What to add to help hardstanding drain

[Nasicus]

Just wondering what aggregate people would add on top of an existing hardstanding base that doesn't drain well. It's about 8" of compacted rubble-y type stuff that's had grasses and weeds grow up through it (although they've been thoroughly trounced by hooves and hungry ponies) and a light buildup of mud and mulch from over the years, it's formed a nice, solid, relatively flat, unmoving base, but I'm finding it's getting a bit muddy/swampy on top in this rain, as it's not draining down through the base.

I want to add a layer of something to help elevate the girls off of it, something that rain can drain down through to the base and then run off from there, so they're not slopping around in the puddles and making a mess by dragging mud onto it and then churning it up into soup.

I can't go digging around in it to put drains in, as it's rented land, and the hardstanding was put in long before I came along, but LO is fine with me adding something on top.

I am having a landscaping chap come along start of Feb to scrape all the mud and slop buildup off of it, so whatever used will be going down on the base as opposed to the mud they've dragged over on their feet. He's said he can supply MOT Type 1, would this be suitable?

Whatever used needs to be suitable for barefoot hooves, and poopick-able. Trying not to go absolutely mental cost wise, but even just having some form of hardstanding this winter has been a real boon, so I would quite like to get it full prepped and ready for next winter

 

[tristar]

i always construct things om a slight slope

 

[Landcruiser]

I inherited something exactly like that when we moved here. I have gradually scraped/dug off the mud layer, you'd be amazed how much there was. I did much of it with a hired minidigger. It still doesn't drain as such (although it does run down a slight slope, more or less). But without the mud layer it's easy to poo pick and keep relatively clean. I would beware of adding anything to an existing soggy layer.

 

[Esmae]

I would clean off the build up and then lay ground stabilising mats on top I think. We did something similar on our main gate and it has worked really well. The mats aren't cheap but you could at least take them with you if you ever move on. This wet winter is sorting a lot of people out. We don't get mud here and I am fed up to the teeth with it, so what others must be finding I can't even think about.

 

[Nasicus]

I am having a landscaping chap come along start of Feb to scrape all the mud and slop buildup off of it, so whatever used will be going down on the base as opposed to the mud

Just pointing out as I said that the soggyness/mud is being scraped off. It wasn't muddy until this winter hit and they started using it, so I know what the base looks like. It's by no means deep, just a bit waterlogged and sloppy on top, but this will be gone before I add anything.

Mats are an interesting idea, (although I won't be doing mud control mats, I'd need a lottery win first!). Grassmats/x-grids or the like with fine gravel or sand swept into them could be an option perhaps? Would allow water to drain through, easy to poo pick and sweep off hmmmm...

 

[Nasicus]

Eh, maybe not, that looks like it's going to cost at least £1k to do...

 

[teresagarsden]

Hi there, we have completed something similar late 2019.
Scraped off the top layer then a layer of course larger hardcore, then a layer of road plantings on top.
We now have a well drained winter turnout area where we previously had clay soil.
Road plannings are approx £10 per tonne.
Hope this helps.

 

[teresagarsden]

Hi there, we have completed something similar late 2019.
Scraped off the top layer then a layer of course larger hardcore, then a layer of road plannings on top.
We now have a well drained winter turnout area where we previously had clay soil.
Road plannings are approx £10 per tonne.
Hope this helps.

 

[Nasicus]

Hi there, we have completed something similar late 2019.
Scraped off the top layer then a layer of course larger hardcore, then a layer of road plantings on top.
We now have a well drained winter turnout area where we previously had clay soil.
Road plannings are approx £10 per tonne.
Hope this helps.

That's what I'm thinking now to be honest, it's going to be a lot cheaper than grids and sand/gravel. Cheapest I could find 100m sq of grids just just under £700 buying in bulk (set of 400) plus add in the cost of aggregate to fill it and I'm looking at easily a grand, more if I include the cost of scraping the muck off the existing hardcore.

It'll be around £250 to get in 20t of planings, but I'll try get in 10t to start, once the ground firms up in the summer. Front entrance is planings/gravel, but it's a damn steep slope, so whoever delivers will need to come in though the back and across the flat fields.

 

[Red-1]

Our yard is hardstanding with round pebbles on top. If you get the ones that are still a bit sandy, they are about £30 for a 1 tonne sack. It took around 6 tonnes for a fair sized yard. The surface is brill for drainage, plus it was a boon for barefoot transition (we have the smaller stones).

We pick it clean every day, then once in a while use the harrow to comb it through, and it looks brand new every time. With a good, hard base it has never dug up or mixed.

Any surface would need separating from the mud source though, so maybe pick and brush hooves when bringing in so the new surface does not also become sloppy?

If they need free range from mud to hardstanding, I think I would just resign myself to plain hardstanding and an annual mud scrape by a farmer.

 

[Darbs]

As a point of note, the mud on top may be coming up though the existing stone if there was no separation membrane put down when it was done orignially (putting geotextile membrane was not common before about 15 years ago). Clearly there is not a lot you can do about that now. My choice would be to go for road planings on top, as thick a layer as you can, then roll it with the heaviest roller you can get (If you have no other choice, even a garden roller over it with lots of passes will make a huge difference).

In our field the previous occupiers dropped road planings (with no membrane) in a wet gateway about 15 years ago, and they have now competely disappeared, there is no evidence that they were ever there!!

 

[BBP]

Just beware with the use of road planings if they fall under hazardous waste, as coal tar bound planings certainly do. Definitely not something you want on your land, and even more definitely something you don’t want to have to pay to dispose of. If you are offered planings for free by anyone I would be very suspicious. Best to ask for any testing records to prove it is non-hazardous.

We went for limestone over a membrane for our hard standing, to avoid any waste regulation issues. It’s built on a slope which helps. I try to sweep over it when wet to reduce any hay build up that would create a sludge over time.

 

[PurBee]

I had a similar thing. Hard-standing with sludge build up. Got in pea gravel for a large area, for 6 months it was okay...drained well, with daily raking! The horses compacted it down to another hardcore layer in no time. It was a pain to keep it ‘pebbly’ adding an hour raking daily to poop cleanup.
In the end i gave up....its another compacted layer which doesnt drain through, but as its a slope, water runs off.
Mud/hay/gunge collects on top after 12 months but as its so hard i sweep it as if its concrete.