# Advice on dirt barn aisle



## SaddleUp158 (Dec 26, 2008)

We had a dirt barn aisle for many years. At times we had a rubber mat or two down to help with dust when working on the horses' feet. You can lightly water the aisle way to dampen the dust. If you decide to go the route of gravel, I would do chat. Something that is not going to clump up in the horses feet or get stuck under a shoe. When chat is watered after you lay it, it forms a bit like concrete. We have this on our pathways to and from the the barn doors.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I have a dirt floor in my barn. I keep a spritzer with water on hand and if it gets dusty, I give it a quick once over - takes seconds to do. I find this is only a problem in the heart of summer when it's hot and dry.


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## EquineDuchess (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks for the advice. Right now the aisle is soft dirt and so dusty its awful. Sore eyes and headaches after being out there for even an hour. I was looking at putting down 3/8" limestone.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

EquineDuchess said:


> Thanks for the advice. Right now the aisle is soft dirt and so dusty its awful. Sore eyes and headaches after being out there for even an hour. I was looking at putting down 3/8" limestone.


You could put in barn mats which means you can pull them out when you leave, or you could put in road fines, crusher run, limestone type of gravel that you have to leave behind. Be sure to have the aisle and then the gravel tamped down real tight with a power tamper if you go this route.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I am a big fan of mats. I have a new 4 x 6, 3/4" mat still in the back of my truck, unloaded. I have lined the cement aisle of my barn with rubber mats. There are several ways to move them--do a search here to find some--but for the heavy ones, I fold them in half and then drag backwards, then shimmy into the spot. If you go with 1/4" mats, you can roll them as tight as possible which stiffens the rubber, and grab each and carry. I use these mats in my horse trailer and then I remove them after use to keep the floor dry.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

I would just lightly spray it down to keep the dust levels reasonable. Try that before you go the more drastic route of putting mats or gravel down.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I beg to differ. Mats aren't drastic and they are very useful. I guess if you cannot afford them, then do that.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Compared to spraying it lightly with a hose it's pretty drastic, particularly when you consider that it's a rental property. I don't have a problem with mats, but I certainly wouldn't be racing out to buy them if there is an easier fix to try first.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

Gravel makes it harder to clean up messes unless you use pea gravel or something. Is the owner ok with you changing it? Might be easier and cheaper to just cover the floor in straw. That way it's easy to get rid of if they ever decide to put in mats


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## EquineDuchess (Feb 13, 2015)

I tried spraying it down this morning and just ended up with a muddy dusty mess! I feel like a dodo bird (no disrespect to our extinct feathered friends), but maybe I'm doing it wrong lol. I lightly sprayed with the "shower" setting on hose, and then when I walked through the barn the top layer stuck to my boots as mud and the underneath was still dry and dusty...

As far as mats are concerned, I priced it to be about $1000, so that's not happening. The aisle is 13'x40'. The 3/8" limestone would be about $350, so not as bad.

Straw may be a good idea, but I'm concerned about it being messy and getting moldy?

Thanks again for the advice!


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I suspect you might have been a little generous with the water. If you're using a hose, is there a 'mist' setting rather than 'shower' setting to use? That would help - it's quite surprising how much water you still get out of the hose even using the milder settings. Another alternative is to get a watering can and use it. The trick whether it's hose or can is to be fairly fast with the swing movement and keep your arm constantly moving when you're sprinkling the water out - this keeps too much water from being dumped in one area. Also, you don't need to wet ever square inch of the aisle. You'd need to experiment with your aisle, of course, but for mine I speculate if I've got 30-40% coverage then I've eliminate my dust problem for that day.


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

EquineDuchess said:


> I tried spraying it down this morning and just ended up with a muddy dusty mess! I feel like a dodo bird (no disrespect to our extinct feathered friends), but maybe I'm doing it wrong lol. I lightly sprayed with the "shower" setting on hose, and then when I walked through the barn the top layer stuck to my boots as mud and the underneath was still dry and dusty...
> 
> As far as mats are concerned, I priced it to be about $1000, so that's not happening. The aisle is 13'x40'. The 3/8" limestone would be about $350, so not as bad.
> 
> ...


Straw isn't any more messy than dust/dirt. Straw won't get moldy unless it gets wet. If it gets too wet you need to rake up the wet stuff and replace it. It also soaks up urine if a horse pees in the isle.


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## EquineDuchess (Feb 13, 2015)

Just an update. I ended up placing rubber stall mats down the center of the aisle. They are 6 feet wide, so there is about 3 feet on either side that is still dirt. This helped tremendously!
Waaaaaay less dirt and dust kicking up now. Looks nice, too! Definitely worth the money (I waited til I found some used mats, so I got them for $25 each!).


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I am so happy that you found mats at a good price!!! Keep an eye on the sales. Where I live the best sales are in October, but in this rotten economy stores are throwing in good sales almost every month. A friend told me to watch for sales the last FULL week of every month bc most people blow their paychecks the FIRST full week of the month. This is definitely true with grocery stores. I can't afford to buy all of the mats that I have at one time. I buy them one at a time, on sale. The last mat I purchased is still sitting on the back of my DH's truck. We got it coated but the coating can chip. I have been buying cement paving stones for a project and the 3/4" mat is protecting my truck bed.
I probably have 25 (4 x 6) mats and the 4 original 2 1/2 x 6 trailer mats, bought in 1986, are still in great shape.
If you use them in a building, so that they don't get exposure to the weather, like some rubber feed buckets, you will be old and the mats will still be going strong.
THAT is why I recommend them. They are a great investment for people in wet climates, like IL.


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## blueriver (Oct 10, 2009)

Damp dirt will clot on your boots and horse feet ... May I suggest shavings ... they can be wet down with a hose and nozzle on mist. 

Just a thought ....


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## blueriver (Oct 10, 2009)

Dad gum it ... I was late for the party !!!!!!


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## chinoerika (Jun 10, 2013)

*Dust*



EquineDuchess said:


> Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and loving it!
> 
> We just moved four horses to a new barn that we are leasing. We are the only people there, so we are at the barn daily caring for horses.
> The barn flooring is dirt. I have put stall mats in the stalls, but the barn aisle is causing so much dust. Every time we walk through, and especially when the horses go through the barn, dust goes everywhere.
> ...


If you can find an old conveyer belt, some are 5 feet wide and very, very long and work well. Old mines have them and quite offend you can get them for free. But note they are very heavy, like a40foot piece could be as much as a ton. Good luck.


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