What is the best way to treat a large, thick sheet of ice? (not my barn, so, I can’t get out there with heavy equipment)? I may end up just carrying bags of sand out there one by one and sweeping the sand over the glacier if I have to. I don’t think the glacier is going anywhere on its own, anytime soon. It’s three or four inches thick and thanks to our lovely New England freeze/rain/freeze/rain/slush/melt/freeze cycle, it’s somehow slick as wet glass and pot-holed at the same time. F’ing ice. I swear I’m moving to Aiken for the winter next year. In the meantime, what does COTH recommend – sand, or horse-safe ice melt?
I’ve found dirty bedding shavings work well. They freeze into the ice and create a surface.
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We use some sort of safety ice melt product. It makes holes in the ice which makes it more crunchable for the horses. I’m sympathetic.
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With you. This winter has been tough already and it’s not 1/2 over. Someone on this board recommended Ag lime? Won’t melt it but might add traction?
I’ve had decent success with dark stone dust. If I could get my hands on asphalt millings that would be ever better. You either need solar gain (dark material) or something that melts it chemically. Urine soaked hay is another good choice, both dark and chemically tends to help melt it, and if soggy refreezes nicely. But, whatever is used, you need to keep the layer thin, otherwise you just insulate the glacier and polish it…
I’ve found sand to be useless, unless salt is mixed in with it
Just to add, I’ve used the safety melt stuff, it does a great job on the driveway. The cracking noise is very nice! But, the cost is such that I tend to reserve it for that purpose.
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While we have so far managed to not get iced, I’m sure it’s coming.
Since it’s not your barn and the glacier is in a paddock, think twice about what you put on the ice. Once it melts, it’ll be in/ on the soil below, potentially killing any grass. Barn owner won’t be happy come growing season. Neither will those whose horses will be turned out on it.
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ammonia nitrate fertilizer will melt ice/snow down to the mid teens F but Do Not Use if the snow/ice is over concrete as it will destroy the concrete
Fortunately, it’s just stone dust under the ice… I don’t want to put down anything terrible for the environment, but, not worried about grass. The grass is probably going to have a banner year, because it’s on the other side of the glacier and the horses can’t get to it to tromp over it.
In thin layers, Shur-Tred barn lime from TSC can help reduce slipperiness. It is not ground as fine as garden lime, so the coarse bits add traction on the ground. No ill effects to the soil. I use it around barn doors, well traveled route worn smooth. You don’t want thick layers, they will turn gloppy when wet, so it sticks to things like boots. Just a thin, fine layer spread on ice.
A vinegar bottle with the bottom cut off makes a good spreading scoop! Spread gently.
I am with the spreading of dirty bedding on ice. It is a “quick fix” messy, but better than nothing!
It does “melt in” as dark pieces absorb sunshine heat, so particles stay in place under hooves.
If you have equipment, a york/landscape rake is really working well here, to score the ice, roughing up the surface for hooves. We do the driveway with our rake, along with the paddocks to get the smooth ice roughed up.
Sheet ice is a miserable fact of winter, good luck!
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Mag flake or pellets. It’s what I keep on hand every winter for my stone dust drylot for ice situations. Works well, is horse safe, and works even in really cold temps.
You probably don’t want to use fertilizer for melting, since fertilized water will run off into the water system. Everyone screams about farm runoff affecting plant growth in lakes and streams!! Some locations test to follow the runoff back to the source and fine them!
So fertilizer is not a good choice for melting ice.
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This is what I use on my stonedust dry lot, but it is a little pricy if you have a large area. As an added bonus, it seems to help manure piles from freezing to the ground as well!
I’ve also kept a pile of stonedust on hand and will sprinkle that on top of ice to give traction in a pinch.[quote=“NaturallyHappy, post:3, topic:768741, full:true”]
We use some sort of safety ice melt product. It makes holes in the ice which makes it more crunchable for the horses. I’m sympathetic.
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Quick question: how do you keep your piles of stonedust or asphalt millings from freezing?
saw dust/shavings will insulate the snow/ice keeping it from melting as quickly
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Use dirty shavings/manure from the stalls and then clean up in spring when it melts.
Or plain ol salt.
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I really like ag lime. Cheap, environmentally friendly, readily available in horse country.
I keep mine under a tarp, with a couple of five gallon buckets full of the stuff in the basement, that seems to keep it dry enough.
I just use regular rock salt. It won’t melt it completely but will help pockmark the surface and make it less slippery. I don’t like to use bedding but I have added some to the salted ice on occasion when I felt it might be particularly dangerous.
It might be best to simply ask the barn owner what they want you to use in this situation.
