The one here has terrible footing that I think was the old rail bed... deep pea gravel that was like walking on tiny marbles that moved around under horse's feet. We actually tried to get down off the track bed and ride alongside it was so bad. Is that not what it's like where you are?
No baby yet?
We have a similar problem with bad footing, but it's the other extreme. The roadbed is made up of big rough chunks of limestone rock, slightly bigger than a golfball. Just the right size to make a really nice stone bruise. I think the railroad just used whatever local rock was available. Yours happened to be pea gravel, mine was small boulders. ;o) Luckily the Parks and Rec dept of the small town where it's located has raised enough money to do some nice improvements like grading and there are plans to lay down a nice thick bed of fine crusher-run or rock dust. I posted pictures of it a while back but I don't remember the post numbers but I think it was on Thread Two.