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Elite Veteran
Posts: 729
  
Location: south central usa | What do you have now in your barn or if you were going to build a barn, which type of base would you prefer to have (concrete with mats, dirt with mats, or just dirt). |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | We did SB2 (crushed rock) with mats. We wet it and used a packer on it when we put it down and it's holding up great. Way cheaper than concrete. |
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| Need to add a few options i curently have lime packed stalls with rubber mats on top.. if i rebuild it will be 3 layers... gravel with lime on top and then rubber mats... |
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  Queen Boobie 2
Posts: 7521
| In my dad's old barn, I put a layer of crushed limestone in the stalls and then stall mats over that. Some settling has occurred and I probably should ad more limestone and level it. It's lasted about 7 or 8 years.
Really like this better than just dirt. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350
| bennie1 - 2014-03-10 9:55 AM
In my dad's old barn, I put a layer of crushed limestone in the stalls and then stall mats over that. Some settling has occurred and I probably should ad more limestone and level it. It's lasted about 7 or 8 years.
Really like this better than just dirt.
I agree! we used the limestone stuff that somewhat hardens for half of ours....and then for the other half we used sand which i was worried about it holding up of course mats over both and we love it...been in for a year now and the mats aren't curling at all. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I have concrete with rubber mats and straw. I can sanitize if needed which is nice. I don't keep horses in all that much except for extreme weather but I've never had a horse get sore standing in the stalls. We don't have odor problems with the concrete either. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Dirt floors only. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Kgirl - 2014-03-10 8:54 AM
Need to add a few options i curently have lime packed stalls with rubber mats on top.. if i rebuild it will be 3 layers... gravel with lime on top and then rubber mats...
this is what we have now. |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I said I would never do concrete with mats. But when we bought our current place, the barn already had concrete and no stalls in it. We were going to add on to it in the back but money didn't allow us to. We we did our best, put the stalls on the concrete, and put mats down.
I have been pleasantly surprised. My horses don't come in often, but when they are in, they don't seem to be affected nearly as much by the concrete as I figured they would be.
Now if I my horses had to be in more often I may feel differently. But I do like how cleaner things stay with the concrete. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | missroselee - 2014-03-10 11:30 AM I said I would never do concrete with mats. But when we bought our current place, the barn already had concrete and no stalls in it. We were going to add on to it in the back but money didn't allow us to. We we did our best, put the stalls on the concrete, and put mats down.
I have been pleasantly surprised. My horses don't come in often, but when they are in, they don't seem to be affected nearly as much by the concrete as I figured they would be.
Now if I my horses had to be in more often I may feel differently. But I do like how cleaner things stay with the concrete.
A lot of people think I'm nuts for having concrete but I sure like it with cleanliness and less odor. Im have a navicular mare that comes in over nights during storms or winter weather and she's never had any soreness after being inside. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Three 4 Luck - 2014-03-10 8:51 AM We did SB2 (crushed rock) with mats. We wet it and used a packer on it when we put it down and it's holding up great. Way cheaper than concrete.
Exactly what we did. Love it. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | rodeomom3 - 2014-03-10 7:13 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2014-03-10 8:51 AM We did SB2 (crushed rock) with mats. We wet it and used a packer on it when we put it down and it's holding up great. Way cheaper than concrete.
Exactly what we did. Love it.
I third this! We own a rockpit and so we actually did a mix of crushed rock (3/4 minus) and fines (basically rock sand/dust) and then wet it/compacted it and it is AWESOME
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I think i may try ground asphalt as it shovels like rock and will reharden and blow themlittle rock off and its just like asphault, it,does have a little give you would a packer like youmwould use for,stone. It cost more than stone but it is lighter so in my opinion it cost the same. I used the stuff in my parking lot at my business work wonderful. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | 12" below the surface we put in big 3-4" rock with a large french drain running down the center line and out past the barn about 10'
From 7" to 4" we have a layer of 1"-2" rock then on top of that is chat mixed with lime. That layer was packed with a wacker. Then we put mats on top.
After 3 years use only 1 stall needs to be redone, the horses feed daily in stalls but rarely come in for a nap unless the flys are pestering and they need the fans.
Remember anything that is alkali will dry your horse feet out. |
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Regular
Posts: 84
| I have dirt with sand and I always have so I don't know any different, but my daughter is building a barn-house and her stalls have wood floors... layers of sand, gravel, then wood. we will see how that goes. I had never heard of it, but new husband has a good friend that did it and been in his barn 15 years and still looks great... |
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Stall Flooring Base