Concrete slab for horse..

My mother-in-law has decided I will construct a 12m x 4m concrete slab in front of the stable to stop the horse getting its feet muddy in winter!

So.. I work in IT.. never done a hard days physical work in 30 years.

My plan is as follows.. please tell me where I’m going wrong (I cant dispose of the MIL before anyone suggests it.

Step 1. Dig a hole (with a hired mini digger) slightly bigger than the actual size. Will a foot deep do? It’s on clay that sets rock hard in summer and is a slippery mess in winter.

Step 2. Surround hole with wood.. I’m thinking old scaffolding planks? and set with some level to the required height.

Step 3. Source some hardcore? No idea what or where from at present. Stamp hardcore down by driving over it in hired digger.

Step 4. Put down some of that rebar stuff? no idea on size or if it’s even needed. Balance it on bricks so it sort of sits in the middle of concrete depth.

Step 5. I guess (and it is a guess), 10 cubic Mtr of concrete with some sort of fibre in (purely because concrete supply place said it’s the done thing if it’s for horses) to a depth of about 20cm. (is that thick enough? too thick??).

Step 6. Wear wellies and wonder around in concrete as it’s poured, spreading it into corners etc.. level with big bit of wood.

Step 7. Await further instructions from MIL

3.1 place MIL under rebar

sounds like over-kill to me, it’s only a slab for a horse. 6″ Concrete on top hardcore will do it. Only need a rebar if you haven’t put a substrate down.

I’d kindly ask her to find someone else (who knows what to do) to do it for her and pay for it.

Get a man in. Quicker and better than DIY, especially if you’ve never done it before.

I’d kindly ask her to find someone else (who knows what to do) to do it for her and pay for it.

You are either

a) not married.
b) blessed with the very rare commodity called the sane MIL.

🙁

Given the size of the slab I’d be getting someone in as well.

Has plenty of potential to go horribly wrong either during the laying process or in the months after when it all starts disintegrating.

You are either

a) not married.
b) blessed with the very rare commodity called the sane MIL.

a) I am married
b) marginally more sane than yours I am happy to report – I am happy to help when I know I can (and regularly do), but she would accept a polite ‘no’ if I told her something was beyond my skills fortunately.

I’d go with getting a man in too.

That’s a fair old size and if you do it wrong you’ll still be left with a big puddle if it doesn’t drain properly! 😀

I’d excavate down and create some shallow trenches to run those perforated drainage pipes through. Then geotextile stuff, and compacted hardcore/ballast on top.

Nothing worse than ice and snow on concrete in the winter when you are leading horses about or lugging hay bales and water buckets around.

Also got a friend who has woodchipped in front of her stables which has worked well for the last two years.

Look up bunyan roller on you tube and see how to do it, its not an easy job if your not used to it and you need decent shuttering

Don’t let the horse stand in it until it’s dry…

you’ll still be left with a big puddle if it doesn’t drain properly

Very good point – it should really be sloped (away from the stable of course) and some decent drainage put in too…

That’s a big slab for a first go. How happy will she be with a dip in the middle, a lumpy surface with trowel marks and a few surface cracks?

I’ve laid a few slabs and bits and bobs over the years. I’d steer clear of this one!! I’d get someone in to do it – prob not a big cost in labour terms. I’d also not bother with slabs – just get a decent finish on the concrete (not totally smooth – you want a bit of texture for grip) and make sure its got a decent fall on it otherwise you’ll end up with stinking puddles which are a mix of horse shit, piss and straw!!

Make sure after screeing you use the board to put in some texture for grip. Consider which way primary direction of travel and which way it drains as to which way to which way to place your texture lines. Hope this makes sense. Hard to describe without a drawing.

Mini digger might not be a great idea if you’ve no experience of using one. As others have hinted maybe beyond your skill set and a lot of manual graft which will destroy you if you’re not used to it. Have you also considered disposal of what you dig out, skips are expensive and if you plan to dispose of it on site that’s a lot of wheel barrow trips.

Your instruction list looks pretty good but I agree with the concensus. I wouldn’t want to attempt a near fifty square metre slab as a first concrete project. Maybe do all the donkey work yourself but get some professional help in for the pour and finishing.

Stamp hardcore down by driving over it in hired digger.

I think you need something more aggressive than this. Not suggesting beating it down with the lifeless body of MiL, but a ‘Wacker’ perhaps?

Don’t let the horse stand in it until it’s dry…

Or maybe do, then you will have the ultimate weopon – concrete donkey FTW!

Has she ruled out the quick and reversible alternative, being a dozen or so rubber stable mats? It’s what I put outside our stables & moved to the livery yard when we sold up.

How about cutting out the space then laying this stuff and filling with gravel?

b) blessed with the very rare commodity called the sane MIL.

This suggests that a decent soakaway pit in the middle of the slab excavation with MIL as base will solve this and all future problems.

Or the Clint approach; “A man’s gotta know his limitations”.

Sounds like I best work on the MIL to put her hand in her pocket.. Thanks for confirming my thoughts/fears.

concrete is overkill.

dig out, mot no.1 and wacker plate (or get horse to stomp about).

spend rest of day drinking beer, admiring your handiwork.

concrete is overkill.

dig out, mot no.1 and wacker plate (or get horse to stomp about).

spend rest of day drinking beer, admiring your handiwork.

+1.

How about cutting out the space then laying this stuff and filling with gravel?

From what I remember (it was a long time ago) gravel isn’t a great surface for hooves and I think it can harm them IIRC.

From what I remember (it was a long time ago) gravel isn’t a great surface for hooves and I think it can harm them IIRC

Fair enough, I know very little about horses other than riding lessons for 8 year olds are bloody expensive.

It’s a fair summary of the work required but that’s a heck of a pour for a first time.

Good advice about the fall to drain all the muck.

Don’t use brick to balance your rebar, it’s bad practice, smash up some cheap concrete slabs and use them.

That is a big slab for a first go (DAMHIK….) my ex wife wanted stables and we ended up pouring about 8m3 of concrete in one go – not the first time I’d done it BUT I had to rope in about 6 neighbours to get it done before it went off! Don’t underestimate how well the shuttering needs to be supported either – as others have said, get someone in or you could end up wasting a lot of £££

Mini Digger will be pretty gutless for packing material in, currently using a 14 tonne machine to pack in a forest track because the 7 isn’t up to it (or the stump removal).
Get the spec right and will be a cheap job for someone with the kit.

How happy will she be with a dip in the middle, a lumpy surface with trowel marks and a few surface cracks?

Well if it’s good enough for her make up, it’s good enough for the horse…

Step 1. Dig a BBQ pit hole (with a hired mini digger) slightly bigger than the actual size. Will a foot deep do? It’s on clay that sets rock hard in summer and is a slippery mess in winter.

Step 2. Surround hole with wood.. I’m thinking horse burgers old scaffolding planks? and set with some level to the required height.

Job jobbed 🙂

1) Drink beer.
2) Kill horse.
3) Drink more beer.
4) Make fire and start cooking horse.
5) Drink more beer.
6) Kebab time.

It’ll be reet, crack on.

Please film

^this

She DOES sound like a classic horsey type who thinks underlings feel grateful for being told what to do.

I’d fling her in the stables and drink beer with the horse. You can regale stories of what a nightmare she is while she snuffles around in a nosebag.

welcome to glasgowdans fetish world everyone 😯

You will not pour a 12×4 bay solo. Firstly, even if you can get the lorry right up tight to the shutter it’ll be time for some hand jive on the shovel as it won’t reach the far side all that well. Secondly you need a bit of an eye to lay it before screeding so you don’t and up with half a cube behind the straight edge on the first pull. Thirdly you are not that strong to pull a 2m bay solo let alone a 4m one. Good luck though, fortune favours the brave and all that.

Look up brmca guide to concrete for agricultural purposes, horse shoes are quite abrasive. Get it from one of the big suppliers, Hanson, cement, Tarmac etc, not a small outfit that does not know what it is doing.