Field shelter issues

[Tamsin84]

Hi everyone. Hoping someone has some advice for me. My field shelter which was put up last year was infortunatley put in the wrong place and has ended up being on a slight slope. I would say a good 10-15inches drop from the front of the shelter to the back. Over the winter last year into this year, I just had an old 4x4m bit of carpet in there for him to stand on and eat his hay or just chill. He won't lay down in there. It did get boggy and it was a nightmare to lift and straighten out everyday and it did eventually rip with his weight making it slide down. I thought about getting 2 tonne of sub-base hardcore put down to level it out and then I have some rubber chippings and some odds of rubber mats to put down on top. Is it really going to be as simple as that? Do I need a machine or roller to squash it all in? Will I need to dig little trenches for water to run away from the shelter rather than into it? Is there another material i should use. Sorry for the lengthy novel prepping for this coming winter TIA

 

[meleeka]

I just put hardcore downs with rubber mats on top. I have a similar problem, mine goes down at the back, so much so that it flooded the back corner. I just levelled it inside with the stones, which has stopped the flooding.

 

[Tamsin84]

Did you use any specific hardcore?

 

[meleeka]

Did you use any specific hardcore?

I think it’s called MOT type 1. I bought a tonne bag from Wickes. The rubber mats are just heavy stable mats.

 

[Tamsin84]

Thank you. I will go and look into some of that

 

[Tiddlypom]

That's a big fall from front to back . It's always going to cause issues if you leave it where it is.

Honestly, with the field shelter being only a year old I'd get it dismantled and put in a better place. With field shelters, the right positioning is everything.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I think I would have it resited if possible but we have mud control mats over hard-core as the floor in our shelter which had to be where it is as there was already a big shed there. Our floor falls from back to front, by design.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Be aware that if you put down hardcore and make the field shelter a "permanent fixture" you might be running into Planning issues; a field shelter shouldn't need planning permission but they have to be seen as "movable" and planning regs normally are that they have to be moved "every three months". Not that they necessarily are.......... but they are supposed to be. So be aware that decisions you make now might cause you problems in the future; there's always someone somewhere who will go running to the Planners telling tales to make trouble for you, you can depend on that in the countryside. Sadly.

I would be inclined to ask a Contractor to move this shelter for you; back to where it was supposed to be in the first place. Will save you a lot of time & trouble. You could then put down mud-mats underneath it which would mean it would be "movable" (like one of my liveries has with hers - partner is a carpenter and built it for her!).

 

[Tamsin84]

I think I would have it resited if possible but we have mud control mats over hard-core as the floor in our shelter which had to be where it is as there was already a big shed there. Our floor falls from back to front,

 

[Pollybee]

Hi everyone. Hoping someone has some advice for me. My field shelter which was put up last year was infortunatley put in the wrong place and has ended up being on a slight slope. I would say a good 10-15inches drop from the front of the shelter to the back. Over the winter last year into this year, I just had an old 4x4m bit of carpet in there for him to stand on and eat his hay or just chill. He won't lay down in there. It did get boggy and it was a nightmare to lift and straighten out everyday and it did eventually rip with his weight making it slide down. I thought about getting 2 tonne of sub-base hardcore put down to level it out and then I have some rubber chippings and some odds of rubber mats to put down on top. Is it really going to be as simple as that? Do I need a machine or roller to squash it all in? Will I need to dig little trenches for water to run away from the shelter rather than into it? Is there another material i should use. Sorry for the lengthy novel prepping for this coming winter TIA

Hi,
I am new here and !
My mobile stable (I hope I never have to move it though) is on a relatively flat bit of a ridge and furrow field but still pretty wonky and leans back a bit. It‘s also on clay so I laid mud control slabs as a base and pushed them outside the frame on the sides where the skids were a bit off the ground, if that makes sense. Then put normal stable mats over the top. The mats were slightly too long so they were folded up and attached to the wall on the side where there was a big gap Between skids and ground. Although you can feel that the floor is uneven, the horses love it and lie down in it all the time.
You might be able to do something similar?
P

 

[Tamsin84]

Be aware that if you put down hardcore and make the field shelter a "permanent fixture" you might be running into Planning issues; a field shelter shouldn't need planning permission but they have to be seen as "movable" and planning regs normally are that they have to be moved "every three months". Not that they necessarily are.......... but they are supposed to be. So be aware that decisions you make now might cause you problems in the future; there's always someone somewhere who will go running to the Planners telling tales to make trouble for you, you can depend on that in the countryside. Sadly.

I would be inclined to ask a Contractor to move this shelter for you; back to where it was supposed to be in the first place. Will save you a lot of time & trouble. You could then put down mud-mats underneath it which would mean it would be "movable" (like one of my liveries has with hers - partner is a carpenter and built it for her!).

Hi, unfortunately it can't be moved. It was made from an old shelter that I got for nothing so the back, sides and box profile have been reused on this one. 5 main huge posts have been postcreted in so short of chopping off the bottoms its stuck where it is

 

[Tamsin84]

Hi,
I am new here and !
My mobile stable (I hope I never have to move it though) is on a relatively flat bit of a ridge and furrow field but still pretty wonky and leans back a bit. It‘s also on clay so I laid mud control slabs as a base and pushed them outside the frame on the sides where the skids were a bit off the ground, if that makes sense. Then put normal stable mats over the top. The mats were slightly too long so they were folded up and attached to the wall on the side where there was a big gap Between skids and ground. Although you can feel that the floor is uneven, the horses love it and lie down in it all the time.
You might be able to do something similar?
P

Gosh, that looks so lovely. I'm super jealous

 

[Pollybee]

Hi everyone. Hoping someone has some advice for me. My field shelter which was put up last year was infortunatley put in the wrong place and has ended up being on a slight slope. I would say a good 10-15inches drop from the front of the shelter to the back. Over the winter last year into this year, I just had an old 4x4m bit of carpet in there for him to stand on and eat his hay or just chill. He won't lay down in there. It did get boggy and it was a nightmare to lift and straighten out everyday and it did eventually rip with his weight making it slide down. I thought about getting 2 tonne of sub-base hardcore put down to level it out and then I have some rubber chippings and some odds of rubber mats to put down on top. Is it really going to be as simple as that? Do I need a machine or roller to squash it all in? Will I need to dig little trenches for water to run away from the shelter rather than into it? Is there another material i should use. Sorry for the lengthy novel prepping for this coming winter TIA

Hi,
I am new here!
My mobile stable (I hope I never have to move it though) is on a relatively flat bit of a ridge and furrow field but still pretty wonky and leans back a bit. It‘s also on clay so I laid mud control slabs as a base and pushed them outside the frame on the sides where the skids were a bit off the ground, if that makes sense. Then put normal stable mats over the top. The mats were slightly too long so they were folded up and attached to the wall on the side where there was a big gap Between skids and ground. Although you can feel that the floor is uneven, the horses love it and lie down in it all the
P

Gosh, that looks so lovely. I'm super jealous

Thank you!

 

[Tiddlypom]

If you have no choice but to site a shelter on a slope, then it's better to have the slope from back to front as this is better for drainage.

The ground must be levelled as much as possible beforehand so that the shelter sits evenly on the ground, even if it slopes. If it is sitting on lumpy ground, the shelter will settle unevenly and the frame will warp and distort over time. It will have a much shorter life span than if it was correctly placed.

 

[Pollybee]

If you have no choice but to site a shelter on a slope, then it's better to have the slope from back to front as this is better for drainage.

The ground must be levelled as much as possible beforehand so that the shelter sits evenly on the ground, even if it slopes. If it is sitting on lumpy ground, the shelter will settle unevenly and the frame will warp and distort over time. It will have a much shorter life span than if it was correctly placed.

That’s very good advice-I really wish I’d been able to do this first and it’s a big concern.