen peaches and cream honeysuckles and a smaller purple clematis in the center on trellises along the sidewalk. I did try to put two hinoki false cypress in half barrels alongside but they croaked and sadly are still there in their dead brown splendor because I’m lazy :laughing: Back corner I did nine small dark purple rhodies, then um… two medium size yellow ones (a year later after the pieris decided they hated it there), and three big white-n-purple rhodies. Center one died and I think I’m going to replace it with a purple thundercloud plum OR a dogwood. I think the purple leaves of the plum would look super against my grey house, but not sure I want to deal with the fruit and dogfarts…

For the gated entry I sorta just threw stuff there. The evergreen clematis I initially planted died because in the summer that spot gets 16+ hours of hot hot hot sun and they roasted - apparently sun/part sun really means part sun. I then planted butterfly bush because apparently they are harder to kill, of the four I only had to place one and the others did great last year. Otherwise there is some bulbs in there I think, the stuff that looks like lavender but isn’t (cat something? purple flowers anyway), and lots of grass because I really just want the bushes to take over so I don’t have to weed!! It’s only to cover the meh fence anyway.

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Had to dig for this, and no it doesn’t look this nice now :laughing: Freaking peagravel…

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Ummm… I spend a lot of time mowing while they stare at me from the sacrifice paddock with their bloated cresty fatty sad eyeballs, trust me :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: I posted the mowing picture because I had gotten a couple weeks (WEEKS!) behind, and my vet responded “ummm that is hay” :laughing: My favorite purchase so far is my JD mower, “mow faster” is the perfect slogan for it because I literally can’t keep up with yard (tho the arena now taking up a significant portion will help) and the paddocks - if it rains and I can’t mow on a three-four day rotation, I’m screwed :laughing:

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I like the chicken pens! Where is the coop in relation? I’m sure there’s a pic I missed somewhere. The wooden blocks on top of the T-posts; did you just make them by cutting slots into a 4 × 4?

I need to figure out a breeding pen configuration in the next few weeks & I’m going nuts trying to find the cheapest & most efficient thing that is still somewhat aesthetically pleasing. I’ve always used electronet up to now. This time I need to separate everyone into their breed flocks, though. And we have hawks, which were rarely a problem at the old farm. We have two, massive Liege Fighter roosters who are amazaballs at guarding the flock – heard an unholy racket & looked out to see they’d grounded a red-tail hawk & were advancing on it – but they’re not infallible & I’m very much against allowing roosters to be cannon fodder anyway. Grrr, is this hard to plan out, though!

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It is the white-roofed structure circled. I love my coop and pens setup!! But yeah keeping them safe has been a priority.

IMG_20210209_143758_631~2

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Just a big WOW and how LOVELY it all is!!! Brag on!!! and great work.

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