Wood chips work great. They will eventually
break down but what you scrape off over the years makes fine
compost. Just be sure there is no black walnut. Very very bad
stuff.
For those that don't have their own trees to chip,
try contaacting tree trimmers in the area. They often have more chips than
they can dispose of easily you can get for a good price. Again, be sure no
black walnut.
How about wood chips?? We have a few dozen very
large cedar & douglas on our property and need to be trimmed ALOT. If we
put them in a wood chipper and put them around gates and near feeding
areas--does that help mud?? We need to trim anyway so the cost would be
minimal. Any body else use wood chips??
You are exactly in the same boat (pardon the pun) as the rest
of us in rainy country. I, too, will not allow the horses out to
pasture. Their favorite trick is to hike up to the top of the hill
for water, then gallop full bore downhill until near the bottom, then
slam on the brakes and shred 12-foot long slices out of the turf. I
know it's miserable standing in mud, but I cannot allow horses to destroy
the land, and they will do that. We've never attempted to control
the mud by any other means than lots of shavings, which we produce.
Shavings don't do the job, either, unless in a shed, where they build up
such a hard-packed layer that it cannot be broken down. In one
place, in front of a feed bin (homemade, the size of an orchard apple
bin), my husband placed some half-round logs together for the horse to
stand on. They're a little unsteady, but perhaps a bit
of rearranging will help. Also, I've seen people use old belting
from factories, as much as 4 feet wide. I have some and plan to try
nailing it on the logs to help keep them from spreading apart and to
create better footing. I think mud is a fact of
life.
> > > > > Rain and more
rain. I started building an Ark but stopped because I would >
only be able to take two horses. I won't let my horses out on
pasture when > the ground is soggy because they would ruin what
grass is available. I > keep them in corals and everything works
out well except the more it rains > the deeper the mud gets. It
looks like they are all standing in about a > foot of muck and water
and it will seemingly take forever to dry out even > if the rain
stops. I'll probably be doctoring for Thrush before it is all >
over. I'd be interested in learning how others deal with muddy
corals. > Logically, I would think mixing truck loads of gravel in
with the soil > might help but I have no idea if the gravel would do
more harm then good. > If you have had a similar problem and were able
to fix it, I would > appreciate the benefit of your experience.
Thanks, Bob > > >
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