Category Archives: A New Homestead

Got Sand???? Why Yes… Maybe Too Much!!

Another episode from the new homestead in Wisconsin…

We had 13 yards of sand delivered yesterday. I had no idea how much 13 yards of sand was and as I sat waiting for the truck to arrive, I silently hoped I had enough! Now I know that 13 yards is a dump truck load of sand and quite honestly… way too much!

So, once the load of sand was dumped… we began moving wheel barrow load upon wheel barrow load into one of the box stalls. The stall was way too low and needed built up. I thought we were getting a mix of soil and sand, which would have packed down nicely… but we got beautiful volleyball court sugar sand… and A LOT OF IT! We moved and raked many yards of sand into the stall and it built up nicely… until the horse and the cow walked in… Now, I find myself out there raking the deep hoof marks flat and wonder if I haven’t made the first mistake on our new homestead.

Perhaps sand wasn’t the best choice… now that we have enough to create an Olympic size volley ball court! It packs down well enough beneath rubber mats, but the moment hooves touch the bare sand (without a mat), there are big dig marks in it and the horse seems unsteady. (He had bad fetlocks) We are leaning towards digging about half out of the stall and putting shavings on top of the sand.

I sat down and researched it a bit tonight and realized how rash of a decision I made. I called for top soil and woman I spoke to shared that many use sand to build up box stalls for horses. I planned on putting rubber mats down where the horse eats… and we feed hay outside… so while I wondered about sand colic, it wasn’t my biggest concern. My concern is that the cow and horse sink in the sand much like the wheel barrow does in the picture above.

Have any of you used sand to build up a box stall? I figure we moved enough sand to build it up about 8 inches… maybe I should have done it in stages? It was damp when when moved it into the stall… as it dries I find that it is FINE FINE FINE sand. I’m really thinking we need to dig about half of it out and move that to the other big box stall and then put pine shavings on top of the sand.

Ok, what are your thoughts?? I had great feedback on the pasture blog and I’m working pulling the big weeds and mowing the rest down for a reseeding this winter/spring. Now… I’m looking to all of you to see what you think I should do with this sandy mess I’ve made for myself… and if I dig it out… any suggestions on what to do with the 13 yards of sand??? HAHAHA… If you look at the pictures below, you can see the depth the hooves sink into the sand. Maybe I am worrying about nothing and it will all work out well. I’ve read about how sand dries out the hooves too… so much I should have considered before delivery!!

By the way – we will be filling up some sand bags for weight in the back of my truck when it snows this coming winter!!!

Any and all thoughts are welcome… and as always… Happy Homesteading!!!!

Creating a Healthy Pasture for Livestock

Now that we are getting unpacked and finding time to walk the property, we’re seeing the weed growth that has taken hold in the two pastures here on the new homestead. Weeds have taken over where nice grasses once lived and I find myself seeing the need to lay the groundwork now for a healthy pasture this fall and into next spring.

The horse is still on the skinny side from the move across the country and then moving from the boarding place to the forever homestead. We find the need to feed him hay from our newly purchased winter hay stash and it’s only September. While we know we’ll be needed to call the hay guy for another hundred bales or so… we are also looking ahead to see what will need to be done for next spring to get the pastures healthy enough to support livestock next year. So many questions arise! Do we rent a tractor and till up the land and plant fresh for next year or do we seed right on top of what’s there and see what takes root?

Much of the arena is sand based and is in need of top soil if it will host alf alfa or clover. The horse loves to stay in the soft sandy areas because of his dropped fetlocks and the cushion it seems to provide his hooves. The larger area is very wooded and has a lot of fallen branches to clean up, as well as some trees that need to come down so sunlight can reach the seeds and encourage growth. I know that all of this will take time and much planning, yet being a typical modern day American… I want it all done NOW!!! hahaha…

I am resisting the urge to just go in there and til it all under… my concern is that the soil that is there will run off with a good rain due to the sloping nature of our parcel. I’m leaning toward taking our time and pulling the large weeds that have grown into the fence line as well as the weeds that have crowded out the grass in certain areas. Perhaps with that done, we’ll be able to germinate some seeds this coming spring and begin the process of creating a healthy pasture for Cookie cow and Do the horse.

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome!!!! Happy Homesteading!!