Seriously, DO it. Can anyone comment on the use and longevity of products like Lighthoof? In the middle of the worst rains of winter, the 3/4 inch gravel has the best drainage and keeps the surface drier, even during a full day of rain: On the same day, heres what patches of the 1/4 inch crusher dust look like you can see how the mud and soil underneath has been churned into the crusher dust. If I had known I would need him, I would have had him spend 30-60 minutes removing that topsoil/grass layer first, before spreading the gravel. And of course, to prep for concrete you have to do layers of gravel, then the concrete, but it would likely be less gravel/limestone than if you were putting mats right on top of the gravel. Crushed Limestone Base. AND does it need the same amount of drainage capacity as your paddock, or less? Then I thought: What if they get a thrush infection and I need to keep them completely off mud I wont be able to do that without cross-fencing the paddock! So I called them up and ordered 45 tons of 1/4 inch minus crusher dust with squared edges (not sharp) and had that spread on the remaining half of the paddock. If you dont care about the hows and the whys and the research and you just want the solution fast, then heres what I recommend after not only turning this area into a dry paddock but also after increasing my herd to 11 horses, moving to another property, and creating a dry paddock there! Crushed Stone - Bagged Landscape Rocks - The Home Depot Horses must consume relatively large quantities of the green or dried plants before the toxic threshold is reached. It doesnt matter how much they churn it up now, by end of June you wont notice a thing is amiss! My 2 boys dont poop in their 24 x 36 paddock area so I cant comment on how much base I lose to a manure fork. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. , Post a before and after pic when youre done Joanna (with your sheep in it!) I started with the crusher fines, but have not been happy with the pee spots, so Ill go back and do the pea gravel, or maybe put some sand down in the pee hole, then the next 2 layers? Crushed limestone drive from the concrete driveway to the tractor shed, stalls were crushed limestone too. And in a paddock entryway with 8 inches total of gravel/crusher. You then start to add layers of more crushed stone or rock, but the size of the stones gets progressively smaller as you get closer to the surface. I have a small boarding facility, so I have 12 runs to deal with and budget is a concern, but I also know having to do it twice costs more because of mistakes lol. ), In the section about using two layers of footing/drainage, Dr. Swinker mentioned using a coarse road base and a finer layer on top. This work can be done with a shovel, but it is laborious work. Avoid high-clay soils as subsoils. By February, all the horses hooves were still in great condition (they are also fed low sugar hay, which makes a huge difference to hoof health) and the surface was still in good shape. A local farmer grows willow (hardwood and quick growing) which is not poisonous and originally chipped it for power stations but they had special moisture parameters he could not meet. You can then layer it with geocell to prevent pooling and unstable ground. Again, this article is fantastic! If you live in a climate that only gets occasional rain, or a short rainy season, then you may be able to just lay either a commercial-grade shielding fabric or a specialized plastic draingrid on top of the hard pan soil, then layer 2-4 inches of 3/4 inch minus pea gravel and top that with a 2-inch layer of 1/4 inch minus limestone gravel, or crusher dust. Since I am not a millionaire, and Im weighing in on what direction to go, the gravel layers actually seems pretty affordable with less maintenance. Use geotextile for enhanced filtration and erosion control when constructing the arena base. Luckily it rains so much here that the dust quickly disappeared, but in a drier climate it could certainly be a health hazard. If your horses are restricted to a small area, they may then start pulling on the cloth to play with it. Just wondering about freezing. Damage Caused by Slowfeeders, Hay Nets & Metal Grates and Solutions! Now I can focus on other things (water, feeders, trailer, star thistle, fences)! This is the best article I have read on this subject! I received your email, but no need to send the link now I see. Great info. Beautiful! Make sure you dont get smooth-edged crusher though it needs to have the jagged/irregular edges to pack properly. Catherine here. Plain pea gravel or limestone costs $28 to $45 per ton. At that time, I also hadnt bought/used any arena panels which are super useful for cross-fencing or creating smaller paddocks. If I could add some thoughts based on my experience working in the sand-and-gravel business: One thing I noticed is that the 1/4 minus you initially used is a crushed drain rock rather than a quarried rock. Im very lucky they have enough room to go elsewhere than their stalls/paddock. I live in a dry, desert region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I have purebred Arabian horses. So instead of implementing what I know would be a great solution, instead, Im trying to figure out the most cost-effective way of making sure my horses dont get thrush and can maintain healthy hooves through this years wet, rainy Winter and Spring. Congrats though and how exciting! All of the rock based products are close to the same price being within 10 dollars a yard of each other. be very careful It worked well for them as they were just there for a few years. will disappear and every year youll be laying new gravel. by. When choosing rock for the top layer, choose "traffic bound" or "dense-grade" gravel. approximate weight per bag. It seems there is nothing harder for wear-and-tear on gravel than horses hooves! If you were to follow Dr. Swinkers advice, you could use pea gravel 0r 3/4-inch minus gravel on the bottom and crusher dust on top (crusher is really just tiny gravel with gravel particle dust), or limestone gravel and crusher dust, or limestone gravel and sand. I am sure alpaca or lama might work too? Go ahead and compact again. Every one of my 11 horses knows this. The Home Depot Logo That said, you pretty much have to see the different types and as was mentioned by someone else, you have to know how the surface below it will effect it. Youre very welcome Catherine! Its uses include: On Bike Paths. Not only does this make them very hard to brush clean, but the particles are super fine dust that occasionally irritate the horses eyes and are certainly not healthy for you or your horse to be inhaling. The best way to fix a muddy driveway is with TRUEGRID permeable pavers. It packs decently but also isnt as sharp edged so it gets used in beach areas where there will be plenty of bare feet. Top soil has been removed and 2-3 stone laid down with willow or other non-poisonous wood chips laid on top to depth of 6-12. They dont lie down in there and only really use it for a shelter. Sand and Gravel in Covington, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana | Order your Of course, I also have 11 horses and they are young and feisty. It is fantastic that you took the time and effort to go into such detail. How to Lay a Crushed Limestone Driveway | Home Guides - SFGATE Great article. However, on the flip side of that argument, heres what a Farrier has to say about why she prefers crusher dust: As a farrier, my favourite footing in this area is crusher dust. If 2 inches of 1/2 inch angular rock plus 2 inches granite fines (so 4 inches total) would work in your barn yard, then it will work on your paths. I am curious as to what you went with if you could let us know. The solution is often not to remove them, but to heed their message and increase the health of your soil. It can be used for special build driveways for example on muddy roads, but for normal driveways we recommend #57 size, which . trailer back into the shed stall area 'cause the ground (field) in front of the tractor shed is Bahia grass and soft . A number of articles Ive read on this subject suggest using a minimum of 3 inches of footing (surface drainage material), or to use the same depth your mud gets to. I have been doing research on the geogrids and stumbled on this wonderful and very helpful ariticle by Jini Thank you crushed limestone for muddy yard. Approximately 9 cu. Because it packs down fairly solid, it doesnt have the big pointy bits that are inclined to puncture and lead to abscesses. We have been using cheap quarried chalk (local limestone) and compacting it on site. Angular crushed rock is what we recommend for use with Lighthoof mud management panels. 3. We have tons of experience in residential, commercial and industrial applications . It can pack into a hard surface with limited drainage capacity. Per its name, crushed stone is created by taking larger pieces of stone or rock and crushing it into smaller. Lake County, IL Crushed Limestone Gravel | Bulk Limestone Pavers Crusher dust is gravel that has been crushed to the size of 1/4 or less. There are many opinions of course as to which is best, in fact it can be a bit overwhelming at times so I would appreciate any guidance. So they obviously had serious deficiencies (their hooves were pretty bad too and thin tails). Id love to see it in person. Have you ever read about this? Unless you are willing to have the top layer scraped off (and evened out again), and new crusher dust (1/4 minus) laid down every year ($$) its just never going to work well in a rainy climate. I have seen improvement in hoof quality in every foot taken from hogfuel or mud and placed on crusher dust and comparing it to the sand options, it is still a better hoof. or a covering to avoid water accumulation. I have heard that pea gravel is best although it doesnt pack down. I redid an arena 4 years ago and after MUCH research we went the 3 minus with an arena mix of sand and fine gravel on top. Coarse aggregate does not compact easily; many voids may result leaving the surface uneven and difficult for livestock to walk on. The whole idea of having a gravel or crusher dust top layer is to prevent wet organic matter (soil, grass, hay, leaves, manure etc.) . I only bring this up because who would ever think that doing the right thing for your horses would be against the law. GAH this is the bane of my existence! I thought I could get a few friends out and spread the gravel using rakes, but when I looked at the size of the piles and realized how heavy the gravel was, I decided to hire a local farmer to come spread it for me. Contact Us, How to Fix a Muddy Yard (Prevent Water Build-Up Tips). I have a horse and donkey. Btw, did a little research on star thistle as I hadnt heard of it, and I think the important point here is how MUCH the horse would have to consume to be negatively affected: The exact chemical compound responsible for toxicity in Russian knapweed and yellow star-thistle has not been defined; however, a sesquiterpene lactone, repin, is believed to be the key neurotoxin present. As youve shown, it doesnt hold up well, but its not expensive to replenish here ($250 per 16k lbs.). It has great drainage, and my one complaint is that it gets dusty in the summer, but I consider that a small price to pay for a dry arena in the winter. Paths made of large limestone pavers are also popular, but with big slabs some considerations have to be taken into account. And repeat, ongoing. So youre not looking at any wear from weather elements, just urine and hooves. Now lay a layer of large rock or recycled concrete (3 inches wide or larger rock) on top of the Nilex barrier, about 5 inches deep. To ensure adequate drainage for the stable when using any type of flooring, elevate the top of the stall floor at least 12 inches above the outside ground level. So the only surface Ive seen work is concrete. Still deciding on what to put on the top. As you can see from the 2 photos directly above, it is much easier to rake all the leaves off of the crusher dust. But as I pointed out above, examine the crusher before you order it, to make sure it is just crushed rock fines and doesnt contain any clay particles. A barn I had advised on brought in a chipper to make custom chips this size. Im mulling the idea of doing a video/blog post just about gravel terminology and what its called in different areas. material calculator delivery rates #10 Limestone Screenings This is our finely screened crushed grey limestone. One thing everyone does seem to agree on, is that if you are using crusher dust or pea gravel, its best to scrape off the topsoil (mud) first and get it down to the hard soil surface, then lay your footing. to see prices and products. Also can you find any forums or message boards where people have experimented with both? If the supplier charges by the yard, then the costs can be about $27 . Im definitely going to send your article to my boss and see what she thinks. And include the UK terminology because thats even harder to figure out Post a link here if/when you do! Fortunately, some remedies are transitory, while others are long-term. I would still do the Nilex barrier cloth as the bottom layer though, and clear down to hardpan. I will leave the back field open for them through the winter until May/June and let them trash it with their hooves and manure. Ideally, gravel should be 3/8" but 3/4" would also work. Sounds like a plan.
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