Wood chip turnout

[SFoers]

I’m thinking of making a small turnout pen with a wood chip surface for my laminitic - the idea being he won’t have access to grass and it should top the deep mud we currently have.
I have access to as much free wood chip as I want so can regularly top up.
Can anyone advise which is the best wood to use please and which to avoid due to toxicity.
Thank you

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’m thinking of making a small turnout pen with a wood chip surface for my laminitic - the idea being he won’t have access to grass and it should top the deep mud we currently have.
I have access to as much free wood chip as I want so can regularly top up.
Can anyone advise which is the best wood to use please and which to avoid due to toxicity.
Thank you

Sorry, not what you want to hear but don’t do it!
It’s great at first. But then it rots and turns to deep black mulch which is a real nightmare to dig out, even with machinery.
The best thing I ever did was get rid of it and use someone’s old arena surface instead.
Now it’s amazing. Definitely recommend that.

 

[dorsetladette]

Sorry, not what you want to hear but don’t do it!
It’s great at first. But then it rots and turns to deep black mulch which is a real nightmare to dig out, even with machinery.
The best thing I ever did was get rid of it and use someone’s old arena surface instead.
Now it’s amazing. Definitely recommend that.

Agree with this /\

It's good short term in summer, but quickly goes horrible in wet weather and will just make your mud deeper.

A friend also had an issue with a woodchip going up the side of the frog and causing a very nasty abscess in a wet soggy foot. Took ages to find and pony was lame a very long time.

 

[Marigold4]

I have a wood fibre turn out. It has hard core and compacted chalk underneath. I have to dig it up and replace it every 5 years, but it works well otherwise. My horses aren't shod though. Don't buy wood chip with large chips or with bark as this can get very slippery if it is frosty or wet. I can't have an arena surface like carpet or rubber as this would need planning permission.

 

[cauda equina]

I have a woodchip turnout area and it's been great but it was built with drains, stone and a membrane
I thought all that was overkill but the company who did it assured be it would soon become a bog (see above!) without

 

[Marigold4]

I have a woodchip turnout area and it's been great but it was built with drains, stone and a membrane
I thought all that was overkill but the company who did it assured be it would soon become a bog (see above!) without

Which type of membrane did you put down please?

 

[cauda equina]

Which type of membrane did you put down please?

It's white and permeable; sorry I can't be more specific but assume it's the stuff used in arenas

 

[poiuytrewq]

Mine had membrane and drainage and we are on top of a hill!

 

[LEC]

We use small stone (stone dust?) and it works well. They can roll in it but it’s hard wearing

 

[SEL]

If you do decide woodchip then make sure you know it's from safe trees. I saw someone saying leylandii would be ok the other day but my friend's horse died after eating that and her other one was very sick.

 

[paddi22]

I'd be wary of getting wood chip if you horse tends to get cracked skin on lower legs or mud fever at all. wood chip seems to be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould. it gets unhygienic very quickly

 

[meesha]

I had a woodfibre arena with amazing drainage, stone, membrane. First lot was great, got boggy after 5 years and when I topped up the top went boggy in 6 months. As someone else said u need to remove the old stuff each time u top up. It will stick to the membrane so you will have to replace that too!!

 

[Surbie]

If you do decide woodchip then make sure you know it's from safe trees. I saw someone saying leylandii would be ok the other day but my friend's horse died after eating that and her other one was very sick.

I was going to say the same thing. Be careful what the woodchip is from. And why the tree was chipped - a friend has imported honey fungus to his trees by not being careful about the source of his freebies.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I had a woodfibre arena with amazing drainage, stone, membrane. First lot was great, got boggy after 5 years and when I topped up the top went boggy in 6 months. As someone else said u need to remove the old stuff each time u top up. It will stick to the membrane so you will have to replace that too!!

We made that mistake first time. Mr P in his wisdom said "ah we can just put a really thick new layer on top"
We really regretted that one!