How To Level Gravel Enough For Stall Mats

The compacted gravel should be about 1 below the desired finish line.

How to level gravel enough for stall mats. My favorite stall is one that has those plastic stall grid things in it. Sometimes called limestone dust this material if installed properly can be a comfortable safe stall flooring. Shaped as mats interlocking tiles or modular materials these safety surfaces provide a level cushion. Large holes cracks voids or out of level areas should be filled and leveled.

Use a long pry bar or metal t post to carry the mats to the stall area. For cement floors skip this step and begin at step 6 below. Eventually the mats will have to come up and be re leveled but it depends on the horse. If you have a concrete asphalt or wood floor in your stall skip to step 8.

Rubber mats are a popular choice in many new and existing barns. This is the most important step for getting the most out of your stall mats. Provide a small trench 2 inches wide extending from the top stall flooring material down to the gravel subfloor layer to collect runoff. For stalls with bare dirt or clay floors you will need enough gravel crushed rock sized 3 8 to 5 8 to fill the stall area up to about 1 below the desired level.

Do not use pea gravel or sand as it won t compact. The stall floor may be sloped to the exterior wall of the stall where a sloping gutter drain is provided along the inside of that wall. The benefit of crushed limestone is that it provides good drainage if properly installed with several inches over a bed of sand. I ve got one stall that has never had to be fixed neat freak horse in the 11 years it s been in use but generally we ll re level a stall every couple few years.

Fill the trench with small stone or large gravel to enhance water movement. It s also a non slip surface. Dig the stall floor down at least three inches from where you want the surface top to be. Use the 6 to 8 long 2 x 4 board and carpenter s level to move the gravel around until it s level throughout the entire stall.

Stall mats enough to cover the entire stall.