Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Stone dust is known by various names according to the locale:
Stone dust (see other names in the box) works well for the base. Don't use topsoil, sand,
or gravel for the base. Topsoil tends not to drain well and encourages mold growth. Sand
and gravel are too shifty. Some commercially prepared products that are used for sports
fields (such as baseball diamonds) may be suitable for base material.
Flooring
Stall flooring must be comfortable and safe for your horse, easy to clean and disinfect if
necessary, and dust-free, and work well with the type of bedding you plan to use. Avoid
flooring that requires constant maintenance, mixes in with your horse's feed, and absorbs
urine or allows urine pooling.
Tamped clay.
Tamped clay was a longtime flooring favorite for stalls because it provides
cushion and good traction and is warm and quiet. However, clay does not percolate well,
and stall floors must slope to allow drainage. In addition, urine pools soon become potholes
of enormous proportions, requiring that the clay floor be leveled routinely and overhauled
annually. Two to 4 inches of the original 6 to 12 inches are removed each year and replaced
with fresh clay and retamped. Pure clay may be difficult to buy in some areas, so if you
decide to go with clay, you can extend the life of the stall by allowing it to rest periodically
until dry. If you have at least one extra stall in your barn, rotating horses will allow one
stall to be empty at all times.
Mixtures of clay and crushed rock.
Mixtures of clay and sand or crushed rock may be
more readily available than pure clay and will have improved drainage while retaining most
of the clay floor's desirable features, except that the mixtures tend to be shifty, which res-
ults in bedding and feed being mixed in with the flooring. Road base in your locale may be
such a mixture—a blend of crushed limestone and clay. These blends may result in better
sanitation and comfort than clay, but because they are soft, they invite pawing. Generally,
these materials are better used as a base for other types of flooring, such as rubber mats.
