Grass mats for paths?

[ElleSkywalker]

Afternoon

Have had a quick search and not found any threads on using grass mats purely for paths.

I know unless put down early enough they aren't great for putting in fields with horses, but wondered if they work well for paths across fields to get to paddocks? They would have 5 ponies led over then twice a day each, only 1 has shoes on and a wheel barrow or 2 of muck per day.

Anyone got any thoughts? Or suggestions of good companies who make grass mats?

The other option is road plannings or hardcore by due to approaching winter they are probably out for this year

Cuddles from my cat Squeaky for all

Elle

 

[Foxy O]

Not sure on grass mats but we use gateway mats for paths and it makes a massive difference, you have to put hem down when the ground is soft. We have had ours down for coming up two years now and I bought a load from Wynnstay stores at around £20 each. The grass grows through them so in the end you can't tell they are there.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Are they the ones with little holes in for grass to come up through? If so that's the type I mean, might have got the wrong name

 

[Foxy O]

Yes that's right

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Cool, so they haven't sunk off into the mud never to be seen again then :biggrin3:

 

[Tiddlypom]

Cool, so they haven't sunk off into the mud never to be seen again then :biggrin3:

Erm, mine did. They were fine during the first dryish winter, but sank during the next one, which was wet.

It's ok, though. I heaved them up in spring, put some hardcore down with a thin layer of soil on top, put the mats back, and they stayed in place after that. IMHO they are better than stones or hardcore alone, as they are much kinder to horse's feet.

 

[Honey08]

We have some around gateways. There are some normal stable mats there too. The regular stable mats do a much better job and sink less than the grass mats (although both have been there six years). They are in our summer field. They would have been lost without trace years ago if we'd used them in our winter fields. Our land gets very wet with deep mud. Road planings in gateways would be a million times better.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Eep! Where your mats in the field with the horses or just as pathways Tiddlypom? Ps Love that poem :biggrin3: The more it snows.........:biggrin3:

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Are normal mats not slippy in frosty weather Honey08?

 

[Honey08]

They're in my summer fields,so I don't know. We do have a few strips as a human walkway on the path across grass to the yard, and they seem fine if you're just walking. They probably could be.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Eep! Where your mats in the field with the horses or just as pathways Tiddlypom? Ps Love that poem :biggrin3: The more it snows.........:biggrin3:

Haha, glad you love it too!

My grass mats were in and around my gateways, so in a fairly heavily trafficked area. They sank even more into ruts when I pushed the wheelbarrow over them. It would depend on your soil, I suppose. Mine is medium loam.

 

[Tronk]

Don't bother with grass mats- complete waste of money imo. I had them for 2 years on pathway to stable and outside. Like the poster above, the were ok for the first dryish winter then sunk without trace into the mud in the second winter. It took me a while to admit defeat but finally I did and we decided to replace them with Tarmac plainings. The very worst bit was that as the grass has firmly rooted the mats to the mud, lifting them out was quite the heaviest, dirtiest job I've ever done!!! It took 3 people to lift some of them! Then I had them hung over a fence for weeks hoping that the frost would magically remove the mud ... needless to say it didn't and each one had to be cleaned by hand

I have a pile of them in my barn if you are still considering trying!!!

Tarmac plainings are infinitely superior, although hard work to lay initially.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Thanks Tronk, am planning on plannings next year I think when we know a bit better where we want paths putting but due to that fact we will be moving in Oct (hopefully) it's too late this year to get some delivered and bedded.

Also with any luck will be getting stable yard extended in the summer so if the mats work for one winter that would do!

Might you sell the ones you have left? I could probably pick them up in my lorry if they aren't too big

 

[Jnhuk]

I have done this quite successfully and they have now been in place five years. However, the grass mats have been laid over two other runs of grass reinforcement mesh (comes on a 2m wide by 30m long roll which which was staked down first in the spring and the grass allowed to grow through

http://www.horsematshop.co.uk/12-grass-reinforcement-mesh-and-anti-poaching-.html

then the mats that I think you lot are talking about were laid down over the top later on in the year

http://www.horsematshop.co.uk/18-grasssupport-rubber-hollow-mats-1m-x-15m-x-22mm.html

However, if you don't do this, I can well believe that your mats will sink!

If you look at the video below (ignore the rolling horse and look to the left of him, you will see my path running from my gate across to the stable block and last winter the field got trashed where the path wasn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALFp9dTTeuQ&list=UUPUjxCkCUF6pIVQdEnLhC4A