Mary Allen
In the cold, wet months, paddocks often turn into mud fields that can become dangerous in frost. Consequences include lost horseshoes and tendon problems. That’s why the morass should be drained.
Muddy exercise areas are one of the most common problems in horse husbandry. Especially when it rains, many paddock floors and unpaved paths quickly turn into deep mud under the pressure of the hooves, which regularly pulls the shoes off the horses’ hooves and entails health risks such as mallenders and tendon problems. In addition, the horses do not like to move on such surfaces and are therefore less balanced. Even two-legged friends lose time and nerves in the mud, for example, if they get stuck in the mud when bringing the horse in with their rubber boots.
So there are enough reasons to tackle the renovation of the paddock. At first glance, the simplest and cheapest solution is to bury the mud under a thick layer of wood chips. However, wood chips quickly decompose into dense humus, on which water and urine puddles seep even worse than before. After just a few years, the top layer has to be removed and replaced.
“Mud Problem” Can Be Solved in Different Ways
Complete renovation, in which the natural soil is first removed over a large area, usually makes more sense in the long term. A professionally laid drainage system ensures that surface water is drained away. On top of that comes the base layer, made of coarse-grained sand, for example, and then the separating layer made of fleece. The floor grid panels are then laid with the open side up and filled with the material of the base layer. “The panels serve as permeable load-bearing elements and prevent water from accumulating and destroying the footing. This is applied at the end and can consist of fine quartz sand or fine gravel.
Theoretically, some floor panels can also be placed directly on the paddock. Then the closed side comes up. This is less expensive, but not without disadvantages. The slabs can become very slippery, especially on inclines and when the temperature is below zero. In heavily frequented areas, for example in front of the open stable or on the grooming area, it is often advisable to pave the floor with coarse, easy-to-clean concrete blocks, for example.
The best way to secure the paddock ultimately depends on your wallet, local conditions, and personal requirements. Before you rent an excavator or order sand, you should therefore seek advice from experts and compare offers. Depending on the method, the work has to wait until the ground has thawed and is reasonably dry. Anyone who has to come to terms with the mud fields by next spring should carefully monitor the weather conditions and strip the paddock before the temperatures drop below zero. Otherwise, when there is frost, a mud paddock turns into a dangerous mogul slope, which means an unnecessary risk of tripping for the horses and can cause tendon, ligament, and hoof damage.