My Road planings/scalpings yard has turned into a mud pit

[poiuytrewq]

Any pointers on how to fix this please?!

Originally the area was hardish as in somesort of base had been there in the past (the rest of the field gets very wet as its in a marshy area and on heavy clay soil)
We scraped off as much of the loose dirt as possible with a digger then added a thick layer of scalpings.
For 2 or 3 winters this has done an amazing job. We are a bit careful and try not to hose wet legs or do any un-necessary wet jobs on it in winter, its raked over and in the summer becomes hard enough to sweep.
This winter however its flooded and become very muddy. Im not sure if the mud has come up through the base or if its washed down off the fields.
Will I need to get a digger to remove all this and start again or whats my best and cheapest option here?
Its depressing having a muddy yard as well as muddy fields and means my car is also filthy!

 

[JillA]

Mine has suffered somewhat from water getting underneath it, and I have identified a broken drain. TBH if there is no drainage you will get the problem over and over, regardless of how may times you replace it - is there a lower lying area you could drain to? If so, a couple of land drains put under the planings should make a big difference, but give t a year or two - it takes water that long to find its way into drains.

 

[Merlin1979]

I have road planings at my gateway and shelter. It is covered in mud but its only in the top as horses are dragging mud onto it when they come to gateway. I can just scrape it off.
If its not just the mud on top, I would think that mud is coming through from underneath and it's not been dug deep enough initially.

 

[poiuytrewq]

There is a ditch that runs along the bottom perimeter of my field but my stables are already erected along the side of it, facing out across the yard then the field so im not sure we would be able to.

 

[OWLIE185]

If you wish to sort the problem out once and for all then you need to get drainage put in your fields. This is a job that needs to be done in the dry Spring/Summer months by a competent contractor. We had this done in one of our very wet fields and the difference this has made has been incredible.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have road planings at my gateway and shelter. It is covered in mud but its only in the top as horses are dragging mud onto it when they come to gateway. I can just scrape it off.
If its not just the mud on top, I would think that mud is coming through from underneath and it's not been dug deep enough initially.

Im really not too sure where its all come from, Guess I could try and scrape some off with a shovel- I actually did do a patch last week but its all back again.
Like you say though everyday my horses are coming in plastered so hopefully its surface dirt

 

[poiuytrewq]

Owlie Id dearly love to but its rented land and not really worth spending a fortune on it as im hoping not to be there forever.
I imagine proper drainage will be pricey?

 

[WelshD]

I work for an aggregate company and have just asked my colleague about this. He says the mud will be coming up through purely because of the amount of rain we have had. he says it should drain and harden up but the mud will remain even if that happens, He says its best to dig it out and start again if you can

 

[poiuytrewq]

I work for an aggregate company and have just asked my colleague about this. He says the mud will be coming up through purely because of the amount of rain we have had. he says it should drain and harden up but the mud will remain even if that happens, He says its best to dig it out and start again if you can

Ok Thanks WelshD- is there anything I could lay under it to help prevent it happening again? (or at least lessen it!)
Ideally what depth should I be laying it?

 

[Pebble101]

Ok Thanks WelshD- is there anything I could lay under it to help prevent it happening again? (or at least lessen it!)
Ideally what depth should I be laying it?

Our local farmer did ours and I do know he put a membrane underneath. The only mud on it is that which the horses/quad drag onto it. It has been down for 10 years now.

 

[Achinghips]

Scrape it off before new plainings are added, otherwise if you put new plainings on, the mud will seep through again.
I've just scraped my muddy plainings off and had new plainings bashed down.

I then found a use for what I scraped off. I laid hardcore in an unused small post and railed area, and placed the old plainings on top and sloped the ground towards a field. It's now a "turn out and washing area" for when the fields are trashed and I have mud monsters. Now that new area can get filthy without spoiling the rest of the yard which was what was happening before hand. I then expect to scrape the small turnout area every three years or so

 

[poiuytrewq]

Great thanks all. Ohh I'm loving the turnout pen idea. Not sure quite where I'd do it though as the fields are a foot of mud but defo could use in gateways to help the worst areas.
Next question is where do you get planing a from?
The last lot was a pile that the guy my o/h works for had had for ages and didn't want.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

When our yO had road planning delivered she got it via a company who had repaired roads for council after winter, there should be plenty available( call council) and as the contractor has to pay to dump it he should be happy to let you have it. I think my YO paid £50 for a big lorry load, then got her farmer hubby to fetch digger and lay it for her.