Footing?

[O So]

I am going to be able to build an arena in the near future.

I am kind of excited about it! LOL Anyway, I was wondering what I should use for the footing? I have heard of people using sand. I also heard something about DE but I'm not sure if they were speaking of just using it in the stables, or if they used it in the arena too?

The arena is only going to be for my mini! I have no big horses so I won't need to worry about being on the back of a horse when in it! It will be for exercising O So only!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[sedeh]

Sounds exciting! I think you're talking about DG...which is decomposed granite. I don't know how big of an arena you're looking at or what your natural base is. Some people like to put down DG as a base and compact it and then put sand on top. I have what they call "reject" sand in my round pen. It's a little coarser than regular sand and I like it. Don't go too deep whatever you do!! The minis really only need 1-2 inches of footing and after that it's too deep for them...especially if they're pulling a cart. Good luck with it!

 

[RhineStone]

We have a clay base and wood shavings over that. The wood shavings are like landscape mulch, not the fine stuff you put in stalls. The clay provides a hard enough surface to drive on, while the mulch provides a bit of spring and keeps the dust down without being slippery if you water it.

There are some other surface materials available that are geared toward riding horses, but are not good for driving vehicles. I saw one at WEG that was so fine that it would have stuck to vehicles and got in the brakes and bearings, too.

If I could, I would have grass in my indoor!

In good condition, it is the best surface to drive on. There is no sliding around and it is still "springy".

 

[O So]

Right now it is just normal old dirt! LOL Currently there is a doughboy pool sitting in it's spot! LOL, once we sell the pool, we can begin the process of building the arena. We are going to be recycling the deck boards to use for the arena fence boards!

It is going to be a pretty small scale arena and I should probably not call it that, but it won't be round so I can't call it a round pen either! LOL It is going to be bigger then the area I am exercising him in right now though! All I did for his current area was just till the dirt to make a loose dirt footing.

The new arena will be approximately 20x34. It's small but I think it will fit the bill for what I want to do with it! I will always have to go to the stables to get O So some really good running but this will at least allow me to get him to do a nice gallop at home! Right now in his current exercise area I can get a nice trot, but a gallop is pushing it! I only have a little over an acre of land, so everything is in a small scale here! Even O So! LOL Sure wish I could move to a bigger property, but hubby loves where we are now. Oh well, I'm making it work!

 

[Fanch]

I can also say that the best thing to drive on is grass! I've had 2 grass arenas in the past 5 years and compared to everything else I've driven on they are by far the nicest. If you smooth out the dirt and let it sit to settle, then plant grass you can have a funcional arena within the same year!

Only downside- you gotta mow it and if it gets REALLY wet its a pain.

 

[LindaL]

Interesting that a few of you have said grass is the best footing. I recently moved to Florida where of course the "dirt" is sand. lol I have an outdoor arena which is grass right now and I was thinking that I wanted to try to kill off the grass around the edges, but...maybe not. Now, I see that the footing would be "soft but firm" with the grass on top of the sand.

(Now I just need to get rid of the freaking armadillo who keeps digging in there!

)

 

[O So]

I was wrong on the size! LOL I was out cleaning the pool and I did a (my) foot estimate. It will be approximately 26' by 35ish feet.

I am not going to be driving in it! I believe it will be to small for that. It's main purpose will be for having O So exercise, most likely free lunge. I will also be using it to eventually train him to jump and do obstacles!

I was thinking of having grass in the center area and in the outside edge (where he will be doing his trotting and cantering) I was going to do dirt and sand mix or maybe DG mixed with the dirt! I figure I can use the grass area for grazing from time to time too! That will allow me to close him off of another lot while it grows, but yet gives him plenty of room to run and play still!

 

[RhineStone]

What size lot do you have him in on a daily basis?

 

[O So]

What size lot do you have him in on a daily basis?

My whole property is a little over an acre. I would say he has a little over a half acre split into 3 different lots. 2 are connected but I have a gate I can shut him out of one or the other. Then there is a concrete driveway that separates the 3rd lot, which will house the small arena. That lot will still have about 30 ft or so of land left after we put the arena in. It has plum trees and a few other fruit type trees in it, and a small garden. That is why the arena has to be kind of on the small side too, I don't want to cut the trees down! The other 1/2 acre is all concrete leading to my hubby's garage! So it is not much for O So, even though he can go over there if I allow him to.

He spends the majority of his time in the 2 connected lots, but I don't know a total size, guessing, maybe 1/4 of an acre? The 2 lots together are bigger then the 3rd lot, but are separated by a small barn. So for him to get to one or the other, he has to walk or run, lol, behind the barn down a 4ft path.

It's not much but we make it work!