Stable Yards and Gateways
Fix the mud at the gateway, the water trough and the field shelter with a surface that carries hooves, wheelbarrows and tractors alike.
Why reinforcement matters here
Gateways and trough surrounds concentrate every animal on the holding into a few square metres. The ground poaches, holds water and becomes a lameness and mud fever risk within weeks. Confining stone in a grid gives a firm, free-draining standing that survives the winter and is far easier to muck out than bare ground.
Where this works well
At a glance
| Sub-base | 150mm MOT Type 1 where tractors run; 100mm for foot and hoof traffic only |
|---|---|
| Infill | Angular 10-20mm gravel, filled level and blinded so no cell wall stands proud |
| Typical loading | Horses, tractors, trailers and loaded wheelbarrows |
| Permeability | Fully permeable. Normally treated as a SuDS component in a drainage strategy. |
| Design life | 25 years, subject to documented installation. |
| Material | 100% recycled polypropylene, made in the UK. |
How it goes in
- Mark out the area and excavate to the depth of your sub-base plus the grid depth plus your infill blinding.
- Lay a woven geotextile across the formation, lapping joins by at least 300mm. This stops the sub-base and the subsoil mixing.
- Lay and compact the sub-base: 150mm MOT Type 1 where tractors run; 100mm for foot and hoof traffic only. Compact in layers rather than all at once.
- Blind the sub-base with a thin layer of grit sand and screed it level. This is what gives you a flat finished surface.
- Push-fit the grids together across the area, working from one edge. Cut around obstacles with a jigsaw or fine-tooth saw.
- Fill the cells: Angular 10-20mm gravel, filled level and blinded so no cell wall stands proud. Work the fill in with a stiff brush so no cell is left hollow.
- Check the finished level. Nothing should stand proud of the cell walls, and no cell should be left under-filled.
Most installations are straightforward groundwork. The grids themselves push-fit together and need no fixings, adhesive or specialist tools.
Which grid depth?
The 30mm heavy duty grid, throughout. Gateways, trough surrounds and muck heap approaches take tractor and trailer loads on saturated ground, which is the hardest duty on any holding.
If you are between two options, take the heavier duty one. The cost difference across a typical project is small next to the cost of lifting and relaying a surface that was under-specified.
The mistake we see most often
Doing too small an area at the gateway. If you only surface the gate itself, the poaching moves to a ring just outside it and you have achieved nothing.
Common questions
Is it safe for unshod and shod horses?
Yes, when the cells are filled level and topped with a blinding layer so no cell wall is proud of the stone.
How large an area should I do around a gateway?
Work back at least five metres from the gate on both sides. Anything less and the poaching just moves to the edge.
Will a tractor damage it?
No, provided the sub-base is built for it. Use 150mm of compacted MOT Type 1 where farm machinery runs.
Can it be mucked out?
Yes. A firm stone surface is considerably easier to scrape and skip out than poached earth.
Is it safe if a horse loses a shoe on it?
A level, blinded surface presents no more risk than a stone yard. Keep the fill flush with the cell walls.
How do I stop it filling with muck?
It scrapes clean like any stone surface, and drains, so it does not hold liquid the way poached ground does.
Ask our engineer
Questions about depths, sub-base, edging or which system fits your project? Ask below.