Temporary path ideas please!

[Scot123]

Wondering if anybody has any good ideas for this...

Over winter the two ponies will spend a month or so in a field where they have to cross a 'good' section of lawned grass (about 15 metres) to reach the hardstanding - so will be crossing it a couple of times a day.

I need to find a temporary path to stop the good grass becoming rutted. Something that's also not too heavy so I can easily move it. Wondering if grass mats are a good option (thinking I could cut each one in half so they are 75cm wide by 100cm long to get the best use of space from them)?

Or would an old carpet do the job (though don't want a strip of grass to die off)?

Or any other ideas!

It's not about stopping mud, just about stopping hoof imprints and divots in the lawn. Thanks!

 

[CPayne]

I would suggest Mudcontrol mats. If you don’t need them again you can sell them for nearly what you will pay for them. The company will even help you to sell them on their Facebook page if you ask them.

 

[quizzie]

I don’t know if your user name is indicative of where you live, but look on eBay 1000 rubber mats free (Jedburgh)…any good??,!!

 

[honetpot]

If its only temporary and not already muddy,
https://www.sure-green.com/gr11-gra...kA85vcb_fPtnXVwOexG8WC_L33eqEGeoaAo4GEALw_wcB
I have some which has been down five years but it is eventually damaged by the sun, but the grass can grow through it.
If you can share a pallet of Mudcontrol Mats, they are more flexible in how you can lay them, and as each only weighs 7.5kg, a lot easier to move,

 

[Merry neddy man]

Old carpet 1•5 metres wide in 3 x 5 metres strips roll them out then re roll them up and pop them by the fence/wall, not heavy quick and easy to do can be left down a few days at a time

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

Mudcontrol is great for this. The only issue you might have is whether they will lay nicely on your grass- mine are on my track, and I had to wait for the ponies to trash it a bit so the slabs would squish in and not rock about. My grass was quite uneven though, a lovely flat lawn might be better.

 

[BBP]

My horse slips like crazy on mud control mats, I think it’s the way he moves but he has gone down twice on them, I can’t even use them now.

 

[NLPM]

I would suggest Mud Control mats, or the Jelka ones as an alternative? They're wider, so a single run would make leading easier than a single run of MC mats. I think price-wise they're pretty similar, but MC delivery is incredibly expensive (think Jelka's was free last time I looked). If you wanted MC mats over Jelka then getting a shared pallet would help (there's a FB group for finding people local to you to split delivery costs).

PS: I'm always happy to buy either Mud Control or Jelka mats from anyone down south who didn't get on with them!

 

[Scot123]

Hi - thank you all!
Sadly not near Jedburgh, that would have been great!
I did wonder about Mudcontrol mats as I only ever hear good things about them, but I wasn't sure if they would just skite about on the grass as it's not at all muddy and is a very flat surface? The delivery price has always put me off as I've never seen anybody wanting to share a pallet anywhere remotely close to me! Maybe a look at the Jelka ones might be good.
Honetpot - I was looking at that sort of mesh as well. Where do you use it? I didn't know if their hooves would still be able to dig into it and cause imprints?
Neddy man - have you actually tried with a carpet? Again, I'd like that as obviously it's the cheapest option! But again I was worried that the hooves would simply push it into the grass leaving imprints...

 

[ester]

We have a single run of MC mats as a path and haven't had any issues albeit they are mostly for humans not horses no issues with them slipping on the grass.

 

[Keith_Beef]

https://www.corelp.co.uk/core-grass-reinforcement/

If it's only temporary, you might even be able to hire something similar. I imagine that organisers of events like open air concerts might use this kind of thing.

 

[PurBee]

The MC mats always look very rigid brittle plastic to me, so unless theyre buried into the sod, surely theres risk of heavier horses breaking them /slippy steps if laid ontop of lawn? Arent they meant to be submerged into the sod or filled with gravel?

Ive used thick 1” 1x1m heavy rubber crumb mats as a crossing path. It works on solid ground, but once the mats bed in abit, and it rains, the ground gets softer, the mats push in deeper with every horse passing. They even punched through 1 inch rubber with their hooves running on them! So i doubled up the mats to 2 inches. Same happened. It was a mess. I laid hardcore in the end.

Carpet could be lethal and easily buckle under them if ground softish. it really does depend on how firm you lawn sod is during winter.

If its just for a month, and the ground is firm, i’d just lead them across by hand, not bother with any matting, due to cost and hassles. When at walk depending on size of horse/climate the ground will be less disturbed. The winter rain will fill in any holes with silt, the grass will quickly recover next spring.
If you want to use it as a path more regularly than a month consider submerging MC mats into the lawn.

 

[flying_high]

I think a line of grass mats cut in half and tent pegged down would work fine for your very specific purposes. Carpet if you moved it every 5 days might also work.

 

[ester]

yes MC mats are hard rigid plastic. Hence the topping advised. I'm not sure a horse would manage to break one though.

 

[PurBee]

yes MC mats are hard rigid plastic. Hence the topping advised. I'm not sure a horse would manage to break one though.

Perhaps at a canter on softish ground it might be possible?! I couldnt believe how easily my 450kg horses punched through 2 inches thick of rubber crumb matting at a canter.
There’s some rubbery MC mats too which look like they can be laid direct ontop of grass. Theyd be more grippy and flexible. You’d want an even surface to start with to ensure no edges stick up.

 

[SEL]

Mud control mats are expensive but totally worth it. I can park on mine and the horses clatter over them without problem, although I've laid sand for extra grip.

Both gateways coming off my yard get muddy so I have a big car sized square just inside 1 gate (I need to park out of the way for hay deliveries) & then a wheelbarrow track of a single slab going from that up the field. Horses don't use the single track, but the yard cat does ?

 

[tda]

I have mud control mats too, they are 3 years old now and have had plenty of ponies clattering over them daily, tractors, quad and trailer with round bale and not one has broken.
Have just taken a pic of a short path but file is too large ?

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Mud control mats would make a good path but I suspect the horses would rather walk on the grass. Horses will use them in preference to mud but I doubt they would choose them over grass.

 

[BBP]

Mud control mats are expensive but totally worth it. I can park on mine and the horses clatter over them without problem, although I've laid sand for extra grip.

Both gateways coming off my yard get muddy so I have a big car sized square just inside 1 gate (I need to park out of the way for hay deliveries) & then a wheelbarrow track of a single slab going from that up the field. Horses don't use the single track, but the yard cat does ?

I think BBP would slip on just about anything, it’s the way he places and slides his feet, everyone comments that he walks drunk. He slides on standard rubber stable mats. But our sensible Connie decided not to be sensible and also fell trying to kick start a zoom on the mud control mats.

 

[EventingMum]

Mud Control advise laying sand on top of their mats so horses don't slip. I laid them on grass to form a turnout pen and they've been great.

 

[Scot123]

Oh help, I don't know what to do! It's a pretty specific situation I know... I can't do nothing as I tried that last year and spent ages after having to roll/manicure etc! That's with carefull leading them at walk.

I think mudmats will be out of my budget due to delivery charges.

Hiring isn't an option due to where I am.

The suregreen mesh looks hopeful, though they are recommending the GR14 (which is obviously the most expensive!)

And not sure I'd get round to lifting carpets every few days, so might just end up with a strip of dead grass

Maybe grass mats then, could be the best bet...

Hmmm, not sure but thank you for all the help and opinions x

 

[Poingsettia]

What about something like this? Meant for wheelchairs but might work. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garden-P...kPRYj0HLoIEh_hIyvm5gBTwjG0Ce4FbsaAjJ-EALw_wcB

 

[windand rain]

We have marquee flooring a good 100 yards cost just under £100 + delivery they are ridged so not too slippery but might not be up to big shod horses they are easy to lay and haven't sunk into the muddy bit been a godsend. the unshod ponies graze the walkway without damaging them they do occassionally gallop on them

 

[Peglo]

We used cow mats with the holes in them for our gate. Not as strong as mud mats for stopping mud but they did the job. Think people use them on the floor of boats as well.

like this. Might get them from a farm shop or even a boat equipment shop. (I actually put mine the other way up)

 

[twiggy2]

It might be easier to just repair the damage after the event, I think anything you put down will damage the ground to some extent

 

[Hallo2012]

We have marquee flooring a good 100 yards cost just under £100 + delivery they are ridged so not too slippery but might not be up to big shod horses they are easy to lay and haven't sunk into the muddy bit been a godsend. the unshod ponies graze the walkway without damaging them they do occassionally gallop on them

have you got a link/pictures of similar please

 

[I'm Dun]

Perhaps at a canter on softish ground it might be possible?! I couldnt believe how easily my 450kg horses punched through 2 inches thick of rubber crumb matting at a canter.
There’s some rubbery MC mats too which look like they can be laid direct ontop of grass. Theyd be more grippy and flexible. You’d want an even surface to start with to ensure no edges stick up.

Theres a video of them driving an enormous lorry over the mud control mats. No horse is going to fracture them. They are insanely tough!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

No horse is going to fracture them. They are insanely tough!

I 100% agree with this having bought some this year. Way tougher than I anticipated. Very pleased with them.

 

[PurBee]

Ive never seen the mud control mats in person, just pics online - they sound like theyre worth the cost then if theyre super tough as described above.

OP - the GR14 grass protection mesh stuff is the heaviest grade - it’s something like a few tonnes per square metre strength - i researched it a while back as i needed to make a 100m+ long path and wanted a quicker solution than hardcore. A poster on here in a thread ages ago said that mesh was laid in the carpark at an event and their horse really didnt like the footing, found it slippery. I cant remember if their horse was shod or unshod.
Another said it lifts up/buckles easily. (Its recommended to mow lawn short, lay and pin mesh, allow grass to grow around and through it to knit it flat before using - not ideal as a quick-lay solution or to lay in winter) A horse website selling it recommended only the heavier grade for horses. For the cost of it and knowing this was going to be a canter path, i didnt go ahead getting it. But it may be ideal for a temporary walkway with you leading them, if you pin it down with plastic horse-safe pins absolutely everywhere. (Its standard to use metal pins with it for car parks)

 

[ester]

It might be easier to just repair the damage after the event, I think anything you put down will damage the ground to some extent

I'm thinking that too, that it's likely to need work to get it back to manicured regardless of what goes on top of it.