Advice please, muddy gateways

Achinghips

Achinghips

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In three weeks I'm moving to my own four acre property that's divided into five post and rail paddocks with leccy fencing around perimeters. Land has been beautifully maintained, and hasn't had horses on it for a few months so gateways look fantastic at the moment.

I'm moving three big heavy horses on, two have front shoes.
I have a rubber and sand arena with leccy around it as a relief too, and lots of stabling and a field shelter.

What's the best way to prevent the dreaded gateway issue please?
It's got heavy clay.

Thanks
 
You need to put hardcore, shale, or crushed stone into the gateways however it may be too late to do it now. This needs to be done when the gateways are dry & firm. If you do it when they are wet & muddy you will lose the stone etc into the mud & the problem will continue. It's a job that needs doing in the summer or early part of the autumn while the ground is still dry.
 
put grass mats down around the gateway. that way you can get them in and out without you being covered in mud. they should be able to tske the weight of your heavies. when the grass grows through it will make the mats "stronger". There not to expensive either
 
Grass mats sink in clay in no time. They really don't work.

As Pearl says, initially decide which will be the winter field and keep the others clean until summer if you can (although 4 acres of clay land with big horses on won't last long really).

Re gateways. Nothing beats hardcore with road chippings on the top (but quite deep). Concrete won't churn up but gets icy and slippery in frost. Grass mats help in summer when the land doesn't get too muddy. Stable mats do too, but are better than grass mats. They don't allow the grass to grow through, but don't sink as much. Both types of mats would fail in boggy clay fields. We tipped the rubble from knocking a wall down in the house in a gateway three years ago. We didn't do any groundwork, just rolled it down to the gateway in wheelbarrows (obviously took out anything sharp) and flattened it with shovels and picks. That did an ok job. It has sunk a little, but is still working.

Whatever you do, you need to do it first, before the horses go on ideally. And remember that hardcore/concrete/road planings really need planning permission legally.. (haven't for mine!)
 
Thanks everyone for your advice, all in, I've decided to just bring two big lads on it to save it a bit, rather than the three. Now to decide on the sacrificial paddock until I can get some tradesmen in :)
 
Now quite confused. Spoke to last owner lady who is meticulous and kept three on there and she said that in winter, she let them all wander in and out between all paddocks and that stopped muddy gateways. She stabled overnight and would occasionally put a Haynet in the manège and alternate them to restrict grazing ....
 
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