Budget alternatives to mud control mats

[Chinchilla]

We have an area outside our stables/field shelters which gets very muddy as it sees lots of traffic, being the horses' main area of shelter as well as where the water troughs are, and the most convenient area for tying them up. Originally it had hard core/road planings but these have sunk now, so the mud is on top of them.
So I have been toying with the idea of putting something like mud control mats down, but can't really afford the genuine artefacts.
Does anyone know if something like these would work https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EcoGrid-...-/150959334658?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 or, know any similar cheap alternatives to mud control mats suitable to put down in what's basically a yard/gateway?
Finally, would it be better to put these into the mud or put down fresh hardcore before putting them into that in hopes of encouraging drainage?
Thank you.

 

[rabatsa]

I put the same or similar down and within two years they had started to break up and segments come out leaving holes in the area. I have now got mud control mats this year.

 

[ycbm]

I would just use hardcore or planings, C. Eventually it will bottom out and you'll end up with hardstanding. I have made several paths and a 5mx5m area of hardstanding this way and it's how neighbours make their gateways, most recently UU for getting huge lorries into a local wood they are logging. Sometimes it takes a lot of stone before it stabilises.
.

 

[paddy555]

if you just have the problem of mud that has accumulated over your original hardcore surface then get a flat shovel and using it flat scrape/shovel the mud off the original hardcore. Then when down to your original clean surface top up again with more hardcore/planings.

 

[Chinchilla]

if you just have the problem of mud that has accumulated over your original hardcore surface then get a flat shovel and using it flat scrape/shovel the mud off the original hardcore. Then when down to your original clean surface top up again with more hardcore/planings.

It's too deep; the original the was put down when we first moved here about nine years ago.

 

[ycbm]

I never took any mud out and neither have my neighbours or UU. We just kept dumping in hardcore until the ground started to drain.

My 5x5 area was made over 15 years by dumping every load of grit that got swept into my yard off the road outside the house by heavy rainfall. It was six inches deep in mud and now just has a skim on the surface.

 

[Chinchilla]

Does that work? ? Assuming it just sinks until it can't sink anymore and compacts?

How do you work out how much hardcore you need?

 

[paddy555]

I don't think putting the mats onto deep mud is going to work too well. I have lots of hard standing areas and I have created each of them by digging the mud off (however deep it was, sometimes a couple of foot deep) then fill with stone and hardcore/planings etc. Then if you still wanted you could mats down but I suspect the hardcore would be sufficient and that is a pretty cheap way of doing it.

Some people do just keep chucking stone in but I have found the above works to get the cleanest surface. Also once done then that is it for many years to come.

To calculate the amount of aggregate you need for a project, make sure you know the length, width and depth in feet of your project. Multiply these three values to get the volume in cubic feet, divide it by 27 to get cubic yards and finally, multiply your result by 1.5 to get how many tonnes you'll need.

 

[ycbm]

You just add more until it stops sinking

I originally put 6 tons on this path and it created a solid piece 2 feet wide for several years. This year I had the stuff taken out from the yard when it was tarmacked this year to widen it. This will sink in and stabilise over a year or so.

 

[Leam_Carrie]

Our local farmer dug out an area for us, put down hardcore and then topped with planning. Worked out much cheaper than mud control mats. And works well for us.

The track is about 50m x 2m and took 20 tonnes hardcore and 20 tonnes of plannings.

 

[TheMule]

Just scrape the top off and add more planings- much cheaper and will do a great job

 

[tda]

A friend of mine has just put similar mats down and backfilled with hard-core and sand, but it is a contained turn out area, not a passing thru place so hopefully it will stand up for a good while

 

[PurBee]

Suggestions given are your best easiest option.

If the mud is really deep and soupy at the moment, id scrape it away and dump more hardcore down. If its just a few inches of soupy mud i’d dump hardcore on top.

Depending on size of area id hire a minidigger, it can scrape the soupy mud away...level out a huge pile of hardcore and you can track over the hardcore at the end compressing the new pad ready for use.
Roughly 100 quid digger hire, 100 quid 15 tonne truck load of hardcore, 1 days work. Much easier than doing by hand in this weather, and fiddling around with mats of any kind.

 

[HBB]

After reading about horses slipping on the mud control mats and the constant maintenance of covering them in sand, they sounded like an expensive faff. I opted for hardcore and planings in my paddock walkways and gate areas.

 

[TGM]

After reading about horses slipping on the mud control mats and the constant maintenance of covering them in sand, they sounded like an expensive faff. I opted for hardcore and planings in my paddock walkways and gate areas.

I think it depends on how you use them. I have them in my pony's overnight paddock - she is old and sensible so she doesn't charge about and I haven't bothered with sand on the slabs and she is fine. Likewise if you are using them on walkways between fields where you would be leading the horses in then they would be good for them too. But in a field with lively horses who like to gallop into the gateway then there would be a higher risk of slipping. The main reasons I opted for them over hardcore was that firstly they are not permanent and can be moved, so if we alter the configuration of the paddocks we can move the slabs to where we want them. Secondly, hardcore is meant to require planning permission, I know a lot of people don't bother but our fields are overlooked by several houses and I suspect there would be one household who would complain if we went ahead without!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

After reading about horses slipping on the mud control mats and the constant maintenance of covering them in sand, they sounded like an expensive faff. I opted for hardcore and planings in my paddock walkways and gate areas.

My German friend has her 35 horses on 5 arena sized mud control paddocks. They are on them all day in winter and mornings in the summer. They have walkways between them, have been down over 20 years and are still as good as the day they were laid. Not one horse has had an accident on them so I would say they are really good value for money. Expensive outlay but worth it if you want to keep your land in good condition.

 

[Palindrome]

My German friend has her 35 horses on 5 arena sized mud control paddocks. They are on them all day in winter and mornings in the summer. They have walkways between them, have been down over 20 years and are still as good as the day they were laid. Not one horse has had an accident on them so I would say they are really good value for money. Expensive outlay but worth it if you want to keep your land in good condition.

Does the grass grow through them? or have they been filled with sand? Can you ride on them and if so do they ride like a grass arena?
Really curious as I am thinking of having some delivered but not sure how it is going to work.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Does the grass grow through them? or have they been filled with sand? Can you ride on them and if so do they ride like a grass arena?
Really curious as I am thinking of having some delivered but not sure how it is going to work.

No grass grows through them at all. Her then teenage sons prepared all the ground really well with the digger and then laid sand in the holes once they were down. The horses are fed haylage daily and each night the mats are cleared of all poo and seeds so they don’t get a chance to grow. The only place they get grass is on the edge of the walkways. Yes you can ride on them, she swapped what was the original area to one closer to the stables, laid with much more sand to make it rideable and it is used 6 days a week for lessons including jumping.

 

[Palindrome]

No grass grows through them at all. Her then teenage sons prepared all the ground really well with the digger and then laid sand in the holes once they were down. The horses are fed haylage daily and each night the mats are cleared of all poo and seeds so they don’t get a chance to grow. The only place they get grass is on the edge of the walkways. Yes you can ride on them, she swapped what was the original area to one closer to the stables, laid with much more sand to make it rideable and it is used 6 days a week for lessons including jumping.

Brilliant, thank you, I will probably get a palled delivered, they seem really useful and versatile.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Brilliant, thank you, I will probably get a palled delivered, they seem really useful and versatile.

Hers are made by Hubner Lee, they have a website which you can change to English www.huebner-lee.de which has very good instructions and they used to have videos. Have a look as it will give you a good idea of how to lay them properly.

 

[Chinchilla]

Thanks everyone. In spring then I will hardcore the area. I suppose I can always put proper mud control mats over it when my finances aren't in such dire straits, but I'll start with just hardcore.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I haven't read every post but sorting out the muddy gateways & walkways is a job for the spring & summer. It's virtually impossible to do when everything is mud.

 

[Chinchilla]

I haven't read every post but sorting out the muddy gateways & walkways is a job for the spring & summer. It's virtually impossible to do when everything is mud.

see post above

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Thanks everyone. In spring then I will hardcore the area. I suppose I can always put proper mud control mats over it when my finances aren't in such dire straits, but I'll start with just hardcore.

TBH, depending on the state of the existing mud, you may find that hardcore is not such a cheap option. Ours was so lumpy that I didn't want the horses walking over it, so we put pea gravel down on top. I must admit that our access is very narrow, so that doesn't help. You also need to be mindful that hardcore should have PP and be SUDS compliant, which can add to the cost.

 

[Surbie]

I have mud control slabs for gateways and water troughs, I've not had any issue with horses slipping on them, but I've only been using them for a year. We use them at the RDA too in front of the shelters, and again not had any issue - all of the above are laid straight on the ground, no sand and the grass grows through. I have also put them down on top of hardcore - worked a bit better as you could get the hardcore beneath properly flat.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I’ll go with the tipping hardcore onto mud brigade .

I find that deep mud slurps up the hardcore and once enough is added, it becomes a decent firm surface.

I’ve an area between the back of the stable block and the arena that is used as a walkway. We didn’t have enough pennies left to surface it properly. It was fine as grass in summer, but hopelessly boggy in winter.

We tipped leftover hardcore in ourselves, bringing it in by wheelbarrow, then raking it level and rolling it with a hand pulled garden roller. It’s settled down well, there are two years between the pics. It’s fine for equines and light vehicular use.

 

[ycbm]

I haven't read every post but sorting out the muddy gateways & walkways is a job for the spring & summer. It's virtually impossible to do when everything is mud.

It's easier to do it in the mud if you don't want to use it straight away. It sinks in better if the ground is soft. If you do it when it's dry it just sits on top (see my path above). Somewhere half way is good if you're doing a limited bit by hand, just poor a bucket of gravel into each foot print

 

[Chinchilla]

Wow Tiddlypom that looks great!

so the plan is wait until it's not soup anymore but not quite solid. This is normally about March/April time in this field. Plus that gives it all summer to sink and bed in a bit.
I'd love to do the mud control mats but it would take me years to save up to afford them, and I really worry about Diva's knackered hocks in the thick mud. She really isn't wanting to walk through it, which isn't good considering she has to walk through it to get the water troughs.

 

[Poingsettia]

Did you go ahead @Chinchilla? I’m looking into these for a muddy area, but being in the Scottish highlands makes me wonder at the delivery costs!

 

[rabatsa]

I dropped mud control slabs into really wet hock deep mud at the start of last winter. Mud oozed through them but only covered the surface. We put in a drain and lifted these slabs when the ground was dry this spring, leveled the ground a bit and relaid the slabs with some more. These slabs got a covering of sand and some grass seed.

Pictures are pre lifting, the single row of slabs are covering the new drain.
Newly laid slabs covered in sand
The gateway onto the track, a lot of filling in of the hollowed out way through with sand, the two slabs at the far side of the gate were extended to the slabs by the barn.