Sports court tiles for mud control?

[Libera]

Was able to get a 42 x 50ft basketball court, consisting of hard plastic 12x12inch drainage tiles that snap together. Per the manufacturer they are rated for 10.000 pounds and able to be driven on.

Wondering if I could use these in my horses’ runs, over gravel, cover with drainage sand? I think they would be too slippery to use without the sand covering them.

Anyone any experience with these?

If it won’t work… at least I got them very cheap and I will make a patio out of them and some people walkways

[2DogsFarm]

I’d put the gravel over them too & add sand on top of that.
That way if horses do manage to crack one at least there will be gravel between hooves & broken tile.

You may thank me by sending me enough to put down in the morass(es) that are the entries to my pastures at the gates.
I started filling in with gravel, then Winter, so until Spring gets here I have 2 nice piles of gravel and swamps at each gate.

[longlanefarm]

You lucky dog! I would say absolutely use them if they are what I am picturing…? But I’d put gravel and sand both on top I believe. Unless you’re VERY good about replenishing the sand often and before it’s needed.

[Guilherme]

The secret of “mud control” is NOT what you put on top of the mud but what you do to keep the mud from forming in the first instance.

That means keeping vegetation on the dirt as much as feasible, controlling the flow of surface water, and recognizing that if you have a heavy rain you keep the horses out of the worst of the mud (whether you’re in cold or hot conditions).

This is not an impossible task but it is a difficult, time consuming, and sometimes expensive one.

G.

[fordtraktor]

Put them down when it is dry, and put geotextile under them. Then crushed stone over the top. I bet it would work well.

[BlueDrifter]

I use them in my horse’s stall and they work great. Amazon sells them, too, called Turf Pavers. My current ones are filled with sand and have about 4" on top. Once filled, they are a pretty flat surface and not slick, but I could see shoes getting caught on them if they were left naked. I prefer decomposed granite, and I bet stone dust or chips would work even better. I use mine along the edges of his stall, where he is most likely to walk or stand.

The only thing is the final edge of the paver – if it isn’t butted up against something, or extended into an area they don’t walk on much, the horse seems to uncover that edge and eventually lift the paver up and more dirt gets under, yada-yada.

[Libera]

Thanks for the replies!

@Guilherme

The secret of “mud control” is NOT what you put on top of the mud but what you do to keep the mud from forming in the first instance.

That means keeping vegetation on the dirt as much as feasible, controlling the flow of surface water, and recognizing that if you have a heavy rain you keep the horses out of the worst of the mud (whether you’re in cold or hot conditions).

This is not an impossible task but it is a difficult, time consuming, and sometimes expensive one.

G.

It is for their attached runs… not sure where to put them if not in their stalls or pasture… we are in the PNW, which means heavy rains 9 months a year :lol:

[Palm_Beach]

Do you freeze? The mud will heave if you do, and displace the tiles.

[Libera]

Yes it was 16F outside this morning! Been lugging buckets of water all week… usually only e few weeks of freezing a year though…

BlueDrifter, these aren’t pavers, they are thin plastic grids that snap together, made of hard plastic. Here is a link of a similar product, don’t know what brand mine are. Apparently used to be UW basketball court in Seattle

https://www.amazon.com/IncStores-Outdoor-Sports-Basketball-Flooring/dp/B079YVF9SP/ref=gp_aw_ybh_a_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=403ZZG8CTREDF5V6QZS3

[Guilherme]

@Libera

Thanks for the replies!

It is for their attached runs… not sure where to put them if not in their stalls or pasture… we are in the PNW, which means heavy rains 9 months a year :lol:

This suggests to me that the “tile” approach is not the right one. Your comment on temps, below, reinforce that idea.

We don’t get the rain you do (we do get 50+ inches on average and my place got 72" last year) but I’m acutely aware of the problem. We also get both “frog stranglers”, hurricane remains, and big, wet systems that stall over us for days at a time. I made some mistakes in planning some things and did better in others. But the KEY is taking the time, and spending the money, to address water issues before construction begins. If you don’t then there the costs in time and dollars to fix what should have been addressed earlier can really add up.

One resource you’ve already paid for is the expertise of the Extension Service and the Soil Conservation Service. Ours here will make “site visits” and help plan out water management strategies. You have to be a bit careful as they are government people and are more than willing to spend large amounts of YOUR money on your problem! Listen to them, but with a “critical ear.” Sometimes you can take their base idea and use it but not use the level of resources they sometimes recommend. They will try and give you a 100% solution. But sometime you only need an 80% solution. That puts a risk on you, but maybe a liveable one. Like so many things, “it depends.”

Use them, though, as it’s already paid for with your taxes. Craft their advice to specifically fit your needs.

Good luck in your program.

G.

[Libera]

Thanks Guilherme, I did talk to the extension agent and he made a visit last fall! They recommended gravel, then geogrid (the county sells Stablegrid) filled with gravel over the top.
he brought one of the grids with him, which was made out of the same material as my tiles, but with bigger holes. Mine wouldn’t hold gravel, but they would prevent it getting pushed down into dirt… and still provide drainage.

I get what you are saying, but when you move into an existing barn, a fixer upper at that, sometimes it isn’t possible to fix before it becomes a problem.

I am just going to try it and will report back!

[Guilherme]

@Libera

Thanks Guilherme, I did talk to the extension agent and he made a visit last fall! They recommended gravel, then geogrid (the county sells Stablegrid) filled with gravel over the top.
he brought one of the grids with him, which was made out of the same material as my tiles, but with bigger holes. Mine wouldn’t hold gravel, but they would prevent it getting pushed down into dirt… and still provide drainage.

I get what you are saying, but when you move into an existing barn, a fixer upper at that, sometimes it isn’t possible to fix before it becomes a problem.

I am just going to try it and will report back!

I understand the problem. But money fixes everything…right!!! All you need to do is win the lottery and you’re golden. Literally!!! )

But, seriously folks, I do understand the problem and you have to prioritize this one along with all your others. I put surface water control very high on my list of priorities because we get a huge amount and if we don’t control what we can we get all kinds of other issues that flow (NPI) from a failure to control surface water. That includes erosion (including erosion of building foundations), mud bogs at gates (which can lead to slip and fall injuries for horse and/or rider), unstable fence posts, noxious weeds, etc.

G.

[BlueDrifter]

@Libera

BlueDrifter, these aren’t pavers, they are thin plastic grids that snap together, made of hard plastic. Here is a link of a similar product, don’t know what brand mine are. Apparently used to be UW basketball court in Seattle

https://www.amazon.com/IncStores-Outdoor-Sports-Basketball-Flooring/dp/B079YVF9SP/ref=gp_aw_ybh_a_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=403ZZG8CTREDF5V6QZS3

Yep, those are definitely different and I suspect may not lie flat – more like a rubber carpet than rigid frame.

But it might help to redirect water to a better place. I bought 2x2 rubber pavers at HD and laid them on the ground, under the eaves of my stall, where the rain drips (no gutters) and it directs the water to a more central channel instead of making a deep hole near the stall and undermining it.