Mulch for footing...is it safe?

[spacehorse]

So I am contemplating setting up a small round pen/free lunging area. My ring is grass, and I really have no plans on doing anything permanent as far as installing any sort of footing. That basically renders it useless once the ground freezes, and as the freeze/thaw cycle works itself out. Basically December-March. So basically if I want to ride, I trailer out. Which gets to be a PITA.

Back to the point. Can I just put mulch down on the track of this small area to serve as footing? Decomposition doesn't bother me, I can just replace it as needed. I really don't want to have any sort of stone dust/sand/etc to deal with cleaning up if and when we ever move.

I also wondered if it was safe as far as black walnut possibly being used in the mulch...

I do understand it may get a little slippery. Maybe I could add just a little bit of sand on top for grip?

Any other feedback/suggestions?

Also wondered what are good dimensions for this? Oval or circle? I would like to be able to set up atleast one jump or some cavaletti, so I am guessing oval...

Thanks all!

[imissvixen]

I have some wood chips spread on part of my property that I have been starting to ride on. So far it has been pretty good. I worry about it getting slippery underneath but otherwise I don't see any problem.

[Brockstables]

A friend is trying mulch with shavings mixed in her small ring... she got hers from a local sawmill, and they know what kind of wood is being used there so no harmful stuff.

[ManyDogs]

We put mulch in our roundpen last Spring. The horses prefer to hang out in the round pen during the winter so it has pretty much been squashed into the dirt/mud. We plan to put sand in it when it warms up; but I'm thinking some kind of base will be needed, too. My rationale for the mulch was for a softer footing, as we basically have clay on our property instead of dirt.

[NoDQhere]

Our footing in our indoor and outdoor arenas is sand and wood chips/shavings.
It is really nice footing. You do have to add new chips fairly often.

[JB]

if you go with mulch, get the stuff that is playground suitable. It tends to be more "grippy" and not so slick when wet. Regular hardwood mulch can be very slippery when wet.

[FoxChaser]

I used to board at a place that used Fibar (basically mulch just with more uniform pieces and I'm sure a bigger price tag) in the indoor. I didn't like it. It would shift under the horses' feet where it was loose- especially in the corners. They made a terrible mistake of putting some outside too and it was very dangerous to ride on unless the ground under it was 100% dry. It would trap water underneath and be extremely slippery. I can't tell you how many horses I saw fall on that stuff :(

[Mav226]

NO! Please re-evaluate.

I boarded at a place that had mulch in their indoor. It was awful. So slippery. One winter I had to show a foal to potential customers a few times in the indoor because we had a heavy snowfall. It was a nighmare. She slipped and slid all over the place and all I could think of was having a life altering injury.

The older horses were almost as bad off. The corners were slippery and there were quite a few injuries that no one had the guts to tell the BO were caused due to the crappy footing.

Please, think long and hard before using mulch. I know, having ridden on it, that I would never, ever, ever, ever, ride on it again. It was just that dangerous.

[Lambie Boat]

I have shredded cedar footing in my covered (no walls) arena. While I like it in most instances, it does get slippery underneath when wet (it can look dry and still be wet under) I would not recommend it for outside or a roundpen. But then, with the rain and mud around here, it would disappear and make a huge mess within days

[Equibrit]

I have been the victim of bark chip footing on a young 17 hand horse cantering his first 20 meter circles. The footing went out from under his feet, and we both went down! This footing was in an indoor on top of clay and was also very dusty.

[bamboozled]

No. It shifts with rain and wind, dries crusty on top and soggy below, can be deeper than it appears.

Talk to me about a hind injury and 9 months of stall rest due to crappy mulch footing. :mad:

[Gloria]

I rode in some shows and they use shredded mulch in the ring. I love it. However, bear in mind that the rings are indoor and the whole thing is put down for the show and is stripped off at the end of the show. Very expensive if you have to do that.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I've ridden for years at a barn with woodchips (not mulch) as the footing in the indoor only. Salt is added in winter. It only gets slippery if it gets too deep or super wet. We jump on this year round.

I don't know about outside use though. I would think there would be issues with depth and wetness.

The nice thing is no dust.

[bf1]

I would certainly not put mulch over grass for the round-pen. In such a small area, I think you would have a very slippery area, even if you threw sand into it. Why not rototill up the grass, and put sand down?