Woodchip gateway spinoff/ turnout pens

[poiuytrewq]

Just reading the woodchip gateway question and figured I’d throw this one into the mix.
My woodchip turnout last year turned to a deep swamp, over summer it dried to a dark dusty compost like surface, after a few days of rain its squelchy already and obviously has to go.
I’m pretty sure originally there’s a membrane layer underneath but that’s likely damaged as it had to be dug up a few years ago to access a burst pipe.
Then packed down hardcore and scalpings followed by the chip.
What surface do people have on all weather turnouts?
I can get a sand/fibre mix that was originally on a gallop or a carpet type topping.
It’s got to be poo picked though and I feed hay out there.
I’d quite like sand, there’s a sand turnout just down the rd from me and it stays a solid flat base, water sits on top before draining through which I like, I worry about them eating hay off it though. I could hang nets on the fence above a rubber mat maybe ?‍
What have other people done and how has it fared?

 

[TPO]

I've just started laying mudslabs.

They are expensive but I am so impressed by them already.

I've just laid my initial 26 into the gateway swamp of doom that sucks in everything that goes near it. SuperDad refused to have any involvement because no way would they work and how can the tractor drive over them etc etc. By slap 10 he had mosied over and by slap 15 he was running the job ? theyve been down just over a week and havent budged an inch.

I've just ordered a full pallet due on thursday to do another gateway and walkway between them, a trough and hopefully a few left for "dry standing" area somehow.

They are expensive and theres probably better things that lockdown savings should be spent on but so far they are more than worth it.

I need to read the small print but lifetime guarantee I think and they are moveable. Another bonus as fields being reconfigured next year after drainage is finally fixed/laid.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

My gateway is about 5-10 inches of hardcore with limestone on top. The limestone is almost all gone and I have just spent a cheery hour or two scraping mud off it in order to add more limestone (MOT type 1 limestone 60mm to dust) on top. I have mudcontrol slabs around these which are fantastic, however my gate is hung too low to put slabs under it and I move the slabs about too so the hardcore/limestone works very well

 

[poiuytrewq]

I had looked at mud slabs type things and pondered stone, I use it in place of the field though in extreme weather for the horses and a lot for the fatty ponies so they do like to roll and lie to sleep out there.
Mud mats really I think would be wasted out there as it doesn’t get muddy as such, it’s simply the bark has rotted.
Where did you get the mats TPO? I am thinking of some for the actual field gateway

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We, too, have just put down 2 pallets of mud control mats, they are fabulous and the plan is to order some more to extend the hard standing area and also make a gateway more usable in winter.

 

[TPO]

I had looked at mud slabs type things and pondered stone, I use it in place of the field though in extreme weather for the horses and a lot for the fatty ponies so they do like to roll and lie to sleep out there.
Mud mats really I think would be wasted out there as it doesn’t get muddy as such, it’s simply the bark has rotted.
Where did you get the mats TPO? I am thinking of some for the actual field gateway

These mudslabs are different from grass mats. You can only buy them from Mudcontrol Ltd (@Kerrilli on here)

https://www.mudcontrol.co.uk

 

[poiuytrewq]

These mudslabs are different from grass mats. You can only buy them from Mudcontrol Ltd (@Kerrilli on here)

https://www.mudcontrol.co.uk

Oh ok, I thought it just a brand or figure of speech!
I’ll go look

 

[Helly101]

Just reading the woodchip gateway question and figured I’d throw this one into the mix.
My woodchip turnout last year turned to a deep swamp, over summer it dried to a dark dusty compost like surface, after a few days of rain its squelchy already and obviously has to go.
I’m pretty sure originally there’s a membrane layer underneath but that’s likely damaged as it had to be dug up a few years ago to access a burst pipe.
Then packed down hardcore and scalpings followed by the chip.
What surface do people have on all weather turnouts?
I can get a sand/fibre mix that was originally on a gallop or a carpet type topping.
It’s got to be poo picked though and I feed hay out there.
I’d quite like sand, there’s a sand turnout just down the rd from me and it stays a solid flat base, water sits on top before draining through which I like, I worry about them eating hay off it though. I could hang nets on the fence above a rubber mat maybe ?‍
What have other people done and how has it fared?

 

[ihatework]

You wouldn’t want mud slabs if it’s a substitute for a paddock, I’d want somewhere they could have a buck and a roll. I’d look around for a second hand school surface someone is getting rid of.

 

[Helly101]

I did an all weather turnout/ lunge area in July.Removed topsoil/ ground membrane laid /lots of drainage trenches, filled with pipes and pea gravel then wrapped in membrane/ Drainage stone layer/ Covered in fluffy membrane, wood chip from Charles Ransfords and Son. They are very helpful and gave lots of guidance re construction. The area is brilliant. No mud or wet bits. Life changing to have an area where I can turnout in the winter. Our small fields are a squelchy mess.

 

[poiuytrewq]

You wouldn’t want mud slabs if it’s a substitute for a paddock, I’d want somewhere they could have a buck and a roll. I’d look around for a second hand school surface someone is getting rid of.

This is what I’ve done! It’s not been swapped yet so still a woodchip swamp but soon to be dug out and restarted!

 

[EventingMum]

Mudcontrol slabs, you top-dress them with sand. I've just made a turnout pen and so far I'm very impressed although it was ££s. My original turnout pen is an old school surface over a base of type 1 but it still gets a bit wet.

 

[cauda equina]

I did an all weather turnout/ lunge area in July.Removed topsoil/ ground membrane laid /lots of drainage trenches, filled with pipes and pea gravel then wrapped in membrane/ Drainage stone layer/ Covered in fluffy membrane, wood chip from Charles Ransfords and Son. They are very helpful and gave lots of guidance re construction. The area is brilliant. No mud or wet bits. Life changing to have an area where I can turnout in the winter. Our small fields are a squelchy mess.

I've got similar, but for laminitics rather than boggy fields.
We had it done by a drainage company who said we needed drains, limestone, membrane then woodchip when I'd thought we could get away with just scraping off the topsoil and putting down the woodchip.
It's working very well and I'm so pleased now that we had it done properly

 

[BBP]

Ours have 24/7 access to the arena with flexiride (I think) surface which they use for snoozing and playing (lots of playing!), that then links to an area of packed limestone over membrane. This has a field shelter on it, and hay stations around it, some with soft rubber mays under them, so all hay goes out there. Works brilliantly. Very happy relaxed horses last winter when fields were saturated for months and great all year round for the EMS one.

 

[Caol Ila]

My ex-yard owner woud throw down woodchips in gateways without any membrane underneath. As you can guess, he made an increasingly deeper bog. According to my friend who's still there, he's still doing this.

My friend has bought mats similar to the Mudcontrol ones, but made by different company. She talked YO into letting her put them around the ring feeder so the horses would have a dry place to stand and eat. She put a membrane underneath, but she's had some issues with the mats crumbling and having to pile more sand on top.

 

[TGM]

Could you have sand/arena surface over most of it, but then have stone or mud control slabs in the area they eat their hay in, so you have a soft area for rolling in, but no danger of the horses ingesting sand whilst eating their hay?