All weather paddock

[Ceriann]

I have officially had enough of winter and my mud soup bog of a winter field (clay) so am now planning (for my sanity) my all weather paddock for next year. I currently have two fields, one about 4 and a half acres and the other circa 3. Winter field is the bigger one, which hasnt been split or paddocked off (only had the fields 12 months). Plan is to split field in two and have an all weather paddock/ section in one ( but can be accessed from either paddock) with a shelter of some sort. As the field is clay can anyone recommend/suggest what to lay down or have any experience of doing this. It needs to be hard wearing but I also don't want it to be too harsh for the horses (I have one with early signs of arthritis) so considering topping with wood chip (appreciating we'll need drainage and hardcore underneath). Oh and size of all weather section - I have 3 mares (two 16h and one 14.2) - they get on well but I wouldn't want them confined to too small a space!

All suggestions very much appreciated!

 

[meesha]

I wouldn't make the area too big u will bankrupt yourself. I am on clay and put in cheap diy arena 20x40 using membrane, drainage and stone then another layer membrane then cushionride, it is used more as turnout and cost 7k. The cushionride (crushed pallets) has lasted really well as there is loads of drainage, never a damp patch in sight so doesn't rot down if it was constantly wet it would be mush. Whatever u put down I think drainage and membrane are a must and if u have done all that may as well do an arena ! Ps hired local drainage guys to level and dig drainage channels and used electric tape not rails to save money (and nags would just of eaten rails!}. Pics in my album in my profile. Arena joins yard where they have matted field shelter, no bedding as they sleep on arena or in matted field shelter if torrential rain. Its a God send

 

[kat2290]

If you have any quarries near you you should be able to buy quarry waste off them which usually consists of a variety of large and small gravel (depend what kind of quarry it is). It's usually very cheap, we got ours from our local place for £11 per tonne plus a £50 delivery charge - we live about 15 miles away.

We made a rectangular border out of wood, about 5 inches high, tipped the quarry waste in the middle, raked it over, then borrowed a compacted and whacked it right down. When it rains the water mixes with the very fine sandy stuff in the gravel and it sets like concrete so it is now very solid. We haven't bothered with drainage underneath as we are on a slope anyway, and put minimal hard core underneath.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I've used my outdoor sand school for turnout before and it was plenty big enough (I had four horses in it). However the poo picking was a real pain, especially as the horses would break the poo up frequently, so you got areas of sand and poo mixed which were impossible to separate.

If I was designing a purpose built turnout area I would have a concrete area with a hay feeder on and then another sand/woodchip/other area. As they stand and poo mostly where the hay is, it would make poo picking much easier and quicker, plus you'd waste far less surface. Also even though I had put stable mats on top of the sand, under where I had put the haynets, there was still a lot of raking to get spilt hay out of the sand. Again having concrete around a hay feeder would help with this problem.

 

[Ceriann]

Thank you for all your suggestions - i would love to make a cheap diy arena (think OH is dreading the possibility i might suggest it - i mentioned wanting a softer surface and he knew my game straight off!).

Meesha - yours looks fab - serios AWS envy here!

 

[Charmin]

A concrete area is an absolute God-send, especially if you feed hay.

Ours have a strip of concete about 3m wide and 15m long, the field shelter takes up 10m of that but have 5m on which we can attach haynets to the fence. They're out of the mud, plus much less hay wastage as they hoover up off the floor. Also much easier to poo pick - just sweep it all up and shovel once a day, takes about 5-10 minutes. Gives them somewhere to dry off if out 24/7.

 

[dalidaydream]

Don't forget you will need planning permission to put any sort of surface in a field - you don't want to find after spending all that money that the council insists you remove it.

 

[oldie48]

I had a cushionride 60 x 20 arena resurfaced with sand and rubber as it was breaking down too quickly I only had the new surface on 40 x 20 area and left the remainder fenced off as a turn out area. It works really well but it does need decent drainage or it will break down very quickly. I'm also on clay and it's great to have somewhere dry for turnout when the fields are like lakes.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Many years ago, our yard replaced the school surface, and turned the top paddock into three separate all weather turnout with the old school surface with crushed gravel and stone as a base. It's great for this weather. 6 can go out at a time, it gets bit mushy where hay goes but plenty of dry standing. Our fields are off limits at the moment!

 

[Honey08]

We are on stupidly wet clay soil. The fields turn into a welly eating bog within no time and our horses are both pretty mud rash prone, so winters were expensive nightmares. Three years ago we made a all weather turnout around the stables. It has been a life saver. We tipped about 3' of hardcore, which was free, flattened it as much as possible with a tractor and bucket, then added another half a foot of road planings on top. Ours is about 50m x 15m in an L shape. It includes the stable yard, which is about 24'x24' in a square of concrete. We used about three lorry loads of planings, which were £100 each (about 20 tons). It drains really well, the horses can trot around on it without slipping (the concrete on the yard is the only bit that is slippery, I would be wary of having a big area of just concrete). Its wonderful! Ours go on it for 10 hours a day. This is the third year they've been on it and its still going strong. Another plus point of it is it is black, so blends in with the muddy fields and doesn't stand out so much.

I do have photos I can post (I've posted them so many times over the last few winters, I don't want to bore people again!)

 

[3Beasties]

I do have photos I can post (I've posted them so many times over the last few winters, I don't want to bore people again!)

I'd love to see photos please

 

[pansy]

I do have photos I can post (I've posted them so many times over the last few winters, I don't want to bore people again!)

I'd like to see photos as well

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Here is one of our all weather turnouts

 

[Honey08]

Will try and upload them tomorrow, photobucket not playing tonight...

 

[Ceriann]

We are on stupidly wet clay soil. The fields turn into a welly eating bog within no time and our horses are both pretty mud rash prone, so winters were expensive nightmares. Three years ago we made a all weather turnout around the stables. It has been a life saver. We tipped about 3' of hardcore, which was free, flattened it as much as possible with a tractor and bucket, then added another half a foot of road planings on top. Ours is about 50m x 15m in an L shape. It includes the stable yard, which is about 24'x24' in a square of concrete. We used about three lorry loads of planings, which were £100 each (about 20 tons). It drains really well, the horses can trot around on it without slipping (the concrete on the yard is the only bit that is slippery, I would be wary of having a big area of just concrete). Its wonderful! Ours go on it for 10 hours a day. This is the third year they've been on it and its still going strong. Another plus point of it is it is black, so blends in with the muddy fields and doesn't stand out so much.

I do have photos I can post (I've posted them so many times over the last few winters, I don't want to bore people again!)

Please post piccies - sounds ideal and not bank breaking! I'd love a space I can shut them into overnight or during the day (so they get half a day on a dry surface). I'm already dreaming of dry spaces!!

 

[Ceriann]

Here is one of our all weather turnouts

That looks great - appreciate its dry there but looks an ideal space.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Even in this weather it's only near the water butt it gets boggy. The trees help too, they suck up the water. And give shade in summer. It's old sand school. You can see the new school next to the fence.

 

[Honey08]

I will try again!

 

[pansy]

Pictures look great - thanks for posting them - now to talk to my other half