Our 30x40' corral (into which our barn stalls exit) and the 25x40' entry area right outside it (between the corral and the pastures) is a constant mud bog. It doesn't slope enough to drain well, and any hoofprints dam up what little water flow there would be. Southeast Nebraska clay really sucks in a paddock.
My neighbor, who is a professional excavator and also owns horses, has recently started selling what he calls an "arena mix," which is 80% calcined clay and 20% sand. Calcined clay is the same stuff they put on the surface of baseball infields because it absorbs water without becoming muddy. It's not at all like what I think of when I hear "clay." He mixes in 20% sand to help it drain a little better and be just a little looser when used in either indoor or outdoor horse arenas. He charges about 40% more than for straight sand. A good friend of mine just spread about 250 yards of the stuff on his outdoor arena last month, and loves how it handles so far.
I've tried to do a little research to learn more about calcined clay, but I'm finding almost nothing about it online, especially in reference to horse arenas or corrals. I know it's popular for potting bonsai trees and skim coating baseball infields, and that it's similar to diatomaceous earth, but that's about all I can find.
Do any of you know anything about this stuff? How well does it hold up long term? How quickly does it mix with the underlying dirt? I know it absorbs water, but what happens when it fills to capacity--does water drain through, or puddle on top? Enlighten me!
My neighbor, who is a professional excavator and also owns horses, has recently started selling what he calls an "arena mix," which is 80% calcined clay and 20% sand. Calcined clay is the same stuff they put on the surface of baseball infields because it absorbs water without becoming muddy. It's not at all like what I think of when I hear "clay." He mixes in 20% sand to help it drain a little better and be just a little looser when used in either indoor or outdoor horse arenas. He charges about 40% more than for straight sand. A good friend of mine just spread about 250 yards of the stuff on his outdoor arena last month, and loves how it handles so far.
I've tried to do a little research to learn more about calcined clay, but I'm finding almost nothing about it online, especially in reference to horse arenas or corrals. I know it's popular for potting bonsai trees and skim coating baseball infields, and that it's similar to diatomaceous earth, but that's about all I can find.
Do any of you know anything about this stuff? How well does it hold up long term? How quickly does it mix with the underlying dirt? I know it absorbs water, but what happens when it fills to capacity--does water drain through, or puddle on top? Enlighten me!