Remeidies for a muddy stall

So my friend has asked how can she fix her muddy stall. I have no clue as I don't have stalls. lol When I boarded there was a slope away. So, how can she fix it or make it less nasty?

is it a stall or a run-in?

I assume regrading and putting drainage in is not an option.

Is she looking for a temporary fix?


A great temporary fix is to buy straw. Strip off the shavings or sawdust. Put down the straw in flakes. Not shaken out, full flakes, like you would put down flooring tiles. Works best with layers of flakes over lapping. Put the normal bedding on top.

The straw flakes help to keep the hooves from going thru into the mud layer.

It makes it a pain to clean and when you have to clean out the straw layer it is a hassle. But it works great as a temporary problem fix.

Both, ick. I would think stall mats for the stall. The BO shouldnt get upset at that right?

If you install stall mats (after asking the BO if it is OK) assume you are giving them to the BO and do not expect to remove them when you leave.

Nothing wrong with asking the BO about installing them though.

There are not a miracle answer though. If the base is bad the stall mats will probably not sit level, etc.

you need fine rock/gravel to level it out, and compress it as much as possible, then add mats.

stall mats will run you close to $300. The cheapest thing to do is build the stall up with dirt, probably 5 tractor loads. Then put some blue stone dust over it, tamp it down and add shavings... then clean the stall everyday.

I would look at adding about 6 inches (minimum) of a good solid base (crusher fines/road base work great for this as they compact very solidly but still allow drainage) and then mat over the top of that. This is what we have done and it has worked wonderfully.

Ok, Ill let her know. Shouldn't the BO take care of that stuff though? :/

I suppose it depends.

Are things muddy because of a strange occurrence? Like a once per year horrible rain issue that the only way to prevent this is by moving the whole barn. Or are the stalls always muddy?

And the bottom line is, should does not mean will or has to.

Any of those major things that people listed (like adding sand, etc) have to be run by the BO prior to being done.