At our gate we laid down a huge piece of old carpet and then spread the gravel over it. 2 years still working great… probably not a long term fix but it’s something!
[QUOTE=Bluey;8858446]
That is what we do, have a small truck bring a dump of sand and then we flatten it a little with the bucket on the tractor.
We get sand from that pile as we need some, when it gets very low, we order another dump.
It is a good way to have sand on hand and there, the horses get to play in the pile at their heart’s content.
Where it is, we don’t need anything to contain the sand in place, water doesn’t wash thru there and rain doesn’t seem to wash any of it off.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, Bluey! I have a pile of sand that was extra from my arena that I have no use for and I’m sure the ponies would love that in their paddocks! Looks like I’ll be having fun with the FEL this weekend 
Another question… when you compact footing, how do you do that?
In two of our all weather paddocks, we just used a skidloader with tracks and drove over it for about an hour to pack it down. Once it rained, the stone dust settled and provided a firm enough base for screenings, which I drag to keep looser. In other areas, where compression was more critical (think base for arena), we used a vibrating roller.
[QUOTE=TheJenners;8856096]
… Say for all-weather footing for runs off of stalls, or for underneath paddock shelters/run-ins, what prep do you recommend?
I’ve heard mixed reviews on the geo-tex. Where I am currently has those grid things and two of the paddocks stay pretty firm and two are still super swampy*. Obviously you don’t just dump it down on the ground - or do you? Can you scrape the grass back with a blade and put it down?
I’m planning on putting something down in a 36x36 area off my barn because I have a horse who needs to come off grass twice a year. And I also want to put some shelters in the pastures and want to put gravel or screenings inside and then outside in an apron around the shelters (so if two 12x12 shelters, close enough together that a horse can’t pass through but not touching (otherwise you need a permit), footing for the whole area and then some in the front).
- this is the same barn where the BM stopping mucking for like two weeks in the winter, so there is a LOT of organic material mixed into the gravel now and I have no idea how much that is impacting the “swampiness.”[/QUOTE]
Without water there can be no swamp. So the first thing you need to consider is removing water from the equation. That means ensuring you don’t have run off into your gravel area. Then you have to ensure that water that naturally falls on the area has a place to go, vice just sitting there and making “soup.”
Get a good “dirt guy” to give you some ideas. Not seeing the location makes specific suggestions difficult. You can call your Extension Agent and they might make a site visit; you can also call you local Soil Conservation office and they will make one if you ask. I just found a state engineer near me who works for the Department of Environmental Conservation and who will come out and talk about my water runoff issues (large and small). No charge for any of these guys. They will give you the current “party line” and you might not want to do what they suggest. But you will have a professional opinion from which to work.
Then call a reputable “dirt mover” or two and get estimates what what your project will cost. Then make your decisions.
Good luck in your project.
G.
[QUOTE=TheJenners;8881048]
Another question… when you compact footing, how do you do that?[/QUOTE]
In a small space like that, you can use either a manual tamper (looks like a square flat heavy iron plate with a handle and you use it somewhat like a “plunger” or rent a small powered compactor.
To have this “engineered” and done will not be cheap. 36X36 is 1,300 square feet. Cost are area specific but I doubt this could be done for less than $8-10 a sq ft. I think that is very much on the low side.
All of my paddocks are large enough that I don’t have to deal with the few areas that get muddy from time to time.
The areas that I did have to deal with were the access paths/roads, gate entrances. We get our fair share of rains, winters, snow/rain, and a lot of freeze/thaw. Driving in and out to throw hay through out the winter turned some of this paths into quagmires.
Thought about the “engineered” approach as others have suggested. If I had unlimited funds I would have been more than happy to hire someone and tell them to make it happen. The quotes I got were completely unrealistic for my operation.
I have some equipment just big enough to do the job myself. I also have a great contractor equipment rental yard not far from the farm. But it still would have taken a lot of my time. A LOT.
So instead I went for the ‘quick fix’. I also relied on the ‘theory’ water seeks its own level. In other words just keep adding gravel until it reaches a 'saturation point".
I had several truck loads of #2 modified gravel delivered. Some of the areas were easily accessed by the trucks. So they could just back into them lift the bed and slowly move along spreading the gravel very nicely. The operators were good at what they were doing. Not their first trip to the rodeo.
I have a decent size tractor with a FEL rated for a little over 2 tons with a counter balance. It is fitted with wide turf tires. I leveled, moved material around, compacted using the bucket with the front tires raised off the ground backing up using the weight of the tractor. Between that and the wide tires it did a pretty good job.
I areas that a truck couldn’t get to I had them dump loads as close as possible and moved it with my tractor. It took many trips. My bucket will hold a little over 1 ton of gravel. 1 ton may sound like a lot but it is not. It takes may trips back and forth.
I did all of this when the ground was on the soft side of things. Everything was mounded about 3-4" knowing there would be more settling/sinking when wet times come. Just as I figured all of it sank/settled and it did get muddy again but not near as much. I had about half as much delivered and spread again. Leaving about 1-2" mounding. This settle pretty much to existing grade level and then I put a layer of screenings and it does not get muddy anymore.
Given time the areas gathered a layer of “dirt” a very small layer. But there is a plant,weed that will grow in just about anything. So these paths/lanes are “green” now but hard as a paved road now matter how much rain we get.
Doing this way saved a LOT of money. But it was not an over night success. Took about 6 months to a year for “water/gravel to seek its own level”.
Oh I definitely cannot afford this to be “engineered.” I have a tractor, and some friends with other equip who I can ask for help if I need it, and a dump trailer… so I hope to do most/all of this myself. Thank you so much for weighing in!
My property is not wet, which is a bonus, but I do not want to create any mucky areas and I want the shelters to have good footing around them. Where the shelters are going will be the high points in the paddocks. Can I scrape back with the bucket (or not), put down the geo-tex, and dump say 5/8 minus? I can get locally enough for an approx 10’x10’x3" (what he said a sq yd covers) for $35. So two sq yds per shelter won’t be painful at all, if I can do the work myself or in trade for pizza if I need dump it and decide I need to compact it. Mats on top inside, but I’d like an apron around it too. Does this sound doable or am I fooling myself?
Oh and I want to use your method in gate areas, not as worried about scraping back or using geo-tex, just dumping and compacting rock, knowing it’ll disappear after a bit.
[QUOTE=ShotenStar;8856710]
I’m with Jim: Grade down to clean dirt, adjust the slope as needed, then apply new footing.
I did a layer of #2 stone, geotext, then stone dust for my sacrifice area - the stone provides the drainage, the geotext keeps the stone down/away from the horses, the stone dust provides a nice easy to clean / quick draining surface. It has worked beautifully for us for many years now, though I am thinking that a load of stone dust may be needed next year – my sacrifice area is on a slight slope and the stone dust has washed downhill in some torrential rains. I have graded it back up the slope but I think too much has been lost now and some new is in order.
Star[/QUOTE]
This is what I did at my old place, and it worked beautifully.
One yard will be a bit shy of 3" usually.
Your plan sounds good I hate geotex but that’s because mine dig it up and make a mess.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8883800]
One yard will be a bit shy of 3" usually.[/QUOTE]
What do you think of the rock under the geotex?
Glad you weighed in, since I know you guys are about a year ahead of me! What size(s) of rock did you guys use?
We have 3-4 inches of 5/8"- that the horses lived on for 9 months and then added 2-3 inches of 7/8" clear on top once the minus was compacted via horses living on it. Once the base is stable we only add clear to the top because it is easier to pick.
[QUOTE=TheJenners;8884017]
What do you think of the rock under the geotex?[/QUOTE]
Do you mean geotex under the rock? I think it’s helpful usually, but if the burritos are going to pull it up, you may as well skip it.
Someone posted to put down rock, then geotex, then something like the 5/8 minus.
And I’m not planning on them being out where any of the geotex will be.
I don’t know anyone that’s done that. Is the goal to prevent the rock from being sucked into the Earth, or to keep weeds out? It might be a good idea.
[QUOTE=ShotenStar;8856710]
I did a layer of #2 stone, geotext, then stone dust for my sacrifice area - the stone provides the drainage, the geotext keeps the stone down/away from the horses, the stone dust provides a nice easy to clean / quick draining surface.[/QUOTE]
This was posted on page 1, seems like either good advice or overkill
Nit to hijack but I am working on the same thing. My dirt guy has scraped away about 8 inches of loam and now wants to refill that with 8 inches of road base (yes, the stuff you can drive on), then roll it, then sand. I said hang on, this is not a parking lot. It will have a few horses ambling on it, not delivery trucks. I understand there is good, better and best but I don’t think these paddocks need to be built the best. My idea is, take off the topsoil, grade three inches or so of road base, roll it, add your sand and save your money for other things. This is in New England.
I am no expert but I’d question 8" of anything for turnout? I guess it depends on your soil but that is a LOT!
