The Medway Handyman wrote:

If all else fails Wickes sell it for £42 a tonne
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Granular-Sub...T1/invt/224665

£49.40/tonne, considering that's an 850Kg bag.

Andy Burns wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

If all else fails Wickes sell it for £42 a tonne
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Granular-Sub...T1/invt/224665

£49.40/tonne, considering that's an 850Kg bag.

True. Still wouldn't want to lift one up though :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
u...
"Muddy Horse" wrote in message
...
Hello -

I've got a problem with the soil outside a stable getting eroded by the
horses.
Originally the concrete ramp in the pictures below was level with the
field,
but 15 years of horses walking through mud has create a large muddy hole
(about 3 metres square). It's difficult for the horses to get in and out
of
the stable. So far, we have the following ideas:

1) Fill the hole in with compacted soil. Presumably this would have to be
repeated every few years.
2) Extend the concrete ramp with more concrete. This might be hard work
if
DIYed, and expensive if done professionally. Any ideas on how the ramp
should be constructed?
3) Filling the hole with gravel or similar is not acceptable, because it
would injure the horses' feet.
4) Constructing a ramp from wooden sleepers might work, but slipperiness
would be a problem.

Any comments on these ideas, or better ones?

That ramp looks slippery and steeper than I'd like to have round horses
anyway. However without doing anything about the current ramp, I'd
consider making wide shallow steps using 6-8 inch treated pin logs and
back filing behind them on the ramp side and gradually stepping down till
it reaches the level of the field. The steps should act to slow the soil
being eroded although they will take some soil away with each step if the
muddy conditions continue so ag pipe drains in the steps might also help
to remove some water. The logs would have to be long enough so that you
could put stakes to hold them in place well outside anywhere the horses
are likely to tread (but you'd already figured that out). I'd also be
trying to find some sort of mulching material that could be spread cheaply
and readily that won't stick in their hooves - straw comes to mind but
that could get expensive.

Catch the local tree surgeon for wood chip from their chipper.
I have successfully "dried" areas larger than that with the stuff. It's bio
degradable, they don't eat it, it's usually very cheap or free and very easy
to spread.
Have done an area of 200m x 5m that was extremely slippery and rutted, gave
a lovely soft underfoot feel, and a soft landing for anyone that fell or
tripped.
Horses seemed to feel more solid footed rather than slipping around on mud
and into holes full of water too.

On 2 May, 09:32, "Muddy Horse" wrote:

I've got a problem with the soil outside a stable getting eroded by the
horses.

Plastic grid tiles, which you infill with soil, gravel or grow turf
through. They're mostly sold for car hardstanding, to look better than
bare gravel, carry weight better than grass and drain through better
than tarmac. £20 /m^2 or so, Screwfix have them, or you can shop
around at real merchants for tougher ones.

I've got a problem with the soil outside a stable getting eroded by the
horses.

Plastic grid tiles, which you infill with soil, gravel or grow turf
through. They're mostly sold for car hardstanding, to look better than
bare gravel, carry weight better than grass and drain through better
than tarmac. £20 /m^2 or so, Screwfix have them, or you can shop
around at real merchants for tougher ones.

I had this problem once, I had no money to spend on anything to help, so
when I mucked out I spread the dirty and wet straw on the muddy areas and
eventually it dried and made a good surface.

kate

I have read most of the message replies but not all of them and this is my first ever post on this forum so be kind to me please!!

I have 6 rescued horses over here on my land in France and the land does get very boggy at times.

All of my horses are kept naturally and none of them are shod, so they benefit from far harder and more resiliant hooves.

As for the post and as for so many of the replies MOT is brilliant and if you contact one of your larger trade builders merchants or even a quarry, you should be able to buyt it in 1 tonne bags and get it delivered to you on a truck with a HIAB jib mechanism.

By looking at the pictures, you might just be able to position the delivering truck close enough to your stable for it to lift the bag over the top of it, directly where the hole in the ground is............. If you can, great, then take out a big sharp knife and slash the bottom of the bag open and empty the contents immediately where you want it.

Over the course of the last year I have had almost 50 tonnes of the stuff delivered to my house/stable area and the horses don't bother about walking over it at all.

good luck