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Discussion on Footing around watertrough
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 15, 2009 - 12:52 am:
Over the years the footing around the water trough has eroded so now it is considerable lower than the trough floor and it is also very soft so when the trough overflows  or it rains the ground becomes ankle deep goop.
I am wondering about pouring a slab of rough concrete.
Would it be too slippery?
What other problems might it cause?
Thank you for your help.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 15, 2009 - 5:49 am:
If poured so as not to have sharp edges and given a very rough surface this should be fine but it may just move your mud hole to the edge of the concrete where the excess water is diverted to.
DrO
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 15, 2009 - 7:23 am:
Lori - we have clay soil - for at least 5 feet deep - I put screanings - fines - finely ground rock with a bunch of rock dust - around the water tub - in front of the barn and any other low place in the horses dry pen - there is no muck. If it starts mucking up after putting in the screanings - I just add a little more. It allows the water to drain and won't create an edge where the water runs off. It's a lot easier than concrete - and who doesn't want easy
Cheryl K
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Member:
kaarina
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2009 - 6:09 am:
We have a thick base of compacted screenings with 4" of pea gravel on top, no mud there even though we had only one 24 hour period through all of june and july with no rain...
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2009 - 7:53 am:
I live on a sand hill so do not have this problem but I know what my farrier would like me to do to build stronger feet.
Put down some landscaping cloth and then several inches of smooth, (3/4" - 1 1/2" size) river rock so the horses walk through the rocks each time they go to drink.
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2009 - 9:11 am:
Do you have any trouble with rocks getting into the horses feet?
What about tracking the rocks into the rest of the corral?
If the rocks are draining the water I suppose there is no mud to stick the rocks to the hooves.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2009 - 10:26 am:
There may be a tendency for the rocks to migrate but the underlying landscape cloth helps to keep them in place with regard to sinking away.
I don't think that it hurts anything for some of the rocks to get into the corral.
The size and that they are smooth rather than rough should keep them from getting into the horses' feet.
The hardness is supposed to toughen the feet and facilitate quality growth.
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Member:
kaarina
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 3:58 am:
Our mares have full corrals of the pea gravel which connect to stalls with rubber mats (a la cherry hill's barn), they track a few stones into the corrals every day and I sweep them out as I want the rubber mats clean.... Cherry Hill told me the key is to keep the gravel at 4" deep so it stays loose. The girls do get gravel in their feet but as long as the feet are hard and healthy and cleaned regularly, they don't bother them at all. My farrier seconded this arrangement as well after I showed him a selection of options, said the gravel hardens the feet and actually has a massaging feel on their soles. Just make sure it is smooth pea gravel, not angular. Angular can migrate into the foot and cause problems...
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 4:47 am:
ok thanks
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