We revamped our paddocks last year, and have a large pile of topsoil tucked behind our shed. Quite large, in fact. We just cleared the land and put the barn in 4 years ago, and discovered we had about 8 inches of beautiful topsoil where the woods once were.
We’ve been using it as needed around the property, but keep it covered.
As with everything, it depends on what you have, and what you want. I have a stone dust “paddock” around my barn. It keeps the horses out of the mud, packs down well enough to be driven on, but can be dragged around to level it, etc… I also have heavy, heavy clay as far down as you can dig. If we didn’t remove some of the topsoil from underneath the sacrifice area, and put down geotextile cloth, it would mud. Any sand or footing added to the area would just be lost in the mud.
If people have well-draining soil, or maybe a sandy loam, perhaps they don’t have to remove the topsoil and just mow/drag it to keep it from growing grass/weeds. I have never had any issues with stone dust on my horse’s feet, and have had virtually no abscesses in the last 10 years, but as with anything, it depends on the weather, the horses, etc. I’d rather risk abscesses to gravel than issues with mud.
What is this thing you speak of… nice topsoil?
looks out at sparse, parched pastures with a very thin layer of bad soil and dead grass… and bare, dusty paddocks… and sighs
My property is loaded with nice topsoil - 3+ feet deep most places, but we saved our pile from a drainage / trenching project. Save it, even if it just grows grass for a while. We’ll probably spread it under the oak trees in our backyard where the trees have been hoarding the nutrients and slowing grass growth. Maybe next year.
For paddocks, I personally prefer the paddock to be above grade. Lay the landscape cloth on the existing turf and build up with the footing. Surround it with old railroad ties. Use this extra grade to slope for better drainage and avoid outside rainwater from running across them. $0.02
David
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