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Discussion: Pea Gravel

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tangledmanes	40. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 22 2009, 12:01 AM EDT And (ran out of room in the last reply), I think the packed driveway gravel is better than loose driveway gravel for hooves in good trim. The loose driveway gravel does seem to encourage long untrimmed hooves to chip off where they would have normally been trimmed, and so may be a good tool for rescues, or unhandled horses, especially when combined with opportunity for ample hoof soaking. But I think you'd lose less gravel of the packed solid variety on your track. By the way, Rose66, do you have any photos of your pea gravel that you could share? JoAnn JoAnn Post reply Do you find this valuable?
GreatGotlands	41. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 22 2009, 12:38 AM EDT Well JoAnn, that was good news! I am needing to get a few loads of the 3/4" down for my drive anyway! I can just sneak a few bucket loads - like 10! Municipality was cleaning out a ditch down the road and we got 30 truck loads. He really loaded up that truck so we estimate we got 450-600 yards of clay fill. It is not TOO clayey, but it is heavy and will pack well with a heavy dozer. We are using it to build up the old paddock (used by previous owner) to one side of our driveway. It is very low and floods for all of spring and beginning of summer. I cannot believe he had an animal in there! We will build up some of it, and I am going to get them to make a wider spot which will eventually be a simple riding ring. But with all those big trucks on our drive and this rain, our driveway is a mess! So we will need a few loads of limestone to redo before winter. I can easily get an extra load or two for the horses. Maybe hubby won't notice... Really, it's a natural limestone ridge! Jen Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Rose66	42. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 23 2009, 7:03 PM EDT "By the way, Rose66, do you have any photos of your pea gravel that you could share? JoAnn " Yes, I have pictures on my camera but I just need to get time to download them. <g> I've been outside working all day today and am just planning on watching a movie tonight. I'll try to download the pictures in the next day or too. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
luvmytwh	43. RE: Pea Gravel Sep 17 2009, 3:06 PM EDT "Well my tender foot mare I had posted about is worse than ever with wet season on us. She can hardly walk. So I'll probably break down and put front shoes on her at least. I feel horrible for her she looks like and old crippled thing. On grass she's pretty good, but every other surface it's one step at a time. My pea gravel has thinned out considerably, even with the cement wash out beneath it. It is more the texture of regular gravel where the horses are. In the barn yard it is still loose pea gravel, but it's only been what? 3 months and I feel I've "lost" a good portion of it. I like it for the drainage qualities, as there is never any mud in the pea gravel area. " I'm so sorry about your mare! I can definitely relate, one of my boys has also had tender feet ever since we got him five years ago. I did quite a bit of research on boots, which he needed for riding, and bought Cavallo Simple Boots. He and I both love them! They're super easy to put on and take off, and easy to clean. I sprinkled some Gold Bond Medicated Powder in them when I put them on him. Now the good news: recentlyI found out that the Simple Boots are the ONLY boots recommended for 24-hour turnout!! Cavallo recommends they be removed and rinsed out daily, and I do that while the horses are eating, being groomed, tacked, etc. After I rinse them out, I spray them with Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner (not the old-fashioned concentrate, but the big plastic bottle). That cleaner was also recommended for hoof soaking (as opposed to Epsom Salts- too drying) for abcesses. I found that idea on a natural hoof website, but Lord knows which one! So, now my boy wears his Simple Boots all the time. We're in pasture-only board, so his feet were just getting worse by the day because of the constant grass, rain, mud, water, dew, etc., and walking over hard surface or gravel obviously hurt him. Now he trots along with the rest of them! Post reply Do you find this valuable?
luvmytwh	44. RE: Pea Gravel Sep 17 2009, 3:18 PM EDT "What exactly IS the crusher run? It looks like it packs down pretty well, may be something I'd be interested in for other parts of the track. I had the dirt guy leave me a pile of pea gravel to use in my 2 pens by the barn. I've put about 6 wheel barrels full just inside the gate of my broodmare's pen. My colt thinks it's the neatest stuff! He paws in it and likes to run and stop hard in it. He's a goof ball. " From what I've been told from the barn manager and several farriers, crush n' run is crushed bluestone. While it is very useful in many applications, it's not highly recommended for use under horses' feet for lengthy periods of time, especially horses that are pasture-kept (pre-paddock paradise, maybe, like me). Their hooves are softer and more vulnerable to everything, and when bluestone is crushed it tends to "flake" rather than crumble. Those tiny flakes are hard and sharp, and they work their way up into the white line of soft hooves. I've packed many a case of hoof-wall separation with shredded cotton and iodine caused by crusher run. The farriers hate it, because it really does a number on the horses' feet. Pea gravel, on the other hand, is round, and it rolls slightly under their feet, causing an exfoliating effect and a gentle massage. It must be fairly thick to accomplish the benefits, though, because if it's too thin it can actually be quite painful, sort of like us stepping on one marble on a bare floor. Just my humble opinion, but I personally might use it to fill big holes in a dirt lane for trucks or tractors, because it is so hard, but I don't think I'd ever use it again for the horses. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
dkgoodman	45. Pea Gravel Dec 20 2009, 12:21 PM EST Hello All! I have newly found this forum and I am enjoying it immensely. I have moved from Iowa, where I put in a lovely footing in for my roundpen which worked well for me year round. This consisted of: 2" rock, 2" in depth, covered by Geotextile, covered by 4" of Crush 'n Run, covered 5" of sand. I also put as much Crush 'n Run as I could afford, each year around the perimeter of my barn and along the pathway running from my house, inside the barnyard and up to the barn entrance. The horses LOVED the ability to get out of the mud and I LOVED the ability to work around the outside of the barn during all sorts of weather. My dilemma now, is that we have moved to South Carolina and I can not find information on how to properly put in the footing for my stalls, here in SC. Time is running out, my barn is to begin this Monday and is to be finished by Christmas....YIKES!! The base is clay which I am told will dry very hard and does not allow much drainage. My horses will have free access to their stalls 24/7 and I know that they all enjoy coming in to urinate in their stalls, so I want/need to have drainage. My original thought was to use Stallskins over pea gravel or Crush 'n Run, but my barn guy thinks that this would simply trap the urine between the rock and clay. Then I started thinking that maybe I should just use stall mats over the packed clay and clean the urine out each day. Now, I am wondering if I should put down gravel (Crush 'n Run would pack hard....or pea gravel which might pack down) with stall mats over the top. Maybe just pea gravel with bedding over the top and no stall mats at all until there is a porous enough base which I would eventually put stall mats over??? There need to be BOOKS on this topic. Thank you all for any enlightenment you can give me on preparing clay-based stalls for proper drainage. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Wildridge	46. RE: Pea Gravel Dec 20 2009, 9:00 PM EST Hello dkgoodman, When I read your comment on the pea gravel thread, I thought ... oh my. I have lived in SC & know about that red clay. Unfortunately, I did not have horses at that time. The only comment I can tell you about is I had a friend who watched where her horses urinated in their stalls. She ended up digging a rather large hole (50 gal drum size) and filled it with gravel. She said this acted like a french drain for her urine/drainage problem. It should be interesting to see what other feedback you receive from this site. It's a great one. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
dkgoodman	47. RE: Pea Gravel Dec 21 2009, 4:14 AM EST Hi Wildrige, Yes, I had thought about that. My only problem is that my guys are free to go in any stall they wish. My 2 and 3 yr olds are brother and sister. They tend to go in to the same stall. So...between the 3 horses, urination could be anywhere. (-: This gets to how deep should the gravel be? Should I use Crush 'n Run which will pack hard or pea gravel? Post reply Do you find this valuable?
ErikaMørup	48. RE: Pea Gravel Mar 7 2010, 5:34 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 7 2010, 5:34 PM EST If pea gravel is expensive in your area then use small amounts where your horses spend a lot of time...like around the feeders.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc9se4cC8NU Post reply Do you find this valuable?
ErikaMørup	49. RE: Pea Gravel Mar 8 2010, 7:16 AM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2010, 7:16 AM EST If you slope the clay floor towards a "french drain" as Wildridge suggests. If you're going to have a layer of some sort of gravel over top of that then you could make the slope quite steep. You cold have the floor angled down towards one side and then have a long 'trough' french drain dug down or you could angle the slope so that it channels liquids towards one or more corners or towards the center of the stall. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
missyclare	50. RE: Pea Gravel Jul 11 2010, 2:40 PM EDT Oh dear, I hope I'm not butting in on someone else's conversation here! This site confuses me...still exploring. Please forgive me if I have... I have crushed limestone in my round pen and it works beautifully. Excellent conditioning, holds beautifully, excellent traction and my 3 transitioned horses have a heel first landing on it without any negative effect. Doesn't drain well, but still holds its shape and manure picks up off of it better when its dry. The question is about the barn. I'm removing 8" of clay floor...one man band, best I can do. I wish to replace it with something. I've learned that pea gravel and hay don't get along too well (clogs up) + expense, so thinking about smaller batches placed elsewhere and putting the crushed limestone over gravel in the barn. (4" gravel/4"limestone) Pros: Surface will hold solid, drainage better than round pen + no rain + horses won't pee on it (have the option to go outside and probably will for the most part.) Cons: Hard...not hard on feets, but just hard in general....have a 24 year old that has no trouble working in round pen, but barn is a place of rest. I can designate an open stall in the barn with shavings for bathroom/lying down relief. (wishing I could find something that didn't clog up, yet still comfortable.) I just don't know! I need to explore my options! Once its in the barn, I'm stuck with it! Please help! The witching hour for what I order is fast approaching! Thanks so much! Missyclare Post reply Do you find this valuable?
missyclare	51. RE: Pea Gravel Jul 11 2010, 2:49 PM EDT If this info helps at all.....I found this last night and thought I'd post it here....it does touch on gravel sizes/types to use. http://www.healthyhoof.com/articles/passive_hoof_conditioning.htm Post reply Do you find this valuable?
HappyHorseOwner	52. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 8 2010, 6:21 PM EDT \| Post edited: Aug 8 2010, 6:21 PM EDT I just wanted to add that this website has been so helpful. I just had our landscaper put in two areas of pea gravel on our track and thanks to being able to send him links to this site, he did a wonderful job. He did a fantastic job and I'm looking forward to seeing better hooves on my horses. We've had a very wet summer and and a lot of problems with hooves that are chipping and cracking. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
HappyHorseOwner	53. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 8 2010, 6:32 PM EDT \| Post edited: Aug 8 2010, 6:34 PM EDT In response to missyclare, we put crushed limestone in our stalls and then rented a compactor to make sure it was solid and level. Then we put rubber mats over that and it works great. It's easier on the horses than concrete and very easy to keep clean. We happen to use wood pellets for bedding that absorb the urine (kind of like a litter box). The first time it goes in, you need to dampen it some to break it down and after that we just add more as needed. But, you could use shavings or straw if you prefer. You will also need to measure and cut some of the mats to make sure they are in there tight against each other and the edges of your stalls. We used a rubber hammer to pound down edges. We didn't always get the floor perfectly level or the mats perfectly cut, but they've been through two full winters and summers and have stayed in place. We purchased the stall hardware and mats from Woodstar and they were very helpful. They have a website and a phone number. Good luck! Post reply Do you find this valuable?
tangledmanes	54. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 10 2010, 10:53 PM EDT "I just wanted to add that this website has been so helpful. I just had our landscaper put in two areas of pea gravel on our track and thanks to being able to send him links to this site, he did a wonderful job. He did a fantastic job and I'm looking forward to seeing better hooves on my horses. We've had a very wet summer and and a lot of problems with hooves that are chipping and cracking." I'm so thrilled to hear that the wiki was so useful for you! Nothing makes me happier, and news like that makes it all worthwhile. :-) Sounds like you were fortunate in finding a good landscaper who was willing to do the work to make it work for the horses. I hope you'll get a chance to post some pictures! ~JoAnn~ Post reply Do you find this valuable?
TheNaturalFeeder	55. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 28 2010, 12:38 PM EDT "What is the best type of pea gravel to use? Does it matter if it is not exactly round and smooth? That seems to be quite expensive here . Thanks, Lindsay" We have round river rock that is a little bigger than pea gravel, but it works great. Be sure to put landscape fabric under the area first so that it does not seep down into the ground. - then layer with lime to forma barrier. We have alos used free mulch from the city as a base to help form a barrier - not as nice as lime. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
missyclare	56. RE: Pea Gravel Aug 30 2010, 5:48 PM EDT Thank you for your reply Happy Horse Owner. I'm afraid its not for me. I'm opening my whole barn up and getting rid of the stalls, so the mats wouldn't work on a large scale...nor can I afford it,.but maybe one stall... The crushed limestone is sharp/irregular rock and packs down hard like cement. My round pen needs to be done again and its like concrete as well. I like the idea of solid/even floors in the barn. Hard working easy to clean....but hard. As I have read through this pea gravel thread, I see that you have to go with whats available in the area and so must I. It seems, the horses are helping me to understand what needs to be done. I've discovered the place that the old girl likes to stand when she's in the barn. That I'm having to shift the design around as I remove dirt by hand, and have been for awhile. (sometimes eldest son drops by to put a dent in it for me) Once the gravel goes in, I'll probably rent a skidster and speed things up....winter is coming! I tell yuh! It seems like I'm always flying by the seat of my pants. I've got 8" of space to replace with gravel to have it even with the door sills. I've got the 3/4" drainage stone nailed down and this will be the first 4". The top 4", I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking crushed limestone like the riding ring. No shavings and leaving the bottom board of one stall intact to hold the pea gravel in that area, hopefully an area where they like to cross or the old girl likes to stand. There will be no hay in the barn after all. The large feeder is a very stationery thing, creating slovenly ways. The poo population in the barn was terrible and defeated my fly-free zone. So, no hay in barn = yes to pea gravel. This is the horses helping me to decide things, lol! Post reply Do you find this valuable?
snow-patch	57. RE: Pea Gravel Dec 1 2010, 12:10 PM EST \| Post edited: Dec 1 2010, 1:29 PM EST I put down pea gravel (or "course aggregate" as the quarry called it) into our barn/shed. It has really helped exfoliate soles (which makes it so I only have to worry about trimming walls and not sole and bar) and picks out like horse "kitty litter." The horses spend the day with acces to the pasture and barn. At night they are confined to the barn and the short gravel trail leading to the stream. I alternate between spreading hay piles in the pasture, tossing out a few SMHNs, and leaving some SMHN in the barn. I like having the nets in the barn because the hay stays dry and the horses are on the gravel. My dilemma now is that although feeding on the gravel will get the horses more time on the gravel, the hay debris is diluting the abrading effects of the gravel. Does anyone have this problem or any solutions to it? What is the success of hay nets in tubs or on mats? Some of the gravel was put onto a layer of dust. This dust and dust from hooves grinding gravel is now also mixing into the pea gravel. Will those kinds of road or geotextile fabrics hold up if I lay them over the current gravel and dust mix and then add fresh gravel on top of the fabric? Is there any way to rinse dust out of the gravel before laying it down? Post reply Do you find this valuable?
tangledmanes	58. RE: Pea Gravel Dec 2 2010, 10:39 AM EST "My dilemma now is that although feeding on the gravel will get the horses more time on the gravel, the hay debris is diluting the abrading effects of the gravel. Does anyone have this problem or any solutions to it? What is the success of hay nets in tubs or on mats?" I recommend using tubs or boxes to attach your smhn inside over the gravel. It really keeps the hay scraps confined and has the added benefit of feeding at ground level, making it the closest we can get to replicating grazing! I have also tried placing a rubber stall mat below a hanging smhn, and it doesn't work long for me. The mat shifts away from where it needs to be; the horses are not actually standing on the gravel while eating; and hay scraps still migrate into the footing. ~JoAnn~ Post reply Do you find this valuable?
snow-patch	59. RE: Pea Gravel Dec 2 2010, 3:28 PM EST \| Post edited: Dec 2 2010, 3:28 PM EST Thanks, Tangledmanes. I'll have to see what I can work out with a tub or box. Do you find you have to anchor the net in the box so it doesn't get tossed out? Post reply Do you find this valuable?

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