Permeable ground stabilizing tiles

Equine facilities use Paddock Slabs as part of a superior footing solution. Cattle producers use it to prevent mud around water stations, gates, handling facilities and high traffic areas. Landscapers use it to create load bearing surfaces that are also permeable and guard against erosion. Architects use it as part of a green design for both it's aesthetics and its ability to hold materials in place and control erosion.

loading class SLW 60 according to DIN 1072 with a max. wheel load of 100kN

Paddock Slab - Technical Data Sheet.pdf

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Paddock Slab Applications:

Equine Footing

• Round Pens
• Longing Pens
• Dressage Arenas
• Jumping Arenas
• Riding Arenas
• Paddocks and Turn-outs

Livestock Footing

• Paddocks
• Loafing Pens
• Working areas
• Feed Areas
• High traffic areas
• Entrances and gates
• Reduce bedding costs
• Farrowing huts

Landscape Design and Maintenance

• Road maintenance
• Water management
• Turn-around areas
• Slope reinforcement
• Gravel driveways
• Parking Areas
• Temporary parking
• Erosion Control
• Hot tub foundation
• Mud Control
• Loading Areas
• Pond and riverbank reinforcing
• Permeable paving
• Green roof

Equine Footing

Paddock Slabs solve your footing challenges by providing outstanding support for both your animals and the footing material itself. Additionally, Paddock Slabs act as a barrier, separating your footing material  layer from the foundation materials below. This ensures that your valuable footing materials are not prematurely contaminated with gravel and dirt.

The perforated Paddock Slab also allows for excellent drainage to ensure that your footing materials do not become waterlogged. And because Paddock Slab supports the vehicles, people and animals that traverse it, the foundation materials will remain uncompressed and porous allowing for continued superior drainage.

Making a good footing foundation

A good base foundation will provide firm support and effective drainage. The depth of this base depends on what the arena will be used for and how much water the facility may need to absorb. the base should be graded so that water will not pool.

Firmness: While dressage events are good with a base of 4 to 6 inches in depth, jumping events need a deeper 12” base to provide a firm surface for the horses to generate power.

Drainage: Each of the three base layers, Paddock Slab, Stone Chips, and Gravel, are designed to provide both a firm consistent footing foundation and a porous substrate capable of shedding water from the arena. Recommend the use of 1 to 2” of sub-angular particles for the leveling layer as a good balance between stability and porosity.

Level: While the arena should have a slight grade of 1 to 2% to ensure proper drainage, it is important that the foundation is smooth and on the same plane.

If installed correctly the horse and rider can expect to enjoy consistent quality footing anywhere in the arena. This will result in increased confidence and performance while maintaining equine soundness.

Paddock slab installation methods for equine uses:

There are several methods of installing your Paddock Slab. Select your method based on your footing goals.

Simple Slab 

The Paddock Slab grid system is laid directly on the natural soil: just remove the top layer (turf or mud) and grade a slope between 1% and 2%. This installation is designed for those looking for good footing with a minimal amount of site labor. Not recommended for sites with poor drainage

NOTE: When you lay Paddock Slab directly on the sub-base (existing ground) the surface drainage will not improve beyond the capacity of the grid installation. If the existing ground is water-permeable, the surface water will continue to drain away. If the ground is limey or clayey, through which surface water could not drain away beforehand, surface water will not be able to drain away after installation either. The water will simply fill the grid. If the volume of water exceeds the capacity of the grid the surface footing will be affected.

Simple Slab + 

The Simple Slab + is the same as the previous design with the addition of a geosynthetic textile layer. The geosynthetic textile layer allows water to flow down into the ground without allowing surface materials to be pushed into the soil, or soil elements to percolate up into the leveling layer or footing. 

Horseman Paddock Slab footing 

This footing adds a 3 to 5 cm leveling layer of stone chips. The leveling layer ensures that the Paddock Slab layer, and the subsequent footing layer, is level. It is best if a laser level is used to assist in its installation. This layer should be compacted with a roller or plate vibrator. In addition to providing a superior base this layer will also contribute to the ability to manage rain or storm water.

Professional Paddock Slab footing 

This footing adds a 10 to 25 cm base layer of broken stone or gravel. The thicker this layer is, the better it will drain and ensure that your footing can be consistently maintained. The leveling layer above does not need to be as thick as described in the Horseman footing. The gravel  layer can be roughly leveled as the leveling layer should provide the level that you require before installing the Paddock Slab.

A brief description of the component footing layers:

• Natural Soil (sub-base): After you remove turf and mud, grade to ensure good drainage.
• Geosynthetic textile: A manufactured fabric that creates a separation and stabilizing layer between the sub base and footing layers. This fabric additionally allows drainage and ground material reinforcement.
• Gravel: The gravel layer provides structure and porosity. Select depth based on arena use as well as the anticipate drainage requirements. While dressage events are good with a base of 4" to 6"  in depth, jumping events need a deeper 12” base to provide a firm surface for the horses to generate power.
• Stone Chips: provide a firm level surface to support your paddock slabs. The stone chips (also called screening) should be compacted to near concrete hardness to provide a firm level surface for your footing. The near solid leveling layer combined with the stable Paddock Slab layer will minimize the opportunity for any gravel to find its way into the footing.
• Footing Materials: There are a wide range of materials and recipes for creating footing include ingredients such as sand, wood products, rubber, stone dust, textiles, and topsoil. There are pros and cons for each ingredient. Additionally the recipe and depth of footing you require will vary with the discipline of riding that you are performing as well as the site and personal preferences. The goal is to create a footing that can provide the rider with consistent traction and absorption for the event being performed.

NOTE: The size and shape of the particles being used will affect the ability of the resulting footing to provide traction and absorption. Round particles of a consistent size will offer little traction and will need to be deep to absorb the energy of the horse and rider. Sharp angular particles of a wide range of sizes will offer lots of traction but will compact quickly and not offer sufficient absorption. Sub-angular particles of similar size offer the best option.

If all of these elements are taken into consideration the horse and rider can expect to enjoy consistent quality footing anywhere in the arena. This will result in increased confidence and performance while maintaining equine soundness.

A successful arena surface is no better than the underlying foundation. With Paddock Slab’s exceptional combination of structural support and porosity your footing is ready to shine.

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Additional reading:

The following two essays provide an in depth discussion on the many footing material options available:

• Riding Arena Footing Material Selection and Management by Eileen Fabian Wheeler and Jennifer Zajaczkowski

• Horse Arena Footing by Jody Gilbert

Horse Paddocks and turn-outs

Paddock Slab for cattle producers

Maintaining a profitable livestock operation has a lot to do with keeping your livestock happy and healthy. The condition of the ground can have a significant impact on the health and happiness of your livestock.

According to beef cattle specialist Jane Perish of Mississippi State University; “In feed areas with mild mud conditions, just 4 to 8 inches of mud, cattle dry matter intake is reduced by 15% versus what it would be under the same conditions without any mud. When severe mud conditions are present, 1 foot or more of mud, dry matter intake plummets by 30% relative to the same conditions without any mud. It is no wonder that it becomes challenging to maintain good body condition on cows and desirable weight gains on calves when mud is all around” These results, which are echoed in several studies, are significant.

But feeding areas are not the only areas that you should consider. Mud is often present in holding pens, feed and water areas, handling areas and high traffic areas such as alleys and gates. Here are some of the ways mud can have a detrimental effect on your livestock:

Higher Feed Costs

• Muddy conditions make it difficult for livestock to move around. This requires more energy. This results in slower growth rates and higher feed costs.
• When cows become wet and muddy it takes more energy for them to maintain their core temperature. This results in slower growth rates and higher feed costs

Higher Vet Costs

• Muddy Conditions are breeding grounds for pathogens, This can result in higher vet costs or loss of income due to death
• Wet and muddy hooves are at a higher risk of foot problems such as hoof rot. Higher vet costs/higher maintenance costs

Lower production Numbers

• Muddy conditions make it more difficult to mount and breed. This results in lower production
• Calving in muddy conditions can significantly increase mortality rates (hypothermia, trapped in mud, presence of pathogens).Remember that mud is much deeper on calves than it is on adult stock.
• Calves feeding on muddy udders are prone to illness.
• In extreme cases animals can become stuck in the mud where, if not discovered, they may die

Higher animal stress

• Stress causes lower growth rates, lower productivity, and greater susceptibility to disease

Higher handling and maintenance costs

• In addition to the obvious risk of injury livestock move cautiously through mud making handling cattle both slower and more dangerous. The already stressed cattle often incur further stress as handlers try and push the hesitant animals through the handling system

Hold Your Ground

If efficiency and safety are important to your livestock operation you should consider the value of laying Paddock Slab tiles in your working alleys and handling system.

Livestock are very sensitive to their surrounding environment and stable footing is a big part of that. Paddock Slab will ensure that your livestock can move safely and confidently. This means faster handling and fewer opportunities for injury.

The grid is porous allowing rainwater and runoff to percolate through the grid and into the ground below. The helps maintain a dry and stable footing for your livestock and reduce the opportunity for injury or hoof disease.

The Paddock Slab tiles act like a snowshoe providing spectacular load carrying capacity so you can be confident driving over ground stabilized with Paddock Slab tiles.

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Paddock Slab for Driveways and Parking

Gravel driveways are inexpensive to install when compared with cement, asphalt, and paving stones.

Traditional gravel drives however require regular maintenance including frequent grading and top dressing. If maintenance is not performed your gravel drive will soon deteriorate.

Because gravel is loose and bearing the full weight of the vehicles it has a tendency to get pushed laterally creating raised berms on the edge of the drive which traps water on the surface of the drive. Over time vehicle loads are transferred through the tires to break down and compress the gravel, creating non-porous low spots in the drive. Water, unable to drain to the edges of the drive finds its way to the low spots to form puddles. The newly formed puddles soften the fabric of the driveway and the low spots quickly transform into potholes.

Once a bump or depression is created in your gravel driveway it will only get worse as driving over these will cause vehicles to bounce. This motion can cause the ridges and ruts to grow into a series of potholes or washboards.

Unfortunately the only way to properly fix potholes is to scrape the entire area down to the depth of the deepest pothole and then re-grade the entire area. This can be a very laborious task particularly if you don’t have the right equipment. Additionally, when winter comes it becomes a challenge to clear snow from the undulating surface without distributing the gravel onto the neighboring yard.

If however you build your gravel driveway with Paddock Slab you can minimize your maintenance and extend the life of your gravel drive. Paddock Slab triumphs where gravel alone fails.

• Paddock Slabs’ cellular structure holds gravel in place ensuring that the gravel doesn’t get pushed to the driveway edges.
• The resilient structural grid acts like a snowshoe providing enormous load bearing capacity and defending against the formation of ruts
• Since the paddock slabs bear the load instead of the gravel, the gravel is not being compressed.
• Because the gravel filling the cells is not compressed it remains porous which ensures faster absorption of rain.
• Erosion is minimized as the cell walls of the paddock slab resist erosion from lateral water flow
• The linked tiles form a singular smooth sheet. Say good bye to bouncy pot holes

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 Green Parking

As expressed in the discussion above on driveways, the paddock slab supports the vehicle load so that the gravel does not get depressed. This also allows us to fill the cells with soil and seed it with grass for a green driveway. 

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Paddock Slab for trails and paths

Horse trails, bike paths, and most any natural route that sees a lot of traffic can fall prey to erosion and mud. Use paddock slab to offer support while also allowing superior drainage with minimal erosion damage.

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Erosion Control and Slope Stabilization

Slopes, such as those found along streams, rivers and canals are often damaged by erosion as the unprotected slopes develop channels and ruts caused by run-off. In the process the runoff pollutes our waterways by carrying soil particles and organic matter into our waterways. Add livestock and the erosion process becomes accelerated.

Porous foundation

Foundation Support

Landscapers use Paddock Slabs to create load bearing surfaces that are also permeable and guard against erosion. Paddock Slabs offer remarkable support. The grids act similarly to a pair of snowshoes in their ability to transfer loads over a large area. For this reason they offer a more affordable alternative to installing a concrete slab. Combine the paddock slab with a gravel base makes a great solution for supporting hot tubs and garden sheds. The porous nature helps to reduce rot.

Paddock slabs provide the perfect foundation for hot tubs; easy to install, low cost, high load capacity, and porous.

loading class SLW 60 according to DIN 1072 with a max. wheel load of 100kN

Paddock Slab reinforces slopes and protects waterways.

• Paddock Slab reinforces the ground and prevents the excessive migration of fill materials
• Paddock Slab’s cellular structure holds fill materials while preventing the development of streams
• Paddock Slab provides a permeable surface to assist in ground water absorption which decreases water runoff and transportation of materials into our waterways.
• Paddock Slab provides support and prevents wear and compression from livestock activity. Compression of soils lowers the ability of the soil to absorb water leading to the creation of mud and higher levels of runoff

Paddock slabs handle slopes so well that they are even used architecturally as part of a green roof system.

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Temporary Ground Stabilization & Protection

There are a wide range of temporary events where foot and vehicle traffic can quickly turn a pristine landscape into a muddy quagmire. Be prepared by installing Paddock Slab wherever you need to protect the landscape. This will keep your guests and participants happy and dry and will minimize costly repair efforts required at the close of your event.

If you’re hosting an event such as a wedding, family reunion, or farm tour, Paddock Slab can quickly be installed to protect both your guests and your property.

• Turn your lawn into a temporary parking lot
• Create a temporary path and keep your guests dry and your landscape protected
• Create pads for your guests to park their motor-homes

Some other events that can benefit from a temporary ground protection solution are trade shows, festivals, fairs, concerts, weddings, funerals, celebrations, anniversaries, reunions, sporting events, crowd control, farm tours, etc.

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Kennel Floor

Cover your dog run floor with paddock slabs to inhibit your dogs from digging. The porous nature helps to dissipate urine.

Alternate Terms

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