The Best Dry Lot Paddock Footing for your Donkeys & Horses - Let's keep those hooves clean & dry
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- Опубліковано 27 гру 2024
- We get a lot of inquiries about the Footing we used in our Donkey's Dry Paddocks here at our little hobby farm. Today we'll share our secret of how to create a "Mud Free Dry Lot Paddock" for your favorite equines, mules, donkeys and minis... Please subscribe and give our videos a thumbs up while visiting us.
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I’m not sure what kind of sand is in our dry lot area, but it’s very dusty. And, unfortunately, part of the dry lot is on an incline. We have a lot of clay, but not the way you do. We have to keep one horse on a dry lot because of laminitis, and because it was so dry this summer, we were constantly dealing with dust, and his hooves ended up chipping and cracking. This is the first year dealing with all of this, and it has not been fun! Love your donkeys, and so glad they’ve found such a wonderful, caring home. Also, we (mostly my husband) clean up twice a day.
I love the covered wooden step that goes into the barn! One thing we have trouble with is how quickly the sand wears down at the doorway where the horses come into the barn to get to their stalls. Our area might be too steep, but I’m sharing this with my husband for all your great ideas!
@@annewatman677 Thank you - We use “manufactured sand” which is man made from crushing granite rocks. It can be very dusty. During really dry times I’ll dump the water buckets under their hangers when refilling, so they stand in wet sand whenever drinking. This puts a little moisture in their hooves. I also wash their hooves with Water & Apple Cider Vinegar when picking them which also helps with the over drying of their feet while killing any Thrush Bacteria 👍
@ Thank you for the quick response! I’ve never heard of using Apple Cider vinegar, but certainly worth a try. And, I’m not at all familiar with Trish bacteria. We’re in southern Wisconsin, so maybe that’s why? We’ve had such a hard time finding someone to help us (we’re older than you!). When we initially built the barn, and put in the “sand,” I’m guessing manufactured was what was used. You’ve definitely given us some good ideas. Thank you.
@@annewatman677 I spelled Thrush Bacteria wrong in my comment 😂 - You are welcome to email us if you’d like - Our email address is in the “About Section” here on our channel in UA-cam 👍
@ Auto correct is always changing words on me! I have dealt with thrush, but it was at a place where I was temporarily boarding my horse. Too many horses, and they would stand in mud all day. It’s still that way for a lot of the horses, and very happy ours live with us. Absolutely love the way you’ve set everything up. Also, thanks for the contact info; you are very thoughtful and generous.
@ reach out any time - we have made close friends all over the country from our YT channel 👍❤️
I have seen this done before for a dry paddock with stone dust but they used layers of the ground fabric under there to prevent the mud under to come up. For really wet muddy paddocks. As well as a kind of wood frame around the outside to help it to stay inside.
We have very hard clay soil underneath. We lost a little to compaction but that has created a very hard base underneath the sand. We also used 4x4’s & 1x6 decking boards to contain any wash out. It’s been 3 years & we’re in the process of top dressing it with MF Sand & fixing issues - stay tuned a new video coming out in a few weeks 👍
This is so helpful.
Thank you. Great video. We put shale down for our donkeys and it works great. Compacts great and the Ferrier sais it’s really good for their hooves. But we may get some of this sand for other parts of our paddock that we didn’t get to cover with shale.
Our Farrier and Vet both approve of the Manufactured Sand footing we are using in our paddocks - You'll love it too...
I love your video and explanation of how you resolved your flooding issue. We are a non-profit donkey rescue, therapy and sanctuary in north Texas that saves donkeys and trains them to be therapy donkeys for use with veterans, first responders, special needs adult and kids. We have been on borrowed property for 5 years as we work to raise the capital necessary to acquire a suitable donkey property of our own. We have an enormous issue with flooded paddock areas and barn stalls every time it rains that floods and we can't seem to find an economical solution to resolve this flooding issue that doesn't involve renting a Bob Cat, grading the paddock areas and investing in sand or construction materials the non-profit simply can't afford. Have you found any other methods to detour water from flooding into barns and paddock areas? We have dug channels and areas so the water can drain but its still a huge problem. Thanks very much for your suggestions.
I am very familiar with your organization - You do wonderful work - I sent you an email so we can get together and discuss your paddock issues - I'll gladly assist in any way I can with your water issues....
You can email us at: clearcreekcabin@mindspring.com
This is helpful because my property is mostly woods that will be forestry mulched soon.
Before you put the sand in, how did you prepare the ground?
Thanks - We raked up any leaves, mulch or organics. We have clay soil so we didn’t put down any other base. Just the Manufactured Sand. We’re gonna add some more on this year to dress it up. It’s been 3 years 👍
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm good to know, thanks! Do you ever have issues with weeds growing through?
@@jaimiehuffling7100 No, the donkeys running around on it keeps the growth down + they’ll eat anything green. But then again we dug up just about all of the small tree roots with the tractor when we cleared the woods. So I don’t know what will happen when you forest mulch? Only concern I would have would be sharp sapling stubs left behind that could protrude through the sand which a donkey/horse might step on - You are welcome to reach out to have in-depth discussions: clearcreekcabin@mindspring.com or connect with us on Facebook: @clearcreekcabinminifarm 👍
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm thank you!!
@@jaimiehuffling7100 You’re more than welcome 👍
My husband put this on our back driveway. We thought it would compact but didn't. It track sand in awful in the garage. But I can see how well it works for donkeys.
We also used it for a base under a brick sidewalk & until it was finished, we tracked the sand into the house - what a mess - my experience though is it compacts well if less than 4” thick - we wet it down & tamped it when used for the sidewalk
Really thankful you shared this information! Couple questions: what's it like in super low humidity conditions and then super windy days? How dusty does it get? Thanks again!
Your welcome - Because it’s a mix of different sized particles it is not dusty - the little grains range from as large as 1/8” to 1/32”- no fine dusty particles
Ok thank you 😊
No problem 😊
I am so thankful I found this. How thick was the manifestation sand? I am no on a budget. I have a muddy mess. How is the cost?
Hi thanks for tuning in - We spread the Manufactured Sand to about 3” thick - It will settle in and compact with the other soils below - We have clay so it bound firmly - I just got some more sand to top dress our paddocks (we are on year # 4) The sand was $40/ton - Our email is in the “about section” here on on our YT channel, if you would like to reach out - You won’t be sorry you created a dry paddock 👍
So maybe then, I should do like a 2% grade down towards the hillside which I have access to because I will have the area excavated and leveled
@@SandieBendz Yes - you don’t want a steep grade because that will create a possibility of the sand washing out 👍
What a great idea. We use sand for our chicken coop. It works so well. How tall is your fence. We are going to do the same fencing for our future donkeys.
The manufactured sand is definitely the way to go for the footing in a paddock - so good for their hooves & easy to maintain. The fence is between 4 to 5 foot tall depending on the slope of the land but it’s at a minimum of 4 foot - We used green coated 2”x4” weave wire w/ pressure treated posts & 1”x6” decking boards 👍
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm Thanks! Have a fun day.
This is what our local company has. Do you think it's the same? Granite Sand (Screenings) Applications include asphalt mix, horse rings, paver base, leveling sand, pipe bedding, landscaping, parks and baseball fields, walking path, agricultural mix
@@DragonflyFarmZebu Yes - it’s called by a lot of different names - the largest particles should be no bigger than 1/4 to 3/8ths of an inch
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm ok great! My husband and I are researching and making sure we get it right. Thanks again.
Hi! Have you had any issues with having this stuff around the base of your trees? My husband thinks that when it gets compacted that the trees won’t get the water they need. Thank you so much!!
Hi - None whatsoever - The rain water absorbs into the sand & permeates through to the soil below - all the trees are healthy & we’re going on our 4th year after building the sand paddocks 👍
Would gypsum work? Or is that a bad thing bc then would actually help the clay soil just to top dress every year you can then use as compost the poop mixture like when scoop it up?
Nvm I know expensive but yes to the "sand" but not sand bc natural sand compacts more just making a pool of water right or idk just trying to learn what to do for 2 horses.
Please see response below...
Hi Amelia, I don't believe that gypsum would work - Natural river sand, also known as contractor's sand or play sand ,wouldn't work well either - Both stay wet and don't dry out quickly. The manufactured sand I recommend is usually made from granite rocks which do not retain water and it compacts very well. Also drainage is an impotant part of your "Paddock Plan" - You don't want water to pond nor cause the sand to erode away. You re welcome to email me if I can help in any way with your planned "Paddock Paradise" - My email is in the "About Section" of this UA-cam channel - Best of luck...
I see that this was posted 3 years ago. Are you still happy with it? We have alpacas that have chosen their small paddock area to be their toilet. We have terrible clay here in Michigan and drainage is horrible. Im using pine pellets to jelp soak up urine. Will this work for such an area?
@@debbiedegayner3312 Hi - We love our dry paddocks - our soil base is red clay also - the 1st couple of inches of manufactured sand will compact into the clay to make a hard base - the 3 or so inches of sand above that will stay relatively loose - drainage is the key so that heavy rains don’t wash away the top layer of sand
@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm so do you have extra drainage? Or is the 2 inch base above the clay where the water drains through. Our main issue is they pee there and the urine just kind of sits on top. With your setup would it then drain down the to 2"base and clay?
@@debbiedegayner3312 Our donkeys do the same - they have a favorite spot they pee in - it drains down into below but we still periodically dig up the spot & refill it with sand & soil to control the smell. As far as drainage - you must insure that surface rain water doesn’t erode the sand if you are on any kind of slope - otherwise the sand will be washed off the surface - we dug drainage ditches above the paddocks to divert surface water away - But then again, we live in the hills of Tennessee 😊
Would this be the same thing as "Decomposed granite" that we have on the west coast at the rock/sand yards?
Hi - I don't believe this is the same as "Decomposed Granite" - The "Manufactured Sand" we used is also called: Granite Fines; Rock Crusher Fines or Stone Dust. I have close ups in the video - You may want to get a small same of Decomposed Granite and compare it to the example I provided - Best of Luck...
So I live in grass Valley, California, and we have what’s called red clay here I’m building a dry paddock for my Arab because they were in the red clay last year which was horrible. I was going to put down the weed black fabric first and then the sand is that a good idea or can I just put it over the red clay? I’m afraid the clay will start coming through.
@@SandieBendz We also have the red clay here in East Tennessee. The key is drainage… As long as there is no ponding issues the manufactured sand will hold up being put directly on the clay. That’s what we did. It will slowly compact down into the clay over time. We’re on year 4 of building the paddock & it could use a light top dressing again at this point 👍
Does it get dusty when it is dry? Do you wet it down at all?
Hi, thanks for tuning in - No, it really doesn’t - We’ve never had to wet it down - It kinda “Self-Levels and Re-Compacts” after a rainstorm - My 2 mini-donks love to roll in it. So, they do kick up a little dust when doing that!
Did you remove any of the top soil or lay a barrier before you placed the sand down? I was not sure if the sand would simply “mix”/“fall” down into or with the dirt. I am in Kansas close to Oklahoma
and we have a very heavy clay like soil. Thanks!
Hey Tiffany - We are in East Tennessee and we too have very heavy clay soil. The area in which we made our paddocks were all woods - We removed trees, stumps and all undergrowth. We then removed all the leaves before putting down the sand. Wherever we put 3-4" of the Manufactured Sand it has held up very well. We had some areas where it was only about 1 inch thick and you can see that it has mixed in with the clay. BUT it's still dry in these areas, just not as pretty. I think it would be best to do something like this when the ground is good and dry - That way you can grade out the area, as we did, and put down the 4" of sand - That way the sand can compact naturally on top of firm earth instead of sinking into soggy clay mud. I'm no expert that's for sure but IMHO that is what we did and it's worked so far.... I've got a follow up video coming out next week. So stay tuned...
This is a very informative video, thank you! 🐴💖 Can you tell me what brand of manufactured sand you purchased? Is manufactured sand available at places like Home Depot? I live in San Diego, CA and would love to add some of this product to my horse’s outdoor 24x24 stall. Half of her stall floor is covered with mats and shavings which is great to keep her hay clean and sand free but the other half currently has a layer of compacted DG mixed with sand. The ground is very hard and uncomfortable for my horse so I believe adding 3-4” of this manufactured sand will soften the ground for her and be much more comfortable. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me!
Thank you - Manufactured Sand is purchased from a sand & gravel company & delivered by dump truck. It is also referred to as Stone Dust, Granite Fines (not decomposed granite) or it’s called Rock Crushings - reach out to my email if you need more info (in the “About” section of this channel)
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm Good to know, big thanks!
hey! Fortunately we have a rock Quarry a mile from our house that sells it $25 a ton. we are bringing our first 2 mini donkeys on April. fencing almost complete as is the barn. so here is my question. our barn is the walk through type. (small barn, 18x24 with one 6x18 stall, a 6x18 walk through and a 12x6 stall then a storage room. can we also use the manufactured sand in the walk through? we live in NC and the red clay can be horrible. also, someone recommended mats for the stalls. I could probably use that under the mats for stability and protection from the bare ground? any advise would be wonderful and thank you in advance.
I think using the manufactured sand under the mats would be just fine - I get “Red Clay” - we lived in NC for 11 years - you are welcome to email me directly with questions clearcreekcabin@mindspring.com
Did this work out for you with the clay underneath? We'll be in NC later in the year
Hey we’re looking to do it for our princess’s what is the name of the material you use please??
It is locally called “Manufactured Sand” here in E Tennessee - But this name varies by region of the country and I provided those aliases in the video… 👍
I wonder how this footing would work with goats. Their poo is hard to rake up since small pellets, but it would be good for their hooves but I would be feeding lots of hay. Nice set up for your donkeys.
Thanks for tuning in - I don't know anything about goats but I think it would be okay - Our donkeys do the Macarena Dance on their poops breaking them into tiny pieces. We can easily pick up the pieces off of the manufactured sand using the small "Little-Giant Pet Poop Scooper" manure fork/rake. You can also lightly rake the sand using a metal leaf rake to create piles prior to picking it up. We even sweep up some of the smallest pieces using an upright dustpan and small broom combo. I don't know if eating sand affects goats but I wouldn't feed them on the ground. You may want to consider a feeding station of some type similar to what we did when creating our Donkey Dugout - Below is the link to that video - Good luck.
"Building a Donkey Dugout" ua-cam.com/video/i_Ws_INN4Jw/v-deo.html
@@ClearCreekCabinMiniFarm Thanks for replying with some more ideas.
@@ceepark114 Best of Luck with your Dry Paddock Project...
How much did you pay for the 3 to 4 inches of manufactured sand?
@@SandieBendz At the time it was $40 per ton - there is about .75 cubic yards per ton which roughly equates to 81 square feet of coverage @ 3” thick or about 50 cents per square foot at 3” thick (if my math is correct)
How does it handle manure removal ?
Hey Sharon - It great for "Doing Daily Donkey Doo Duties" - As you saw at minute 7:31 in the video, it scoops easily with a manure fork. We only have 2 donkeys and we pick up poo several times a day. So we have never had a problem getting it off the sand even after a heavy rain. The little pieces left over from when they do "The Macarena" on a Doo can be easily raked up into a pile with a metal rake and picked up with a manure fork. This footing option is very easy to maintain... Thanks for tuning in to our channel.
Who did you purchase this product from?
We bought it from a local supplier here in East Tennessee. In your area you need to look for a sand & gravel supplier (also known as an aggregate supplier) This material is known by many names: Manufactured Sand; M10 Sand; Stone or Granite Fines; Rock Crusher Fines; Stone Dust, etc.) Whatever you get - I suggest you go get a 5-gallon bucket full as a sample before ordering it - Reach back out if I can help - my email is in the "About" section of our channel or connect to our Facebook page: facebook.com/clearcreekcabinTN - Thanks for tuning in to our channel.
What's its called again
Hi - It’s called Manufactured Sand; Granite Fines; Rock Crusher Fines; or M10 Sand depending on where you live.
Thank you
How many yards and cost for this kind, I know it varies state to state. I’m in CA…
Hey - Here in East Tennessee “Manufactured Sand” costs about $40/ton - which equates to about 3/4’s of a yard per ton - we used 40 tons for our two dry paddocks @ about 4” thick
Where do you buy this from?
This "Manufactured Sand" is usually available from "Aggregate Suppliers" (Sand & Gravel Companies) - If you Google "Manufactured Sand" you will see exactly what it is - It's called many things in different regions of the country e.g. Stone Dust; Crusher Fines; Granite Dust or Granite Fines; Crushed Stone Fines...etc. The key is that the largest particles should not be bigger than 1/8" to 3/16" with the other particles of smaller various sizes. I suggest when you find it to go and get a 5-gallon bucket of it and lay it out in your paddock - tamp it down - and evaluate it yourself....😃
I’ve used fines for the horse and mule paddocks. Both of them ate it and caused colic. Be careful
Thank you - We use hanging slow feeder hay bags in their Donkey Dugout & Stable which both have different footings. We never feed off the ground in the paddock. We also periodically sand test their manure and thankfully have yet to have found evidence of any intake. Three+ years with no problem. Thank you again for the heads up.