Temporary/Inexpensive MUD control

[Pretttywaste]

Sorry, another mud control thread…

So this is a somewhat complicated situation - and I’m not sure if there is an affordable solution here, but I’m trying to help out a friend.

The horses are on a rented property and without going into a whole lot of detail the land owner is ok with us making improvements but not able to pay for anything extra. Two of horses are turned out as close as possible to 24/7 in a dirt lot (one is IR and cannot even look at grass) that is probably about 60x60 or maybe a little larger. It is an absolute mud pit right now… there is an area in the middle that stays relatively dry, and the shelter stays dry - but the edges get really bad - like the deep, nasty, boot sucking kind of mud.She’s managing okay right now. The horses are brought in 1-2x a day to eat (sometimes she feeds outside when she’s in a hurry) so it’s not a huuuuge issue - but in the winter that mud freezes and creates deep ruts and ice all over the place - this is what I’m trying to prevent. We would love to scrape out all the mud, put down some grid fabric, and peagravel on top - however, my friend have several thousand dollars to build a proper dry lot on someone elses property and moving isn’t an option for her right now - it’s otherwise a great property - good fencing, a shelter in the turnout, access to electric for tank heater in the winter, nice barn for bad weather, etc.

So I guess what I’m looking for is a more temporary type, more inexpensive solution - something that will just help her get throuh winter. We are able to wait for the mud to dry before putting anything down, but will not be able to do any grading or removal of ground - it needs to be something that can just be put down right on top. I know whatever we use will eventually be mixed into the mud but for now she’s just looking to get the horses and their hay out of the deep mud and get maybe a season out of it. We would love to find something affordable that she could use for the whole paddock, but am also okay doing parts of it at a time or may a track around the outside or something. Again, our goal is to come up with some kind of plan for winter so we do have some time to plan. .

Any suggestions on temporary footing? Hog fuel? Gravel? Regular rubber mats? She’s willing to save up some money, but looking to stay in the hundreds vs the thousands. Located in OH.

[dqtastic]

I can’t think of anything in the hundreds - maybe one long shot - but I can ask - is it worth moving to a new barn perhaps? It sounds like this place has some benefits but…with needing an investment into the paddocks and the risk of the owner ending the access…maybe it’s time to move?

my long shot is nothing i’ve done but is worth a mention as i’ve heard of others using it successfully in muddy areas. Used carpet with a bucket of crush rock on top. you could do this around the edges only or in the top half or…? sourcing used carpet might be a pain (but likely an easy call to an installer to save them a trip to the dump) and a couple buckets of rock might be under a thousand, depending on where you are / how far to ship.

Of course, the use of old carpet may not please the landowner, if they are left with something that may decay over time. Also, you’d want to make sure that there is enough cover on the carpets to ensure a hoof wouldn’t break thru…and might be a total non starter if the horses are shod. Like I said, a long shot…

[Puzzled]

Look into muck buster. I’ve used it many times to get through the wet/muddy season.

[Simkie]

Carpet, upside down, can be useful. You can get it for free from installers–the old stuff that’s been ripped out.

Removing it is probably terrible. You’ll need a sizable tractor, and a dumpster. But it can help now.

[HungarianHippo]

Used conveyor belting!
www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com as a large inventory in various widths/roll lengths
MIPR Corp has a whse in Ohio: http://www.miprcorp.com/conveyor-belts/used-belts/

[susanne]

This won’t help this current season, and it really depends on the topography of your land: Once things have dried out, hire someone with a tractor and reshape the contours of your corral. Make the center of the area higher, sloping down toward the fence and beyond. Beyond the fenceline, dig swales directing water away from the corral.

Make sure that you don’t inadvertently direct the water toward the barn.

Another approach would be the reverse: create a gradual, shallow swale (shaped like a flat V) within the corral that directs water out under the fence. (Make the sides of the V very gradual so it doesn’t cause footing hazards.) You could plant a rain garden (bioswale) outside the fence using plants that soak up the excess water.

Check out Horses For Clean Water for more on this. Horse.com also has some of her articles covering this.

[3R_Farm]

I have used tree chippings successfully in the past. If you see a tree company cutting and chipping, ask if you can have the chipping. Put it SUPER deep on top of the mud. DOWNSIDE, if you live in an area where Black Walnut is prevalent (along road side) this should not be done, the company cannot fully guarantee that it is BW free.

[dungrulla]

I’ve been spreading a ton of straw and am having my paddock redone as an arena with proper drainage as soon as the weather dries up. It’s…minimally effective…but worth a try.

[Guilherme]

@susanne

This won’t help this current season, and it really depends on the topography of your land: Once things have dried out, hire someone with a tractor and reshape the contours of your corral. Make the center of the area higher, sloping down toward the fence and beyond. Beyond the fenceline, dig swales directing water away from the corral.

Make sure that you don’t inadvertently direct the water toward the barn.

Another approach would be the reverse: create a gradual, shallow swale (shaped like a flat V) within the corral that directs water out under the fence. (Make the sides of the V very gradual so it doesn’t cause footing hazards.) You could plant a rain garden (bioswale) outside the fence using plants that soak up the excess water.

Check out Horses For Clean Water for more on this. Horse.com also has some of her articles covering this.

This.

Mud management begins with water management.

G.