# *&@^# mud!



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Oh, boy.

The only places I've been to that really do it well, are tracks and farms in Kentucky. Most likely the same in any high end horse area.

They put drain pipe down in gravel, that is covered with a mix of sands, clay, gravel, which is covered with yet another mix. You end up with about 12 to 18" of product down. It works and works well for years.

That sounds awful and expensive, but, your county's extension office can offer Do It Yourself plans for drainage that, while labor intensive, are for smaller projects and at a much lower cost.

So worth it. And you could through a party upon completion and dance on your non-muddy entrances!


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

alot of sand and gravel


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Put down construction carpet and cover it with rock. The carpet will keep your rock from disappearing down into the bottomless hole of muck.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Darrin said:


> Put down construction carpet and cover it with rock. The carpet will keep your rock from disappearing down into the bottomless hole of muck.


I like this idea and have two questions.

If an entrance is on a grade, should the construction carpet be secured in some way at the top?

and

I prefer to not have very large gravel, and only gravel around my barns/sheds. Do you have any recommendation for a commonly available mix that would still provide the drainage desired?


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## mvinotime (Mar 5, 2010)

Yes def a good idea! and I second that question....what would you recommend as a mix as far as the gravel is concerned?


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

driveway mix works really well, not 100% sure on how to explain it but thats what we put down on the laneways for the cows to get to the different pastures this year.

i think there was just a gravel/shale base then the driveway mix about a foot deep.

tile lines are also a really good thing, also works nicely in pastures to keep wet spots from forming.

but in the end i would talk with local extension office and also talk to those at soil & water conservation, they might be able to help you with a whole farm plan to help keep out of the mud all together


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Carpet can take a mild slope but not a severe one. If it is steep then it's best to dig down and build back up with gravel. 

What type of rock to put down depends on what exactly you want and how deep a layer of rock you are putting down. Using 3" crushed rock base will fill up a hole rather quickly. Next put down a layer of 3/4 minus. For a final layer put down a couple inches of unwashed chicken grit (what's it called around here) this is fine crushed rock that's not washed. The not washed part means it does a better job of interlocking with each other for a solid layer. 

Tips for the job:
-Every couple inches of rock go ahead and tamp it down. The more packed your rock the longer it last.

-There are several types of construction carpet, what you want is a carpet that allows moisture to pass through it (not all does).

-The deeper you pile on gravel the longer it will last. I've seen a lot of people toss down carpet and cover it with a couple inches of gravel. Doing that means your are wasting your time and throwing away your money. Absolute minimum is 6" of gravel over your carpet and at that it wont last to many years with horses while at the same time 6" works pretty good for your driveway. A foot of hard packed gravel or more is best for horses. Last 2-4 inches of gravel should be your unwhashed chicken grit and tamp it down until you are sick of tamping then tamp it down some more.

-Carry the gravel on past your carpet, taper it off. This will help keep the edges from being exposed which will lead to peeling back.

-Scrape the muck builup off a couple times a year.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Thanks Darrin and Tim. Good information to get started with.


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## mvinotime (Mar 5, 2010)

Yes THANK YOU! Excellent information. I am not having luck finding this construction carpet? Where would one be able to locate that and would it be called anything else???


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

We call it construction carpet around here but a quick google search tells me it is geotextile fabric Geotextile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 

Most of our home improvement stores around here carry it due to how many home projects it can be used in. Failing that try local businesses that supply construction companies with materials. They may or may not make you buy a full roll of the stuff depending on how they are set up.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

you can look at geotextile fabric and landscape fabric. look at them both and figure out which is going to be best for your application.

i'm pretty sure the geotextile is the one that will worth the best


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Ive been redoing my section by the barn due to the ridiclious mud we always get. We have thick thick clay and water stays ontop for days/weeks.

I have a large John Deer tractor. I scraped the top layer (between 6 and 8 inches) and got all that nasty stuff out. It stunk to high hell because it was muddy when i did this and a decade of manure and urine and mud is just nasty!

Then i drilled holes with an augar. Hundreds of holes all over. 

Then filled the holes with sand. Really packed it in. And put a total 8 inch layer of sand over the top.

The drainage i have now is amazing. No mud. Sand dries quickly. And the horses love laying in it. LoL.

And no, the horses dont sink into the holes. Ive had no problems with them. You can also fill holes with peagravel and then put sand ontop.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

CLaPorte432 said:


> Then i drilled holes with an augar. Hundreds of holes all over...
> 
> ...And no, the horses dont sink into the holes. Ive had no problems with them. You can also fill holes with peagravel and then put sand ontop.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
So you kind of made a drain field. How long have you had it like this?


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