# How to fix mud at gate?



## PurpleHorse (Jul 21, 2010)

I currently board my horse and the area by the gate is getting super muddy. Bad enough that my girl hates walking thru it.

It's a pretty basic boarding place and the owners aren't the type to fix it and I don't want to move her because it is a good place other than the muddy gate. It's already muddy so it's not an option for me to remove the mud before doing anything.

I just wondered if anyone has inexpensive suggestions for something I can do to help clear up the mud a bit. It is at the bottom of a slope so whatever I do it needs to be able to drain water away when it rains.

:cowboy:


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Have you already discussed this with the owners? That's step #1, it's their property afterall


----------



## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

We have the same problem at our barn...so far for quick super temporary fixes, we have thrown hay down in the muddy spots, this has helped more than you would think for a short period of time, put gravel there, that has helped as well. Sadly neither have worked long term, we are now putting drainage in, as our gate is at the bottom of the slope as well, we are also having a concrete slab put down and a fence around it so it shouldnt be as bad this year.....best of luck!


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Crushed rock tends to work well, but you'll have to dig out the soil and make a firm base and then address drainage issues, or it will just get worked in to the mud and make things just as bad or worse, as now the mud is abrasive.

"Deal with it until the mud dries up" is probably about the best you can do unless the owners give you the go-ahead to do a renovation of the gate area, but if the gate is somewhere water collects, you're not going to have much luck.

We had an area that got muddy every spring by the barn on our farm, so we put another gate in about 50' away. When one got muddy, we'd use the other, and vice versa.


----------



## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

We tried hay and straw around the gate but it made it worse. The addition seemed to make it stickier and thicker. It was a hazard to struggle through during the worst of the weather. When the ground froze it was impossible to walk on.

We then tried a concrete floor surrounded by gravel but the muddy part expanded into the field as the gravel area expanded and the floor had to be cleared of a layer of mud every couple of days, as it was carried on by the horses. 

We’ve never really found a solution. Horses seem to have a talent when it comes to creating mud.


----------



## gnpenning (Aug 19, 2017)

Some good suggestions so far. I'll just expand on a couple. 

Can the fence and gate be moved up the hill? 

Is it the lowest spot around? 

Just dumping drain rock will work short term. With out a solid base it will just be worked down as the dirt is lighter and will come to the top. Type of soil will make a difference as well. Sand drains clay holds moisture. 

If it's clay you can remove and replace with sand or road base. Short term fix

Remove as much soil as you can. Either put down a fabric then build up with progressive smaller crushed rock. (Crushed locks better) or put down large 4-6" rock then smaller rock. Long term fix

Drawing a blank on the name right now but, there are products that have a grate type of opening and you fill with gravel. This is strong enough for roads with some heavy traffic. Long term fix 

Some are cheaper than others. Since this isn't your property you probably don't want to go to the expense. If the owner is willing maybe you can suggest options to them. 

Good luck


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

gnpenning said:


> Drawing a blank on the name right now but, there are products that have a grate type of opening and you fill with gravel. This is strong enough for roads with some heavy traffic. Long term fix


Sorry for butting in on this thread but I'd like to do something to prevent mud from happening at my gate next spring, and would love to hear more about this. I'm sure many of us would!


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

quote gnpenning: "....Drawing a blank on the name right now but, there are products that have a grate type of opening and you fill with gravel. This is strong enough for roads with some heavy traffic. Long term fix..." I think the product you're referring to is geocell and it would work well -- it would require stretching and pinning in place then cells filled with a porous material (that would let the water drain out) followed with gravel type material on top and spilling over against the sides so that it would blend in with the rest of the ground level.

Another alternative if the area in question isn't too big may be a heavy thick rubber mat or two (like you put in stalls or trailers). It has the advantage of being able to be taken with you if you decide to leave and wouldn't require any special prep work. It has to be sturdy so that the horse doesn't step on the mat and it folds into itself where the foot lands (and that will happen if you use a light mat -- believe me as I've been there with that one).


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

We had mud that the horses had to go through to get in the barn for years. I tried everything imaginable. What finally worked was I got a load of topsoil delivered and dumped in the spot. Then we got a guy with a "bobcat" to spread the soil out. We had to raise the gate so that it would open. This has more than paid for itself in preventing lost shoes and thrush from the mud.


----------



## gnpenning (Aug 19, 2017)

Thanks for the name help Chevuax. 

Geocell is one style other styles are a ridged style. Both will work.

Many YouTube videos available to watch. Depending on your needs and equipment , plus cost will help you decide what works for you. 

To reduce costs for drive areas you can do just the tire track area. If wanted you can plant grass and still have supported. I would use the ridged ones for this. Remember grass can be slick when wet. 

You can also use it to stabilize banks and hills. Use your imagination.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

PurpleHorse said:


> I just wondered if anyone has inexpensive suggestions for something I can do to help clear up the mud a bit. It is at the bottom of a slope so whatever I do it needs to be able to drain water away when it rains.


Forget expensive drains and continually dumping loads of rock. The only way to reduce mud in the long run is to keep as much water away from the area as possible. The least expensive and best long term fix is to have someone spend an hour with a bobcat _aggressively_ grading the area to either keep the water away or let it flow through quickly without saturating the ground. If it's at the bottom of a slope, you may wind up with a river flowing through there when it rains, but you'll end up with a lot less mud and it will dry out a lot more quickly.


----------



## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

What @PaintHorseMares said. After the guy with the grader leaves, you can put down drain cloth, then 2 1/2" rock base, then crushed granite or whatever your equivalent is. That's a real fix. Either that or build a bridge . . .


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Be careful with rubber mats in turnout areas... they are slipperier than glass when wet. We had a friend set his trailer mats out by the gate one spring when it was sloppy muddy near the gate, and his horses all came cantering in when he called them, hit those mats with wet, muddy hooves, and ended up in a pile. Nobody hurt, but those mats were removed immediately.


----------



## Folly (Jan 27, 2015)

Was riding this morning - and there's a gate we have to pass through to get to our main riding area of trails/pasture which was impassable (by our standards) even though we just had a small amount of rain. Cattle pass through there constantly. It's getting worse. the last time, it looked dry - but when my mare stepped in she broke through the crust and sank in to above her knees - was a bit of a jolting ride to get through that! then we had to come back... she was a champ, but yikes.

Soooo - I'm watching this thread. It's a dilemma - the property owner (friend) has about decided to dump gravel into it. now I'm concerned that's not a fix. I really can't see him dozing it, and I'm not sure because of how it's configured that there's any real place to push the dirt without re-configuring lots of fences. that won't happen in that back area. 

Sorry to hijack with my story - but we're also trying to figure out what to do. And it also isn't our property, so we're fortunate to be able to ride on it.


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Folly said:


> we're also trying to figure out what to do. And it also isn't our property, so we're fortunate to be able to ride on it.


You could always do the old-school method of putting up a board or stile (or simply throwing a blanket over the top wire) and jumping that area instead of using the gate!! :wink::tongue:


----------



## Folly (Jan 27, 2015)

SilverMaple said:


> You could always do the old-school method of putting up a board or stile (or simply throwing a blanket over the top wire) and jumping that area instead of using the gate!! :wink::tongue:


LOL - I think you need to read my signature more closely 
This is my midlife crisis... I'm just now learning to trust myself cantering; can't imagine jumping anything! Plus - we have to slog through about 8' of the mess. that seems like quite a jump? or maybe it's nuthin'... I'll never find out Ha. 

**(it's a complicated mess of fences on each side... not just a simple fence with a gate it it... so no jumping on one side or the other, even if I did have such a death wish)


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

SilverMaple said:


> You could always do the old-school method of putting up a *board or stile* (or simply throwing a blanket over the top wire) and jumping that area instead of using the gate!! :wink::tongue:



What is a stile?


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

anndankev said:


> What is a stile?


A stile, as I know it, is a break in the fence designed to let you out/in but keep the livestock contained. There are many style variations - some you walk over, some you walk right through the fence; they seem to have fallen out fashion, however, but maybe they are still used in certain areas.

I'm wondering what's the possibility of building a little low bridge over it? It would serve a twofold purpose -- avoid the mud and teach the horses to cross a bridge at the same time.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Chevaux said:


> I'm wondering what's the possibility of building a little low bridge over it? It would serve a twofold purpose -- avoid the mud and teach the horses to cross a bridge at the same time.


I've seen a couple places with simple bridges made from old telephone poles or railroad ties.


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Funny, I've been thinking of putting sort of a wooden deck or something similar to a trailer floor over an awfully muddy/mucky place where Chief is choosing to sleep overnight.

It is right outside the stall of his only companion, a mini mare, I don't know if he thinks he is guarding her from the coyotes or just wants to make sure she is still there in the morning.

He has a big dry stall, or the nice dry overhang outside to stay, but no, he's in the mucky mud. They have been in his stall at the same time and there is plenty of room for both. 

It's not my property so I am limited in what I can do about the mud, and I am dirt poor anyway. (pun intended.) Was thinking first of helping the owner to add eaves and/or gutters in that area. I have some pics that show all the different roof angles and heights. Quite a puzzle. 

That's when I started thinking about a wood deck (or bridge really). Could it be done, expensive?
Is there a better way.

Maybe just shut him in his stall - he can see her from there. LOL



























And -- Oh yes, a stile. I didn't know what they are called. But how could @Folly get her horse through?


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

anndankev said:


> ...
> That's when I started thinking about a wood deck (or bridge really). Could it be done, expensive?...
> 
> ...And -- Oh yes, a stile. I didn't know what they are called. But how could @Folly get her horse through?


...

I suspect the easiest way for you to do yours is to use 2x6s. I'm guessing at the size you need but if you went with an 5 ft x 8 ft 'deck', you'd probably spend $70 may be as you'd need around 14 8 ft long 2x6s (3 on the bottom to act as legs/support and some place to nail the top boards onto).

She couldn't get her horse through with the ones I have seen as they're meant for humans only. Anything else and I think you'd be essentially building another gate.


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks, now I know it's a feasible idea. Maybe I'll approach the Owner.


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

You're welcome, anndankev. If you decide to leave that place, the deck can be dismantled and taken with you so it shouldn't cause any permanent bother to the owner.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

besides the suggestions, drainage, rocks, moving gate, you might look into buying some second hand oilfield matts

https://www.paradoxaccess.com/lp/a/...zuTub8K6x2sh3rnR1H4wvbSOFoV3ywgBoC5vwQAvD_BwE


Swamp matts, pretty much the same.They hold heavy equipment

http://pipelineskidservice.com/?gcl...DnTjRHvM3CavKhjr8sV6auOR7hhSKMXhoCfoAQAvD_BwE


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

what about grass matts?

Playground Safety Rubber Mats by Grassmats - Grassmats USA


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

The first 2 links look like they would work but most likely cost prohibitive. LOL

The grassmats look nice, wonder if they are the same as the horse mats with drainage holes.

Also if mud would come up through the holes.


----------

