crushed limestone for muddy yard crushed limestone for muddy yard

By the ton, the costs of crushed limestone will vary anywhere from $20 to as much as $30. The best type of gravel for the top layer of a gravel driveway includes crushed shale, limestone, granite and concrete. Ill be staying with the pea gravel for sure. So if you scrape down during a wet season, the rain will just turn the formerly compacted soil into more mud. I will say, that year was the worst for rain weve had in a decade or so tons of houses had their basements flooded for the first time ever. I also dont worry about having my horses loose when the machinery is here. Required fields are marked *. I totally understand that opinions are just that but yours is certainly very informed. Clear all soft organic soil, grass, down to the compacted subgrade soil. Divide your answer (cubic feet) by 27 to get the number of cubic yards you need. Wish I had better news for you! All of the rock based products are close to the same price being within 10 dollars a yard of each other. See more related content in our article about, Pros and Cons of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring. Thank you for the clear answer , and it is my pleasure to present you an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to see the Arabian horses in their first homeland. We just built our barn last fall. Some horses freak out and run around, others are curious and want to look inside the bucket and cab, but either way, once they start working the horses move out of the way. With an older or sedate herd, maybe youd only have to top up once ever 2-3 years. So make sure your two layers, over your Nilex Geotextile, are at least 10 inches deep. Having said all that, if you have an active herd like mine and youve got an area thats sheltered from rain theyre still going to move it around and carve it out over the winter. and I love the photos!!!! Currently, Im adding bran and mineral oil into the hay cubes, and also doing the once a month Sand Clear (for both horses, as a precautionary). 2 inches equals .167 feet Unfortunately, my landscaper/road builder/horse trail builder guy says that you need to scrape off the dirty layer of gravel at least once a year, and re-grade where needed. At my recent place I put down the 3 minus rock first, but only ran the tractor back and forth over it. I tried sharp sand one year on top of hardstanding but it doesnt rot down and just gets dirty and heavy to shift. You have a Horse Herb & Supplement Shoppe?! 1. Seriously, DO it. 2. If you have hard ground underneath, you may be able to get away with 2-3 layers of gravel: Bottom: Large roadbase (3 minus) The toxic effects of Russian knapweed and yellow star-thistle are cumulative, meaning that poisoning normally results when levels of the toxin build up in the body over time due to horses routinely grazing these plants. Crushed stone, a mixture of stone dust and stone of various sizes, packs together nicely. But by April, the area around the slow feeders was wet and mucky. Next, use a power tiller to churn up the existing soil inside the forms to the proper depthabout 4 inches for a walkway or 6 inches for a driveway or other large slab. This reminded me of the two-part base Washington Rock makes for turf sports field. One cubic yard contains 1.4 to 1.5 tons of stone. Thanks for the response. . trailer back into the shed stall area 'cause the ground (field) in front of the tractor shed is Bahia grass and soft . The result is a durable, all-weather surface that is acceptable for animals.. In this front area I call the paddock are their water tubs and 2 walk-in shelters, each with its own slow feeder and rubber mats. This seriously impacts my decision-making process. So they obviously had serious deficiencies (their hooves were pretty bad too and thin tails). 20 Results Brand: Merola Tile Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor Clear All Sort by: Top Sellers Get It Fast In Stock at Store Today Cumberland & nearby stores Next-Day Delivery Please choose a rating 1.0k $406 /sq. I have been debating over whether i need Geo-textile or not, as some areas are fairly hard but some seem to have some clay That said, there have been some crusher dusts surfaces that while I feel they are an improvement over hogfuel or mud, are still not the best. When it gets real cold and freezes up, its nothing but thousands of frozen footprints that they can hardly walk on. After just completing yet another experiment, I would say the Geotextile is non-negotiable!! One herd owner I know used a mixture of various sized gravel, sand, and crusher dust. king county (washington) considers gravel non permeable and wants you to get a grading permit to add any gravel. ), In the section about using two layers of footing/drainage, Dr. Swinker mentioned using a coarse road base and a finer layer on top. If you do it right the first time, you may only have to do the underlayers once (as long as you keep organic matter off your paddock surface) and then top up with crusher dust every couple of years. Now, keep in mind that Dr. Swinkers advice is not tailored for a heavy rainfall area. It gets as wet as the paddock, so the same footing will probably be best. So then when the ground shifts, it may develop sink spots, become wavy, etc but it doesnt matter since your mats are one piece. There are many opinions of course as to which is best, in fact it can be a bit overwhelming at times so I would appreciate any guidance. Granite Base. If the hay does get on it, it isnt like sand for colic concerns that Ive ever heard of. Some terms that indicate compacting gravel are: crushed rock, crushed limestone, crushed stone, crusher run, fines, stone dust, aggregate, road base, paver base and decomposed granite (mixed with sand or stone dust). In order to alleviate mud problems, consider laying a base of #3 or #4 Limestones on top of which you can layer 2B or 2A . Best to get new woodchips and not from a poisonous tree and without any greenery. Wow thats crazy! Gravel/Crushed Rock fills approximately 1/3 cu. Crushed rock with fines is called Crushed rock 40mm minus. Okay, now that you know what to do Im going to tell you about all the options available and what other people say. I have a paddock area that has nothing but mud now, especially after heavy rains and whenever the snow melts. Now Im going to moving my other mare over so wanted to check whats the best footing as I live on Vancouver Island, the place with the most rainfall on the planet. But as I pointed out above, examine the crusher before you order it, to make sure it is just crushed rock fines and doesnt contain any clay particles. Im in Virginia, USA and have been researching what to do for the muddy parts of our barn and our sacrifice lot. Id like something that would be most comfortable as they sometimes stay in there for a longer period of time, like heavy rain or cold windy days. The horses have lovely pea gravel paddocks with in/out access. In 2018, I did an experiment with laying standard hardware store geotextile cloth down on the compacted subgrade soil, in a new section of my horses paddock area. It has great drainage, and my one complaint is that it gets dusty in the summer, but I consider that a small price to pay for a dry arena in the winter. I want a common sandy area as well so they can enjoy a good roll with no dust. When I showed it to my friend Mitchell, he said the two problems with what I did were (a) I did not use industrial-grade geotextile, and (b) I did not put enough rock and gravel on top of the cloth. I know nothing about it, so Im just asking you questions to stimulate your thoughts/research. Also check out this post by an Oregon farm as it has a lot of good tips for what works and what doesnt. Remember that you need to remove all organic matter from the surface of your gravel to ensure it is kept clean and can drain properly. Thx, Kimberly, Hi Kimberly see points #4,5,6 in the first section: Create a Dry Paddock in even the Rainiest Climate. Crushed limestone gravel is relatively inexpensive and makes for an attractive, natural looking but durable walking surface. I live in Chilliwack, so have the same weather as you . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Adding a dedicated parking area to your property helps you to accommodate guests and protects your yard from tire damage. Crushed limestone drive from the concrete driveway to the tractor shed, stalls were crushed limestone too. Both areas were destroyed in a couple of months once the rains started the cloth was either sticking up all over the place (the other woman said her horses would then grab it in their teeth and pull on it we just cut it off), or it had disappeared into the muck. And yes, because horses hooves pound gravel and shift it around unevenly, eventually you will have spots where the geocloth is exposed usually at the edges of an area. After scraping down to compacted subsoil, put a commercial-grade barrier material on top of the hard pan soil. A local farmer grows willow (hardwood and quick growing) which is not poisonous and originally chipped it for power stations but they had special moisture parameters he could not meet. He suggests you lay down 5-6 inches of a 3-inch minus rock layer first, to provide that hard layer and then put your gravel on top of that, or you will just have to dump the same amount of gravel every year, year after year, because it just keeps sinking. But then youre hooped, because you just wont be willing to scrape away $2,000 worth of gravel and start again with the Geotextile! And it will drain even less well if its quarried rock rather than crushed drain rock. You now need to compact your paddock surface use a tamping/compacting machine and water the gravel between tamping to make sure it compacts down well. A really interesting topic, and I have a question: is gravel 4/3 & 4/1 good as an alternative to fine sand in horse rooms, or is fine sand better? Paulo from Winnipeg Drywall and Stucco in Winnipeg. by Tony Boone, COO Crushed stone trail located above normal floodway by a stream Arrowhead Trails, Inc. has built over 500 miles of natural surface trails since 1995. Damage Caused by Slowfeeders, Hay Nets & Metal Grates and Solutions! Spreading temporary ground cover for mud, like pine flakes, crushed limestone, or feline litter, will absorb the mud and also allow you to shovel it bent on remove the excess water. Bulk crushed stone and gravel prices are $10 to $50 per ton on average. Limestone helps to keep down the smell of urine and feces due to its natural lime properties. Our horses stay in the barn overnight in winter and are out during the day, and this is reversed in summer so the horses graze when its cooler at night. Typically, a gravel driveway will cost about $1.25 to $1.80 per square foot, taking into consideration that the driveway is . Particle uniformity refers to the mix of particle sizes within the blend. The product is commonly used as erosion control, as a heavy drainage material, as a stabilizer or for landscaping. It also lasts far longer than mulch. I think your climate is a lot drier though and you get snow/ice most of the winter, right? Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Too much depth doesnt matter so much indoors and I had a barn I never had to dig out. Thanks for all the valuable info. muddy , trail users frequently walk to the outside. I live in Maple Ridge and I am about to attempt this for my two horses on a rental property AND does it need the same amount of drainage capacity as your paddock, or less? It is fantastic that you took the time and effort to go into such detail. ft. (1/3 cu. Every bit of feedback is useful , Hi! It is the clay that especially packs down so hard the water will not drain through well and just runs off the surface. Which is 1/4 minus crushed gravel with the fines (rock dust). If you are ordering crusher dust, its best if you can get a look at it, to make sure it is just rock fines and doesnt have clay (or a lot of sand particles) in it. Because it packs down fairly solid, it doesnt have the big pointy bits that are inclined to puncture and lead to abscesses. Answer 2B and 2A are identical except that the 2A contains a small amount of Limestone dust (10) mixed in with the stone, which allows it to compact more effectively. If I had known I would need him, I would have had him spend 30-60 minutes removing that topsoil/grass layer first, before spreading the gravel. Right now we have geo textile underlaymen, 5 1 1/4 gravel and 5 5/8 gravel. . There are a couple of ways to create a pea gravel patio: using the bare ground as a base or over a base layer of crushed stone. My own experience (keep reading) confirms this. Or is that an attachment you put on your own tractor? My question is this: When I do the paddock area with the 3 layers of stone like you explained; what do you recommend for inside the run in? No the woodchips are not from the bark which is very tannic. BUT, what am I going to put on their paddock surface to create a paddock footing with adequate drainage? The technique you use to lay down the stone is vital as improper layering could result in the formation of water pockets trapped below the ground, which could cause potholes in the long run. This has been SO HELPFUL!!!!! That cost me $840 including delivery. It has been suggested that a horse must consume 60% of its body weight in green Russian knapweed plant material before toxicity symptoms appear. Im definitely going to send your article to my boss and see what she thinks. Rotted chips basically become soil. Im going to pick his oh-so-experienced brain and see if he knows anything we dont already know or has some tips or tweaks that make a world of difference. In muddy areas, perhaps you would even start with 2-4 quarry spalls (basically what you refer to as a 3 clean rock; clean means doesnt have fines). If we have low-sugar hay in slowfeeders/haynets available 24/7 then our horses do not have to eat toxic plants to assauge the acid in their gut. Its working out perfectly. I was all ready to order my gravel and tractor (my two new horses arrive at the end of April) until I read that you shouldnt do this work when the soil is muddy. I think the punchiness of horses hooves disturbs the gravel so much, that all that needs to happen is for them to punch through to the geotextile in a very small spot and then that quickly enlarges. State Approved Road Base View Ad. Mud creates mud. So interesting! I dont know if this will help anyone, beyond being aware of it, as Im not sure myself how to prevent it. The next winter, you will need to add another 4-6 inches of 3/4-inch minus gravel. Not only does this make them very hard to brush clean, but the particles are super fine dust that occasionally irritate the horses eyes and are certainly not healthy for you or your horse to be inhaling. Awesome feedback! Even though we moved some gravel over from other parts of the paddock, the gravel had sunk down into the soil all over, so there wasnt much left to scavenge. The cost of crushed limestone can vary depending on the quality. 2. Walking Paths. It can be used for special build driveways for example on muddy roads, but for normal driveways we recommend #57 size, which . Angular crushed rock is what we recommend for use with Lighthoof mud management panels. The most popular material for dog potty areas is, without a doubt, pea gravel. 6. It will naturally get pushed out to the edges over time anyway. But now I need to gravel the paths on my property- very occasional pick up truck traffic , mostly will be riding on these Im thinking 1/2 in angular rock well compacted 2 inches then 2 inches of granite fines on top of that?? Examples of materials used for crushed stone include limestone and granite. During the rainy season in the Western NC mountains, the mucky, suck your boots off, red clay is the bane of my existence. Contact Us, How to Fix a Muddy Yard (Prevent Water Build-Up Tips). SO pleased for you!! Crusher dust is gravel that has been crushed to the size of 1/4 or less. Thank you so much for your extended read! The sand/gravel mix we have used is called Hoggin here and the best description I can find is on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoggin. This hole area is low. A friend of mine who builds roads in the Vancouver area and whose father builds horse arenas told me that you can go down 6 feet and you still wont hit any kind of hard soil or anything that would provide a barrier to your gravel sinking away. I know several stables that just dump fresh crusher dust on their paddocks every year to replenish the surface because they didnt follow the steps I outlined above, they just dump the crusher right on the earth. Yes the mats may pull away from the edges/wall as the ground underneath becomes uneven, but Im thinking that would be less hassle than multiple join-lines separating. Especially Arabians, with their fine coats and sensitive skin, theyre not going to do well lying down on any kind of gravel. HOW are these plants, actually helping or addressing an imbalance in your soil? Listen To Your Horse Energy, Body & Environment, Stories from Animal Communicator Ginny Jablonski, Trailer Learning (Play) When you Dont have a Horse Trailer, Horses Give Livestream Demo of Animal Communication, Big Mama Aude: Heal Your Heart-Belly Wounding, How to Prepare Bone Broth & Give the Bones to Your Dogs (safely! I have seen improvement in hoof quality in every foot taken from hogfuel or mud and placed on crusher dust and comparing it to the sand options, it is still a better hoof. Auburn Hills Main: (248) 338-3310 Oxford Yard: (248) 628-9777 Auburn Hills Scale House: (248) 332-6210 Weather Permitting Ideally, spend some time watching where/how water flows in your paddock area. Youre very welcome Catherine! They also recommended I use 6 inches of it. In the middle of the worst rains of winter, the 3/4 inch gravel has the best drainage and keeps the surface drier, even during a full day of rain: On the same day, heres what patches of the 1/4 inch crusher dust look like you can see how the mud and soil underneath has been churned into the crusher dust. Ive been researching every option, trying to come up with the best (and economical) course of action, so I apreciate your in depth article. If 2 inches of 1/2 inch angular rock plus 2 inches granite fines (so 4 inches total) would work in your barn yard, then it will work on your paths. It permanently stains anything it comes in contact with (shoes, clothing, white horse feathers). Scrape off the dirty layer (from dirt and small bits of manure) and re-surface/grade. Again, this article is fantastic! For a 2040 metre area I would put 20 cubic metres. If you were to follow Dr. Swinkers advice, you could use pea gravel 0r 3/4-inch minus gravel on the bottom and crusher dust on top (crusher is really just tiny gravel with gravel particle dust), or limestone gravel and crusher dust, or limestone gravel and sand. Among the other options are crushed stone #411, quarry process, pea gravel, jersey shore gravel, marble chips, and river rock. It will all look normal. "It's a very modern look, but I tried to soften it with the gravel and plantings, like the ferns in the gravel," says Klausing. Now lay a layer of large rock or recycled concrete (3 inches wide or larger rock) on top of the Nilex barrier, about 5 inches deep. Work these rocks into. yd. But, if its drier and they do lie down in there, then yes, a really small, smooth pea gravel or sand would be WAY more comfy for them. I am sure alpaca or lama might work too? The Easiest Waterhole for Horses that Doesnt Produce Mosquitoes! It seems there is nothing harder for wear-and-tear on gravel than horses hooves! Et voila! It can also be used to level stepping-stones. If your horses are restricted to a small area, they may then start pulling on the cloth to play with it. Our farrier does not love the pea gravel. how essential is the geotextile if you have scraped down a few feet? I havent tried it myself. When choosing rock for the top layer, choose "traffic bound" or "dense-grade" gravel. I have also not had to top it up in any way, although I pick manure daily, and also harrow it weekly as I dont want to mess up my base by having holes in my sand from the horses playing out there! A. Rutter Company, a provider of . Great info. What do you think about compacting the existing soil, laying down the fabric, and installing the Merchant solution over top? Thanks for the interesting discussion. Because this is the most informative article Ive read I was curious what you would recommend under stall mats. It simply means that the particle size of the gravel is guaranteed to be less than the measurement. Arizona River Rock. Just wondering about freezing. You first have to put a commercial-grade shielding material used in road building like Nilex down on the soil and then lay down the 3-inch rock or recycled concrete (often cheaper), and then the gravel. How To Remove an Old Post using a Farm Jack, Audelina Assigns Me an Exercise to Prepare for Riding, How I Use Wild Oregano Oil with Horses & Dogs, Fencing Pros and Cons & The Best Horse Fence, I Feel Guilty My Vet Injured/Killed my Horse, Horses Help Heal Generational Lines of Dysfunction, Intuitive Herb Selection for Your Horse Part 2, Horse Self-Selects Herbs to Help with Metabolism & Weight Regulation Part 1. After six winters in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, with 3-11 horses, heres what Ive found works best: 1. They have a program that subsidizes horse owners to improve drainage. The process of limestone formation typically occurs in shallow, warm, marine . 1. or a covering to avoid water accumulation. The chips are soft and they can lay on them but more often they pee on them. Hey Rick, so pleased it was helpful! I think the three layer option seems to be the best. That's where limestone from Baker Lime can help. That is a good idea however I have an intense dislike of the noise of leaf blowers! The perforated pipes may then drain far enough away from your yard to be safe. This layer of stone is your simulated bedrock, and it's the foundation of your new driveway. By the time the following May/June rolls around, the sacrifice field will be rejuvenated and Ill flip them again. Heres all the reasons why I should have done it that way. At that time, I also hadnt bought/used any arena panels which are super useful for cross-fencing or creating smaller paddocks. Call 360-318-8554 to order rock or gravel delivered in Whatcom County. Thanks so much for your help! Ah glad you found it Lawrence! Well wool holds 40% its weight in water, so that makes sense. And I would think youd want to use sharper-edged gravel (not smooth) so it can bite into the limestone and hold I discovered this by adding a load of smooth gravel on top of my crusher dust (1/4 gravel) to see what would happen, and it just slid around and was useless. Both serve their purposes and have tremendous demand. Also be sure and check out our French Drain post as that worked brilliantly and may replace your trench: https://listentoyourhorse.com/paddock-mud-or-flood-problems-install-a-french-drain/. The best way to fix a muddy driveway is with TRUEGRID permeable pavers. Limestone fits and compresses better, by digging in deeper is better, then relaying on the plastic edging to keep the blocks and limestone in place. Only a few dont fall through. If you had a docile herd of 2-3 horses you would likely be just fine. You should dig the hole 4 feet deep and just as wide. If you have a fenced yard, this is also a great way to reduce mud around the perimeter where your dog most likely walks the most to patrol the yard. They said it packs down better than pea gravel in the rain, there are less of the tiny stones to get stuck in the horses hooves, and its easy to shovel manure off of. Also goes a long way to keep down the fly/flea population. If you are putting it over mud, you arent going to get the positive results that many of us see with it. appreciate your thoughts on this. Im doing some research on how to sort out the high traffic area of stall threshold in a barn I just started managing. With my crew, I need to add a layer of fresh 1/4 minus every Fall. So if your paddock usually turns into 5 inches of mud, then use 5 inches of footing. I have lost so much gravel from throwing it out with the manure, I highly suspect well need to put down a load of crusher dust after scraping/grading this year. Still deciding on what to put on the top. I have a small boarding facility, so I have 12 runs to deal with and budget is a concern, but I also know having to do it twice costs more because of mistakes lol. Gravel is extremely simple to put on lawns and offers a long-term solution. To create driveways. It wouldnt be the most interesting thing Ive ever written, but it might be useful. In general, delivery is free of charge for distances of up to 10 miles. When choosing gravel, pea gravel, or limestone gravel, most experts say you should get crushed rock particles no larger than 3/4-inch, or they are not comfortable for the horses to stand on. When its settled a bit , say 12 months add another layer of 20mm minus, crushed rock and out a roller or wackier over it. Im also going to tell you about the things Ive tried that didnt work so well for me. Ive not heard of that. Google+; Mitchell uses the Nilex 4551 Non-woven Geotextile when he builds horse trails in provincial parks. That was a very interesting read! BLACK BASALT CRUSHED ROCK (1/2") Decomposed Granite. Since putting the pea gravel down her feet have improved a lot as the little rocks act like ball bearings and roll around under her feet instead of sticking causing pain. Outside is not so good; it gets slippery when wet and is even worse when it freezes so this year I have put some gravel/sand mix on top of the chalk in some areas and so far that is performing better. Crushed Limestone Gravel - Prices, Purchase, Deliv; Crushed Granite Delivery and Prices; Testimonials. Note: hiring the tractor cost me $400. They rot down naturally and every year to 2 years they are scraped off and easily spread on fields or neighbour puts on flower beds or I put on stone farm tracks to prevent water erosion but not too thick. . Like you mentioned, 1/4 minus is dense and will definitely not drain as well as a coarser product. Hi Suzy! I have just purchased a house with 2 acres. The whole idea of having a gravel or crusher dust top layer is to prevent wet organic matter (soil, grass, hay, leaves, manure etc.) Perhaps just 3/4 minus gravel laid 4 inches deep and 2 inches of crusher dust (1/4 minus) on top would be sufficient?? Note: Some people like to put a layer of crusher dust as their top layer, but Ive found the fines in crusher really interfere with drainage, as they form this solid packed layer on top of all the gravel. Limestone crushed to the 1- and 1/2-inch size, mixed with pulverized limestone, can be used as the layer between the soil and the stone blocks according to the J. This should be perfect. ), they told me that the Cloverdale Racetrack uses limestone gravel for their track. Fantastic information Pippa thanks so much for letting us know! Luckily there is a super easy way to convert square feet to cubic yards: 1. So true! I have already tried to scrape down a few layers last year and dig a trench through the center of their paddock but it hasnt worked as i didnt grade the area well enough.. I recently joined a horse track group and there was a post on fleece lasagna and how well it works in boggy areas , gateways and lane ways! The finer material compacts easily but will move under heavy traffic. The most common concern about using crusher dust which is just tiny, crushed gravel is whether it will be too sharp for the hooves. . Stabilizing a Muddy Road. Well, keep me posted if you can and let me know what happens! When it rains, you may build a patio, gazebo, or other, However, you will need to replace them with a long-term remedy since they wont last. Only consideration is to put down rubber mats on top of the gravel in high traffic areas (eg around feeders) as that is where the horses hooves can punch through the gravel and the geotextile cloth starts to get uncovered in spots. We are going to try a small portion of one horses paddock in a different material and Im considering the drainage panels you mentioned. A couple of extra tips; will disappear and every year youll be laying new gravel. Decomposed Granite With Stabilizers So you cannot leave any of this organic matter sitting on your gravel, or else it will quickly break down into a mucky layer that defeats the whole purpose. (from Kelmor in Chilliwack) We did not do a geo textile cloth (although I had one in my first hog fuel arena). I havent read all of it yet, but for raking leaves that is very labour intensive I would suggest a leaf blower. However, depending on the surface you lay the crusher dust on, it can also mix easily with the mud and be gone by the next rainy season. Rip rap is large nearly boulder-size crushed stone. Wouldnt have cost much extra, but would have greatly extended the life of the gravel I ordered. If you need to install a drain or culvert heres my handy step-by-step guide to install a French drain. More Miracles in the Singing Horse Matrix, Christmas & New Year 2021 Message from Singing Horse Herd, LTYH Podcast: Non-Verbal Observation & Acknowledgment, Connect Deeper with the Singing Horse Herd, Horse Wisdom: Who Are You, REALLY? it should be good. Upload attachment(Allowed file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, doc, docx, maximum file size: 8MB. TCS # 132 1 1/4 Fill Material View Spec Sheet View Additional Information. Thank-you! It is mainly used in applications by bodies of water, which is why you commonly see it along streams, rivers and similar locations. It is a material that people are familiar with in almost all parts of the world. Either that or you need to lay the plastic drainage mats but thats even more expensive. The frequency of adding more gravel depends on the activity level of your horses.