To develop an effective sub base, we will need to excavate at least six inches of soil, leaving the area where you will put your arena several inches below the rest of the ground. This process is often referred to as boxing out. This sub-base typically goes on top of compacted soil from the site.
What kind of dirt is used in a horse arena?
Clay-based soil is ideal if it is leveled and compacted. Clay may need to be brought in to provide a good subbase if the regional soil is too sandy or silty. Putting a slight crown on the subbase (raising the center an inch or two and sloping toward the sides) will help water drain away from the arena.
Is sand good footing for horses?
Sand is a great choice for horse arenas because it can be combined with topsoil, wood chips, rubber, and other materials to create the ideal surface. For example, topsoil or wood can be combined with our sand to improve moisture retention. Rubber can be added to increase padding for horse hooves.
How much arena footing do I need?
The depth of arena footing sand depends on the sand quality and the riding discipline. Usually, 3-4 inches of a fine sand is used for dressage and jumping arenas with a geotextile sand additive. For plain sand arenas, 2-3 inches of a fine sand is recommended.
What can I use for horse arena footing?
Sand is often one of the cheapest materials to use for arena footing material, yet the hard, angular, washed sand that is most suitable as a riding surface is among the most expensive sands.
What is a good size for an outdoor horse arena?
Size. The most popular arena size is 40x20m, while those dedicated to dressage may opt for a 60x20m layout. For jumping arenas, extra width is recommended. “Even 40x25m makes a difference to where you can site jumps, so I always advise people to go for the extra five metres if they can,” says Steve.
How deep should arena footing be for horses?
For the footing, 2 to 4 inches atop the base is fairly standard. For the most active sports (cow horse, roping, barrel racing), the deeper footing may be best, while the shallower depths work for reining and other Western sports.
What is the best footing for a horse paddock?
Rock products, also known as sand and gravel, are a great choice for paddock footing because they are extremely slow to break down, don’t hold moisture or bacteria, and can be supported for a stronger base.
How do you make arena footing?
How to Add Footing to an Arena – ABI Dirt
Is masonry sand good for arenas?
Masonry sand is super fine and used to make mortar for laying bricks. We have triple washed concrete sand in our indoor arena, but it is a bit too light for outside arenas in our very windy country.
What sand should I use for a horse arena?
Silica sand is commonly used for horse arenas due to the hardness of the sand particle. It is a natural sand that resists weather and breakdown due to the hardness so lasts longer as an arena or track footing. The sub-angular sand particles will lessen the ability to compact and provide traction under hoof.
Is Mason sand good for horse arenas?
This is a great option to start out with for dressage and jumping horses, particularly if you intend to optimize the footing with a textile additive like TruTex. In some cases, a well balanced concrete sand can work but typically, mason sand is easier to stabilize.
Is River sand good for horse arena?
Some sand particles, such as beach and river sand, are extremely round. On the other hand, some sand, such as quartz sand from a quarry, is more angular and sharp. Both can be useful, as angular sand provides more stability while the round sand provides more cushioning.
How many tons of sand do you need for an arena?
You need 96 tons for an average depth of 2 inches, You will need 144 tons for a 3 inch average depth.
How many yards of sand do you need for an arena?
The U.S. Dressage Federation’s 2000 brochure on arena construction, “Under Foot,” gives this useful sand calculation: arena length x arena width x desired depth of sand/324 = cubic yards of sand needed.
What is arena footing?
View Footing Products. Good Horse Arena Footing is a springy surface with good traction and no dust.
What level should a riding arena be?
Instead, your arena needs a hard, durable base layer that’s about half a foot deep, with a top layer of 2.5 inches to 3 inches, depending on your preferences and the event you’re interested in doing.
How much fall should a horse arena have?
There should be ideally about 1% fall. As I said above, if on flat ground, the arena must be lifted and domed slightly by the grader when preparing for the surface.
How big is the average outdoor riding arena?
#2: Arena Size Matters
Generally speaking, dressage arenas are smaller than those designed for jumping. A competition sized standard dressage arena is 20 meters by 60 meters (12,915 square feet) while a jumping arena may need to be 100′ by 200′ (20,000 square feet) to accommodate a full course.
How deep should menage sand be?
You need to allow for a depth of at least 50mm, preferably 100mm.
How much does sand cost for a riding arena?
Sand. To get decent footing for your arena, you can expect to spend around $1 to $2 per square foot. Sand footing is probably the most common and diverse of these materials and most arenas are going to have some sand included in their footing composition.
How do you store sand in an arena?
Arena Maintenance Goals
- Keep sand particles and footing products mixed.
- Loosen a compact surface.
- Tighten a loose surface.
- Level out the surface – divots, deep/shallow spots, hard spots, etc.
- Eliminate ruts in high traffic areas.
- Pull in migrating materials.
- Minimize dust and promote drainage.
What size gravel is best for horses?
For horse paddocks it’s best in the 5/8 and slightly smaller varieties. Pea gravel has become popular in recent years for the top layer of horse paddocks. Most horses will roll and sleep in it and it’s fairly easy on hooves—even barefoot ones.
Can horses walk on gravel?
The barefoot life won’t work for a horse that lives in a stall or small pen, soft grassy pasture or wet conditions. This is especially true if you then ride your horse on gravel roads or rocky terrain. The horse will quickly become tender-footed or go lame from stone bruising.
How do you fix a muddy horse paddock?
3 Ways to Fix a Muddy Pasture
- Add Wood Chips. Try to address mud issues by adding wood chips to areas where your horses typically congregate.
- Invest in Gravel. This might seem like a lot of work, but it can be well worth it!
- Stick with Sand.
What is Arena sand?
This type of sand is extremely resistant to breakdown due to its chemical hardness and will last longer in arena footing. These hard sand particles have been transported and tumbled by water, making them round or sub-angular in shape.
