Log jumps/rails!
Another PNWer here… DO NOT use chips as footing for your run or paddocks. You will end up with a mud pit with our level of wet in the winter. The only way to go here is 5/8" minus, sand on top if you want. I have had a hogsfuel arena in the past and it worked great at first… But once it had broken down it all had to be scraped off. It was terrible, and expensive. Sand is the only way to go for an outdoor arena here. I would definitely not put it down thinking you can easily remove it later.
[QUOTE=DoubleDown;8855267]
Just thinking here- what if I did put them down in paddocks, and paths, knowing that in a few years I’ll have to redo them? ![/QUOTE]
They will decompose into…mud.
Farmers sometimes use wood mulch as a major element in compost.
use the chips as mulch under your fencelines. Lot of work upfront, but will reduce your weed-whacking task considerably.
Gosh, so many anti wood chips people here!
I have a guy who brings me freshly cut hogsfuel (so not “chipped,” but same idea) every winter and it’s the footing for all of my muddy areas. Completely prevents mud for the entire winter.
Yes, it eventually breaks down. No, it does not make even worse mud. Yes, we pull back material towards the end of every summer to get ready to lay down a new layer of hogsfuel come winter.
If you’re hoping for something that’s completely maintenance free and will last forever, it definitely won’t fit the bill. But I think hogsfuel is awesome for one-season use.
Also, I don’t pick up the manure regularly n my biggest pasture. So it’s actually not a bad thing to me that once a year we go in and pull back material. We would have to do so for the poop area either way.
So I guess consider me the lone wood chips fan! :lol:
[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8862530]
Gosh, so many anti wood chips people here!
I have a guy who brings me freshly cut hogsfuel (so not “chipped,” but same idea) every winter and it’s the footing for all of my muddy areas. Completely prevents mud for the entire winter.
Yes, it eventually breaks down. No, it does not make even worse mud. Yes, we pull back material towards the end of every summer to get ready to lay down a new layer of hogsfuel come winter.
If you’re hoping for something that’s completely maintenance free and will last forever, it definitely won’t fit the bill. But I think hogsfuel is awesome for one-season use.
Also, I don’t pick up the manure regularly n my biggest pasture. So it’s actually not a bad thing to me that once a year we go in and pull back material. We would have to do so for the poop area either way.
So I guess consider me the lone wood chips fan! :lol:[/QUOTE]
I am not in the PNW- but I posted earlier that it works great for the barn we trailer out to. (gasp- I don’t pick out my biggest field, either and it stays pretty nice).
Do you garden?? makes for wonderful ground cover and mulches the soil. So you may have to replace but your veggies and flowers will appreciate it.
[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8862530]
Gosh, so many anti wood chips people here!
I have a guy who brings me freshly cut hogsfuel (so not “chipped,” but same idea) every winter and it’s the footing for all of my muddy areas. Completely prevents mud for the entire winter.
Yes, it eventually breaks down. No, it does not make even worse mud. Yes, we pull back material towards the end of every summer to get ready to lay down a new layer of hogsfuel come winter.
If you’re hoping for something that’s completely maintenance free and will last forever, it definitely won’t fit the bill. But I think hogsfuel is awesome for one-season use.
Also, I don’t pick up the manure regularly n my biggest pasture. So it’s actually not a bad thing to me that once a year we go in and pull back material. We would have to do so for the poop area either way.
So I guess consider me the lone wood chips fan! :lol:[/QUOTE]
Hogfuel is cedar chips and bark. I think it might behave a lot differently from pine chips. Cedar is really a special kind of wood, for how it holds up to rot and wet. I’ve seen lots of hog fuel paddocks and arenas, but never a pine chip one.
I’m in the PNW too, btw, and IME the most important thing is drainage, either natural or with perforated pipes and a layer of drainage rock. if the drainage is good, hog fuel makes a fine paddock or arena. Hog fuel breaks down over the years and the arena may need to be topped up or dug out and replaced, but that would be true of any footing.
I’ve seen enough sand paddocks that are green-algae wading pools all winter, to think that sand by itself is the solution. Indeed, sand can pack down and be quite slow to drain, slower than hogfuel.
Paddocks IME also need to be topped up seasonally, as you lose footing as you pick poop daily. We have a ton of hog fuel delivered, and top up or refresh our paddocks regularly, like you would stall bedding. It works just fine, if you have good drainage underneath.
I’m resurrecting this because I have a similar question. First, I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have rain. And more rain. Second, the property is VERY well drained.
Our new property is 98% clear, lovely, established pasture (yay). There is one corner- about 2 acres that is brush. It was cleared a few years ago, but then not kept up. It’s mostly blackberries with some other woody bushes thrown in. We want to make it useable. Part of it will ultimately become the riding ring, the other part will have XC jumps.
I’d love opinions and suggestions for our current plan: we are planning on re-clearing and then mulching the area. We will then need to spray and were planning to then cover the area with bark or wood chips. I’m wondering what you think of using that as my riding area for the next 1-2 years? The idea is that the chips will break down into organic matter and we can then fertilize/lime the area we want to seed with grass for the jump field as well as have a professional arena put in.
What are your thoughts on riding on the bark or chips for 2 years? Will I get 2 years out of it? We’re assuming we’re going to need to till up, re-spray or lime (after soil test and depending on if/how the blackberries are reseeding) at some point. Is that going to make it too muddy, will I need to lay down another load of chips? Opinions on hogs fuel, bark dust, wood chips, or…? Or is it just a terrible idea and I should scrap it?
[QUOTE=Scribbler;8872767]
Hogfuel is cedar chips and bark. I think it might behave a lot differently from pine chips. Cedar is really a special kind of wood, for how it holds up to rot and wet. I’ve seen lots of hog fuel paddocks and arenas, but never a pine chip one.[/QUOTE]
I didn’t see this when you posted it, Scribbler.
My hogsfuel (which may not technically be “hogsfuel,” though it’s what my landscape/materials guy calls it) is not cedar…never has been. So maybe it’s not hogsfuel like you might see at a normal landscape place. This year’s run is Alaskan pine that was taken from a dock clean-up project in my local area. Most years it’s local pine trees.
[QUOTE=CupcakeTough;8918839]
I’m resurrecting this because I have a similar question. First, I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have rain. And more rain. Second, the property is VERY well drained.
Our new property is 98% clear, lovely, established pasture (yay). There is one corner- about 2 acres that is brush. It was cleared a few years ago, but then not kept up. It’s mostly blackberries with some other woody bushes thrown in. We want to make it useable. Part of it will ultimately become the riding ring, the other part will have XC jumps.
I’d love opinions and suggestions for our current plan: we are planning on re-clearing and then mulching the area. We will then need to spray and were planning to then cover the area with bark or wood chips. I’m wondering what you think of using that as my riding area for the next 1-2 years? The idea is that the chips will break down into organic matter and we can then fertilize/lime the area we want to seed with grass for the jump field as well as have a professional arena put in.
What are your thoughts on riding on the bark or chips for 2 years? Will I get 2 years out of it? We’re assuming we’re going to need to till up, re-spray or lime (after soil test and depending on if/how the blackberries are reseeding) at some point. Is that going to make it too muddy, will I need to lay down another load of chips? Opinions on hogs fuel, bark dust, wood chips, or…? Or is it just a terrible idea and I should scrap it?[/QUOTE]
I doubt it would be broken down enough in that time to grow the grass. You would be better off spraying everything dead with 2,4, D and then throwing down seed.
[QUOTE=CupcakeTough;8918839]
we are planning on re-clearing and then mulching the area.[/QUOTE]
Have you considered using goats to clear the area? They will devour those blackberry bushes and leave fertilizer behind. Last summer I visited a farm where they had areas that had been cleared by goats, and also areas cleared conventionally and the goat cleared areas looked much healthier and fertile.
[QUOTE=rulex;8922526]
Have you considered using goats to clear the area? They will devour those blackberry bushes and leave fertilizer behind. Last summer I visited a farm where they had areas that had been cleared by goats, and also areas cleared conventionally and the goat cleared areas looked much healthier and fertile.[/QUOTE]
Goats are great clearers but they take forever. Like a year to do half an acre of dense stuff.
[QUOTE=CupcakeTough;8918839]
I’m resurrecting this because I have a similar question. First, I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have rain. And more rain. Second, the property is VERY well drained.
Our new property is 98% clear, lovely, established pasture (yay). There is one corner- about 2 acres that is brush. It was cleared a few years ago, but then not kept up. It’s mostly blackberries with some other woody bushes thrown in. We want to make it useable. Part of it will ultimately become the riding ring, the other part will have XC jumps.
I’d love opinions and suggestions for our current plan: we are planning on re-clearing and then mulching the area. We will then need to spray and were planning to then cover the area with bark or wood chips. I’m wondering what you think of using that as my riding area for the next 1-2 years? The idea is that the chips will break down into organic matter and we can then fertilize/lime the area we want to seed with grass for the jump field as well as have a professional arena put in.
What are your thoughts on riding on the bark or chips for 2 years? Will I get 2 years out of it? We’re assuming we’re going to need to till up, re-spray or lime (after soil test and depending on if/how the blackberries are reseeding) at some point. Is that going to make it too muddy, will I need to lay down another load of chips? Opinions on hogs fuel, bark dust, wood chips, or…? Or is it just a terrible idea and I should scrap it?[/QUOTE]
According to soil analysis the Centralia/Chehalis Wa area has very deep soils. You have silty clay topped with fine sandy/silty loam.
That area gets considerable rain fall, not much hot drying sun. Great for the grass.
Putting chips on top of that soil structure, then and riding and rain, that soil will get deep and boggy. You may want to scrape off the silt down to the clay, add an aggregate layer and top that with GeoTex. Then put footing on top of that.
Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. Ultimately, the plan is for a legit arena- graded, leveled, drained, nice footing… It’s just not in the budget for today- the plan is in 2 years. I was hoping for a temporary fix that would allow me to use the space and not sacrifice an area of my pastures- although it sounds like regular riding on the grass is likely to cause muck anyway.
I currently live at the beach- we have barely a .5 inch of topsoil on top of well draining sand. So, while I can’t grow a garden, creating a riding space has been super easy.
The ‘spanner in the works’ is that
If while riding you disturb the layering between the loam and the clay, the rain water will cease to run off in that area and will instead saturate the clay making a knee deep shoe sucking mess.
Very true. I’m ultimately going to contact a local specialist, but I’m not above picking internet minds since it’s slow here at work.
If I scrape it down, add aggregate, etc… Am I going to need to level, compact… How close am I getting cost and effort wise to just putting in a darned arena!
Can I scrape down to clay, add geotex, and just too with sand?
What are the chances I can convince my husband that a new roof and a heating system in the old farmhouse can wait :lol:
[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8862530]
Gosh, so many anti wood chips people here!
I have a guy who brings me freshly cut hogsfuel (so not “chipped,” but same idea) every winter and it’s the footing for all of my muddy areas. Completely prevents mud for the entire winter.
Yes, it eventually breaks down. No, it does not make even worse mud. Yes, we pull back material towards the end of every summer to get ready to lay down a new layer of hogsfuel come winter.
If you’re hoping for something that’s completely maintenance free and will last forever, it definitely won’t fit the bill. But I think hogsfuel is awesome for one-season use.
Also, I don’t pick up the manure regularly n my biggest pasture. So it’s actually not a bad thing to me that once a year we go in and pull back material. We would have to do so for the poop area either way.
So I guess consider me the lone wood chips fan! :lol:[/QUOTE]
I would not, and do not like hogfuel but did not know some was made of cedar. The problem, especially with where you get the wood (broken up piers?) is that some of that can be extrememely toxic no matter what the new age Greenies say about it. Some of the older wood has arsenic in it, the creosote, which is much safer actually was considered the plague by the green monsters. Hogsfuel, heavy chipping in muddy areas is not a great idea for a place where horses have to stay idle, I think it leads to a lot of potential hoof problems which is just not considered. If you have good drainage, and it is a foot path, and you are not averse to restocking it with CLEAN chips, fine. Know your sources, my husband does a lot of work as a civil engineer around the marine environment and believe me, you don’t want to use that wood where horses could eat it and stand on it. I don’t know about arenas either, I think they are too slippery and same thing above applies for the feet especially in the constantly wet, PNW weather. Just read csaper’s comments, that is the best advice.
And no, I don’t think you want to risk having your house destroyed by wet and then not being able to dry the inside with heat, for the sake of an arena. I imagine you are joking but I am mold and mildew phobic as it is the sole reason we had to move out of Washington State. I loved some of the areas but lack of sun and too much rain were ruining my health. All the best!
Cut them into manageable pieces (3-6 feet) and burn them. A giant bonfire! If you do decide to chip and put on paths, put geotextile down first, that prevents the quagmire and may slow down rotting.
