High Use Areas; Give Mud the Boot

by the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Horse Outreach Workgroup

— first published in the November 2025 issue of The Equiery

As “mud season” approaches, it is an excellent time to take note of where your farm may need a little help with that boot sucking mud!

Mud can be a big problem wherever animals congregate, especially around gates, water troughs, barn entrances, and feeding pads. If mud in these areas is making you and your horses miserable, a Heavy Use Area Protection plan (HUA) is an easy and somewhat inexpensive fix. The main components of an HUA, stone and geotextile fabric, allow water to slowly drain away without mixing with the soil. They are simple to install if you have a front-loading tractor and can do simple excavation work. If not, you may want to hire someone with the necessary skills and equipment.

Don’t skimp on the size of the HUA; if you’re installing one around a watering trough, make it at least the length of one horse on each accessible side of the trough. To give your HUA the best chance of working, first divert any runoff, such as from the barn, shed or house downspouts so clean water moves around and not through the area. Downspout extenders, gravel trenches, and low berms are easy ways to re-route water.

You can contact your local Soil Conservation District (SCD) for advice on safely re-routing runoff. Your SCD can assist you (for free!) by providing an engineered design for your HUA project. There may also be financial assistance available through the Maryland Department of Agriculture and/or the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

CONSTRUCTING A HEAVY USE AREA

After your SCD has completed your engineered design for an HUA, you or your contractor will follow these general steps in installing the practice:

Excavate area to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. If using your tractor, it’s helpful to have a bucket with teeth to dig any heavily compacted soil.
Level the site.
Install class SE non-woven filter fabric. If the fabric isn’t wide enough, refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations for overlap.
Put down 6 inches of milling (recycled blacktop) or #2 stone, which is about 2 1/2 inches in size.
Wet stone and compact with a roller or by driving over the pad with a tractor.
Install 3 inches of CR6 or CR8 stone. (CR6 ranges in size from dust to 3/4 inches wide. CR8 is smaller.)
Top with a minimum of 4 inches of bluestone dust or wood chips.
Compact and level the stone.
Inspect regularly and repair as needed. Stockpile extra surface material so that you can repair it as soon as possible. Regularly remove any manure or debris from the HUA.

The following is a side view of the layers of material included in a properly constructed HUA: