# Muddy Stalls



## ThunderingHooves (Aug 10, 2013)

Hey everyone. We have been getting more rain than usual here lately and the horses stalls are flooding and getting muddy. This is also suppose to be a wet winter so I would really appreciate opinions on what to do to help solve this. I have 2 stalls that are 12' wide and 36' long, 12' x 16' of that being covered. At the moment it's just dirt. I was thinking of getting some pressure treated wood and lining the bottom of the stalls and put some bedding sand in, but with the winds we can get I'm not sure if it would just blow away. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it!

Jinxx's stall 









Luna's stall


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Perhaps heavy duty rubber mats (eg stall mat’s) in lieu of sand??


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Clearing out mud is a several stage process. 

1. make ditches to lower ground, to drain the water away. If possible, put in pipe and bury it. 
2. scrape all the mud out and put it somewhere else. 
3. make a rim around the stalls with at least 6x6 diameter treated wood.
4. backfill with drain rock
5. cover that with base rock (it is called different things in different areas but it is sand engineered to pack down)
6. tamp that with a power tamper
7. all ready for your stall mats!

We turned a mud pit into decent dry horse housing, in an area that gets between 30 and 60 inches of rain a year, typically all in a 5 month period. No, it isn't easy nor cheap. Yes you will need a tractor.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

The reason your stalls are muddy is they have high edges and are pitched incorrectly for water drainage.
I can't say what to build your base from or what materials as your location is far away from me...
What I can comment on is your pictures show you need to remove the panels, have someone come in with a tractor who truly knows how to grade land and let them at it...
I would build a elevated section under the overhang with a way to retain that material in that area. A slight crest/crown with slight slope so wet runs off not get trapped...then the same for the open-air section below...
The biggest thing I see in those pictures is a banked side and low pit spot where it shows the very wet ground...
After you rebuild and regrade you will need to periodically take down that build-up, the berm made from the horse{s} walking the perimeter of their pen...or this will start again.
Horses have a way of compacting sand/dirt and making it disappear all to often... :icon_rolleyes:

_Actually, rethinking this...I would raise the entire area several inches above grade and have it graded for the run-off._


I personally would _*not*_ use p/t wood under my horses feet by choice...over time and exposure to wet, daily urine it does rot {faster than you realize} which now can make shards that can pierce and penetrate a hoof bottom...
I had this as a kid from a barn my parents rented to keep my horse...the stall floor was new when I started renting...in 6 months or less I had shards happening.
My stall was in a enclosed barn and always bedded in shavings and cleaned spotless everyday...
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## Hotrodz4me (Jul 17, 2016)

I don't think she said underfoot. It was to be placed around the edges as the wall to keep material in. Our barn and the barn SIL child works at have wood stalls and dirt floors. The walls are I have no idea how old here and over 10 at the other. Our barn shows little eaten out at ground level but the other shows more. I think with the change in acceptable chemicals to treat, wood that is treated just does not last as long. Still no splinters. Just eaten away. Vertical surface and at ground level. Bedding is deep so bottom wall is not exposed as bedding packs against it. SIL knows more about this stuff but grading and putting something that drains sounds like a good plan. Ours have a rim that separates the under roof and inside from exposed and outside. They still drag or kick dirt in and out but it is limited. It does seem to dish out in the middle but I think that is more from cleaning than the horse but maybe it is equal. They push stuff out of the middle to the side and the cleaners dig out wet from the middle.


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## Hotrodz4me (Jul 17, 2016)

Ignore that I did not read the first one posting. That one did say line the bottom which may well be underfoot and not edges like the next post said. Line with 6x6.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I live in northern Arizona and am going through the same thing. We need the rain (we can never have enough) but I really hate, hate, hate my horse pens being a mud hole. I worry about their feet. 

I don't have any answers but I will watch this thread for suggestions. We have dumped two loads of gravel over the years and after a while it all just disappears. And both of my pens are actually on a grade (our property is on a hill) and it STILL turns into a mud hole. It's like the horses feet churning up the soil keep the water from draining properly.

So anyway, I feel your pain!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I agree with Avna over this. Horses walking the sides will compact the ground and push dirt to the outside thus building a dam. 

It need levelling out, I would put in French drains, a ditch about 18" deep running front to back then filled with gravel, this ditch needs to go to a lower point on your ground and then put back in the sand.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

I'm not expert on these things, so take my ideas with a grain of salt.


Yes, the banked areas around the perimeter will make the mud problem worse by retaining water and not allowing it to drain out. However, grading alone will not (IMO) do very much for you. Adding anything along the perimeter to keep the material in will also help retain the water.


Water + dirt = mud. You can't get around that. A little over 50% of your area is uncovered. Wind effectively increases the exposed area by allowing rain to blow in. You should definitely grade the area to slope away from the covered area. The horses, however, will make most normal efforts at shaping the area useless. 


Looks like Casa Grande is not too far from Phoenix/Scottsdale. If I recall, the soil in that area does not drain water very well. It would take a bit of work, but you may consider digging up the area and building a base that can do a better job of draining off the excess rain. The right materials under the footing (with proper grading and drainage) could help things stay a little drier. One method of doing this was suggested in an earlier post. 



Another option is to simply find a way to cover the remaining portion of the area. Doesn't even need to be permanent. As long as the surrounding area doesn't slope into the stall, covering might be an easier solution. Think along the lines of a fabric "carport." Some tent poles and waterproof fabric that can be put up and taken down quickly.


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