muddy walkway-grass mats? or astroturf?

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Hallo2012

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i know this has been done to death but before i start researching the wrong thing:

* we are on vile heavy slick clay and path is at the bottom of a slope(cannot move path due to arena and field layout) so it DOES get standing water on it during a downpour but this drains away quickly.

* only used by 1 small un-shod pony to get to and from field once a day for 6 months of the year so does get a rest over summer.

* has held up REALLY well until the last 3 weeks of relentless rain as had a good thick grass covering. is now slop :(

* is approx 30m long by 1 ponies width ie a long narrow track.

once they move to summer field the track will be rolled, re seeded and fertilzed to try and get a good growth and root bed going over summer.

if i put grass mats or astroturf down over summer ie when its level, got a good grass base and DRY will this hold up to use over winter? its a fenced track IE not in the field so he can only walk on it en route to field, at a slow walk, twice a day. the actual track is level too.

or do i just need to scrape it and put down road planings? access is not easy to do this, but isnt totally impossible and will probably be cheaper than the mats tbh!
 
Chatter/base layer/planings anything aggregate and cheap. Put loads down, keep some spare, fill in every footprint with more. Eventually you'll have a well draining solid path.

I've done a complete hard standing and gateway with grit washed down off the road, a bit at a time. And a very wet path with base layer.

You'll never win with grass paths on Cheshire clay.
 
ycbm said:
Chatter/base layer/planings anything aggregate and cheap. Put loads down, keep some spare, fill in every footprint with more. Eventually you'll have a well draining solid path.

I've done a complete hard standing and gateway with grit washed down off the road, a bit at a time. And a very wet path with base layer.

You'll never win with grass paths on Cheshire clay.
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thanks, its soul destroyingly horrible.

theres a massive pile of grit at one end of my road which i keep looking longingly at, does anyone know how you find out who owns it?!
 
I’d imagine AstroTurf will kill the grass off underneath and turn into a squishy mess come next winter.
So if those are the 2 options I’d go for the grass mats.

Obviously hard core /scalpings would be ideal but for access for one pony I’d wonder if grass mats will do a sufficient job
 
ihatework said:
I’d imagine AstroTurf will kill the grass off underneath and turn into a squishy mess come next winter.
So if those are the 2 options I’d go for the grass mats.

Obviously hard core /scalpings would be ideal but for access for one pony I’d wonder if grass mats will do a sufficient job
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thanks. he is very light footed and doesnt gate hang or fence walk so he wont be making a mushy mess on the field end of it either.
 
i have mudcontrol slabs, after years of trying mats or hardcore or bark...everything
Mudcontrol are the first things I can lift solo, don't sink and don't move. I want more of them!
 
We got some builders rubble very cheaply for a similar project, it is working well. We had a choice off big (ish) pieces or small, we went for the small option, the horses find it very easy to walk over and we can drive on it too.
 
Mucontrol slabs are far superior to any other grass mats or even hardcore paths. In summer they have be taken up completely of you want but it you leave them down grass will grow through them.

I am on very heavy gloopy clay and have Mudcontrol slabs in field gateway and a hardcore and limestone path to stables. The slabs are far better than the hardcore path!
 
We also have very heavy clay soil which turns into a quagmire in winter and bakes rock hard in summer. We put astro turf (given to us by a friend) down between the yard and the external gate so when going out or loading, the horses werent trashing the route orstomping through the mud in travel/exercise boots. 6 years down the line its still works and has grass growing through it. Not sure whether it would work for a large area or heavy use, but it does for us. It has taken a long time for the grass to grow through and is still abit sparse in places but then again we very rarely graze it.
 
HollyChops said:
We also have very heavy clay soil which turns into a quagmire in winter and bakes rock hard in summer. We put astro turf (given to us by a friend) down between the yard and the external gate so when going out or loading, the horses werent trashing the route orstomping through the mud in travel/exercise boots. 6 years down the line its still works and has grass growing through it. Not sure whether it would work for a large area or heavy use, but it does for us. It has taken a long time for the grass to grow through and is still abit sparse in places but then again we very rarely graze it.
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no heavy use, literally 1 x 13hh light weight pony a day going to and from field. would never be loose on it so no charging up and down on it.

dont suppose you have a pic?
 
ihatework said:
I’d imagine AstroTurf will kill the grass off underneath and turn into a squishy mess come next winter.
So if those are the 2 options I’d go for the grass mats.

Obviously hard core /scalpings would be ideal but for access for one pony I’d wonder if grass mats will do a sufficient job
Click to expand...
I’d worry about it rotting or breaking up and a hoof going through?
Defo grass mats. I know someone who, admittedly spent a fortune but grass marred all the muddy areas on her land. It’s amazing!
 
poiuytrewq said:
I’d worry about it rotting or breaking up and a hoof going through?
Defo grass mats. I know someone who, admittedly spent a fortune but grass marred all the muddy areas on her land. It’s amazing!
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thanks!
did she put anything under or over them to fill the holes or just let grass grow through?
 
Hallo2012 said:
thanks!
did she put anything under or over them to fill the holes or just let grass grow through?
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They were laid when the ground was dry, for sure. I * think they just let the grass grow through.
Made such a difference. I think it’s also important to make the area of mats bigger than the area of mud!
 
I used grass mats for outside our field shelter/stables. They were fine for a few years than sank, they did get quite a bit of use though and it was when the grass wore away the mud came through. We laid them in dry weather with a good grass cover which I think is the best time to lay them. I'm looking for something to put down on 30m of track and although the mud control mats seem good they are nearly 3x the cost I can get some hardcore put down so I'm going for that option. This track will get more use than yours though.
 
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