This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Management » Fences & Buildings » Barn Design and Layout »
  Discussion on Walkway on a hill
Author Message
Member:
Beydao

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 5:05 am:

I wonder whether you could suggest the best material to use on a steep incline on soft soil for leading horses. I have two ways to lead my horses in a hilly district of Devon. One is along a road where cars come at a high speed around a blind bend and the other is through an apple orchard which means climbing a steep but not dangerously steep hill. I am having a pathway cut along up to the ridge and wanted to know what I should lay along the path. Also should I use steps rather than tracking gradually towards the top. My horses are not natives but quite hardy thoroughbreds with good legs and good sense of self preservation. Any suggestions please. Alison
Member:
Anta

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 6:12 am:

Hi Alison,

When we moved property earlier this year we too had the same problem, what I would ask is, when you say steep, how steep is that? Also how far is the path going to be? and how wide? ie costings. We put in a slightly winding path, as we found it much easier that going straight up or down and then there was no need for steps, we put down hardcore for the bits we thought could poach and on the rest we went to a local timber yard and they gave to us bark shavings, about four inches in lenght and 1 to 2 inches wide, we laid them about 3inches deep, havent been through a winter with it yet, but is seems to be holding up pretty well in the scottish weather, which I suppose is another consideration, knew of someone who put down sand and it all blew away. I hope this helps, keep safe

Anita
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 7:44 am:

It would be hard to beat dirt as long as the path is designed to drain to the sides well and to prevent water from crossing it. The bark chips would give it a nicer look and might make wet weather travel a bit more enjoyable.
DrO
Member:
Beydao

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 11:31 am:

Thankyou Anita and Dr O, I think the bark idea is great. Devon may be mild but it is wet and although the drainage is good I think the bark might be needed to keep the surface from washing away. Anything is better than the road. Thankyou again. Alison
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 11:47 am:

Rubble then 50-80mm chips then limestone blindings is what they use for cattle walkways I think.

Imogen in Cork which is very similar to Devon, the bark mulch will go slimey in our rainy climate I suspect but good luck - if it's just 2 horses you could be ok.
New Member:
Jjet

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 1:17 pm:

Perlite is light and with enough put down in the soggiest spots, it will really make a nice surface. If you have access to it in bulk, that would be the best, but it can also be bought by the bag at the feed stores here in the US. The actual name of the product escapes me at the moment. I'll try to look it up. Jan
Member:
Jjet

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 1:43 pm:

The product I was thinking of was Dry Stall, but it is also used in arenas. The web site is https://www.drystall.com/dry_stall.html
It is a lightweight volcanic aggregate. You can take a look at the next pagelink to see the arena usage. Jan
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC