Do bark turnout areas really work?

[Patchworkpony]

Do bark turnout areas really work or do they just get deep and muddy. I want to build a reasonable sized turnout area for two minis and put down bark to keep it dry but am worried it will just turn into a morass. Has anyone had success with bark or a failure - please tell me your experiences.

 

[*hic*]

I have used woodchip, not bark and it worked brilliantly all the time it was properly maintained. When maintenance ceased it soon deteriorated.

 

[Red-1]

I have turned out on my arena for years, sand does not deteriorate like bark. Horse comes in clean, result!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Drainage is essential so it depends, it can get slippy if you try to use it as a school, to my mind anything works if not overused.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Do bark turnout areas really work or do they just get deep and muddy. I want to build a reasonable sized turnout area for two minis and put down bark to keep it dry but am worried it will just turn into a morass. Has anyone had success with bark or a failure - please tell me your experiences.

Bark was in our outdoor school it was horrid weeds and everything in it so change to sand and pvc.

 

[pippixox]

my friend has a wood chip turnout pen that her mini and sec A live on all winter and lots of the summer. It works well, but they do have hard core below it (broken bricks, concrete, ect, for drainage) and it does need topping up every couple of months, as it does rot down over time, especially with wet weather. If you have a good supplier of chip it is easier (our yard has a tree surgeon company who give us chip for free, as long as it does not have any toxic plants in)

 

[Patchworkpony]

Thanks so much for all your helpful replies. Sorry I didn't get back sooner - broadband trouble!

 

[frostyfingers]

I had a bark turnout area as part of my yard in order to make life more comfortable for the pony on a diet. There was a fairly compacted hardcore base on top of which we put some large stones for drainage and then we added the bark. Be aware that it can be very dusty for a while until it beds down. We replenished every 3rd year as it broke down. It worked brilliantly for us - I had the concrete pad round the stables themselves and then a decent area of bark which allowed him to lie down (and me not to have to provide a bed for him) and he wasn't standing on hard ground all the time. I also used it to let my horse roll after hunting and stretch his legs without covering himself in more mud. We no longer live there, but I'd do something similar again.

 

[ljohnsonsj]

My old yard had a bark one and it was terrible, flooded and the horses got filthy. It also got churned up real quick.