Muddy gates and rubber mats

[swaartpaard]

The entrance to my field by the gate is like a sinking pit of mud. It literally comes up to my claves and even my horse has to do a trot through to pull me out, as I always get stuck.

I was thinking of putting down one of those grass rubber mats

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GATEWAY-GRASS...oods_StableAccessories_SM?hash=item5637fe1280

Has anyone tried or use's this by thier gates or any other ideas to help. I was thinking of laying some bark on the ground as the mud is thick I would imagine otherwise the mat would just sink into the ground?

 

[lynnemh]

i have tried wood bark, and it was useless-just sank and dissapeared into the mud. i have not tried mats, as i worry they might slip and result in an injury, but this is what i do; might help, not sure you will like it tho' ---i have a good thick straw path from stables to field. i top up with about a bale a week, it's only about 15-20 inches wide, but about 30 foot long. as they walk on it it moves out to side and creates banks to keep it all in place, and it takes a couple of weeks to properly establish. easily leveled off and rots away when the weather improves, but it doesnt look very posh. ( though it does look better than muddy flop!) i have also used straw for a gateway, but it does take a long time to establish, and as it is a bigger area, it could be a bit messier and harder to move later, but it might work for short term. ( i used it as a dry feeding area one year, and it did work)

 

[Midnight_Ashes]

In the summer, hire a digger and dig out your gateways, then fill them with hardcore/rubble/stones and steamroller it

 

[Stormin]

Those grass rubber mats aren't too bad but you must prepare the ground you're intending to lay them on. Unfortunately you can't just stick them on mud.
As for the bark, I would avoid as bark rots and decomposes so will add to the soft ground problem.

The rubber mats are best put onto a firm level ground (ie, scrape away mud, put rubble/hardcore/equivalent until lever and lay rubber mats on top). I know that you can put a sheet of geotextile under mats (and on top of hardcore) and then put a layer of sand on mats to fill the gaps and have softer going for hroses' feet.

Unfortunately this is all going to be a bit difficult to get done during the winter and not a very economical option either

 

[Daisy_Roots]

I was interested in getting some of those mats , so I shopped around and spoke to the sales people. I couldn't find any that would takme the weight of a tractor and as this is a working farm tractors are used.

 

[Stormin]

I was interested in getting some of those mats , so I shopped around and spoke to the sales people. I couldn't find any that would takme the weight of a tractor and as this is a working farm tractors are used.

They do exist though not sure if/where you could get hold of them in the UK
Piccie below - they have alternated with either small paving stones or grass in the holes. Car park is fully drained.

ETA link (though it's in french)
http://www.sol-aire.fr/images_produit/upload_fichier/13_fiche-information-parking.pdf

 

[shockblue]

I was interested in getting some of those mats , so I shopped around and spoke to the sales people. I couldn't find any that would takme the weight of a tractor and as this is a working farm tractors are used.

I have designed this stuff (geotextiles) at work. You can get stuff that takes the weight of lorries etc

The ones below do things for farming and large developments. They may do quotes for small stuff though?

http://www.terram.com/content.php?nID=155;langID=1

http://www.tensarinternational.co.uk/contents.asp?cont_id=38&cont_type=1&page_type=CT#1

http://www.tensarinternational.co.uk/contents.asp?cont_id=122&cont_type=2&page_type=CT

 

[Daisy_Roots]

I stand corrected.

Thanks shockblue and Stormin I'll look into those options.

 

[Niv2]

In the summer, hire a digger and dig out your gateways, then fill them with hardcore/rubble/stones and steamroller it

This must be the best way of dealing with the problem of muddy gates?

 

[Stormin]

Daisy_Roots - I was thinking about your problem with the weight of a tractor.
I believe that the deciding factor will be the ground that you have underneath the grass mats. If you have a correct and flat hardcore surface underneath, I think that most of the grass/gateway mats would stand to the weight of a tractor (check with product specifications first though).
Obviously, the biggest trouble you would have with this type of product is it flexing in the soft ground underneath and then breaking under the weight.

 

[diplomaticandtactful]

they are no good once the ground is muddy, they just sink. they helped a bit, as we were going in over our knees, but they didn't solve the problem.

we have done a lot of work this year on tracks and gateways and essentially all the mud was removed to make a flat surface, membrane put down and then hardcore on top. tonnes and tonnes of it. We also had to put in lots of drains around it, to take the water away, but we are on a wet site. When we were down south, we just put lots of hardcore down and it was ok. but you are best to scrape all the bad stuff off and get down to where it is not muddy and start from there.

Solway Recycling do some mats which are designed to help walkways for cows getting in and out of fields, they are heavier duty then these ones.

I have used the mats you have looked at for the step over from the hardcore into the field, so protect the edges a bit, so that you hopefully don't trash just a bit further on.

You can get scalpings from the local council - I was quoted £6.00 a tonne but only if you go and get them yourself. If you want them delivered, they charged £75.00 an hour labour which made them not such a bargain, but if you have the means of collecting them it might be more economical.

We have put in a lot of connecting tracks so each field shelter is on an island of hardcore, and the tracks link from field to field, so that you are on hardcore all the way around - the first winter we were here it was horrendous, you just lost your wellies in it all the time and the donkeys almost disappeared.

 

[Stormin]

You can get scalpings from the local council - I was quoted £6.00 a tonne but only if you go and get them yourself. If you want them delivered, they charged £75.00 an hour labour which made them not such a bargain, but if you have the means of collecting them it might be more economical.

Are scalpings the used layer of tarmac roads that they scrape away ?
If so, I always thought that these shouldn't be used in areas of grazing due to potential contamination of the surrounding ground with chemicals in the tar and stuff ?

 

[diplomaticandtactful]

probably so, but a lot of folks use them for roadways and gateways.

 

[artemis]

I use hogging & it works well, but has to be topped up every few years.

 

[lynnemh]

please- what is hogging?

 

[artemis]

I think it must be a local word. It contains small stones which set into the mud & packs down as the ground gets drier. The grass will then grow over the top.

 

[diplomaticandtactful]

our tracks have terram as the base then granite hardcore on top, it is very rough stuff but it does trim their feet very well!

 

[Trewsers]

I used the field mats when we had the temporary field shelters - to be honest, after a while they disappeared under the mud! I never thought to try putting straw down until recently - sounds like quite a good idea? Hardcore is best - I have some at one of our field entrances - but of course its getting somebody to do it for you and paying out for it etc. (Plus technically you are changing the landscape permanently so do be careful of planning issues!). I tried bark once on our terrible track - during the summer it was dreadful but come winter it was inpassable. The bark just sank in!!!

 

[swaartpaard]

We're not allowed to put hard core down as the land is rented from the owner and some of it is rented from a company. And it's changingt the landscape...so need to find something else!