Any issues with horses and cedar mulch?

[Wait4It..boom]

Hubbie wants to bring in a large quantity of cedar mulch for under the awning of our barn as a short term fix until we figure out how to really grate and level the area. We've been slowly adding dirt but it's not compacted well yet, so any rain (including the one we just had) was enough to turn some areas to soup and wash our hard work away. The 'soup' is now frozen, unlevel from the horses walking on it, and crunchy.
Anyone know of issues with cedar mulch around horses? The horses do have access to this area and will be walking/standing on it as well.

 

[highnote]

I would be curious to know where you purchase your cedar mulch from?
We buy it in bags at lowes but it is very expensive (compared to a truckload). We will need a lot in the spring and I'd like to order it in bulk.

For your application, I wouldn't suggest using mulch. It will hold water and become a soupy, sloppy mess. It will probably make more of a mess than what you already have. When wet mulch freezes wit will become even more uneven and will be very difficult for the horses to walk on, because when the mulch pieces freeze it could be like walking on a bunch of giant splinters.

If it was me and I just needed a temporary solution, I'd put a load of recycled asphalt there. You can get a dump truck load for just over $200. The asphalt won't hold water like the mulch will.

How much do you need? Do you have a tractor with a bucket or some way to move/spread it?

I'm getting ready to order a load for some projects we have. If you don't need an entire load, PM me, we might have some leftovers and be able to work something out.

 

[paintedpony1234]

We used pine mulch last year, and we put it on all the areas we planted grass seed and the grass grew nice there. The pine mulch is very tenuous and doesn't break down easily. It will hold the soil well.

This year we brought in recycled asphalt. You want someone to compact it for you.