What is a horse arena used for?

What is a horse arena made out of?

The Base: This is the foundation, which is often made of clay, that your arena is built on. Without a solid base, horses will not have the support they need to avoid injury. The Subsurface: This layer is usually made of or mixed with sand or some type of manufactured material.

How do you build a rain garden around a horse arena?

Firstly, you want to create a gentle fall so that water is encouraged off the arena. The most common approach is to create a modest crown down the centre line, and have drains running along each side to collect the water and carry it away. Rainfall will run through the soft top surface to the compacted layer beneath.

What are the different types of wood products used in horse arena?

A wide variety of wood products are seen in arenas including shavings, sawdust, hogfuel, chips, shredded bark and shredded fibers. Wood is often mixed in with sand to help with dust. Wood can hold moisture in the footing, therefore helping with dust issues; and can also slow down the breakdown of sand particles.

What are the benefits of an indoor horse arena?

An indoor horse arena is a large project and a significant expense to be sure but one that will pay off in enormous advantages and benefits in the long run. Indoor riding arenas offer safe, controlled environments to ride and train year round regardless of weather conditions.

How do I choose the right riding arena?

For example, arenas used for reining or cutting generally need a deeper layer than those designed for jumpers and dressage horses. At the least, talk to owners of arenas in your areas and arrange to ride in their arenas if possible, asking about good and bad points of the surfaces they have installed.

What to do with topsoil from a horse arena?

A series of herringbone drains can be installed across an arena to carry water to the outsides. The big dig: a byproduct of arena construction is a large quantity of topsoil. It will cost to cart it away so consider ways of putting it to use. Perhaps it could be shaped into a bund to provide shelter for your arena or home?

How do you water a horse arena?

A heavy-duty garden hose with a high-velocity spray nozzle is probably the lowest-budget solution to putting water on an arena surface. Most barns already have this equipment on hand. However, this option can be costly due to labor.

How do you fill a horse arena with gravel?

Lay 80mm or 100mm diameter drainage pipes inside the arena trenches and fill to the surface with 20mm pea gravel. If the ground is sandy or contains silt, the pipes must be wrapped in a membrane to stop the small particles blocking the drain.

How does a horse arena sprinkler system work?

Each sprinkler head rotates a set distance and throws water a specific radius from its center. With this method, the length of time required to water the arena is dramatically reduced. Still, this option does require someone to monitor the amount of water applied.

How to maintain a horse riding arena?

How to maintain horse riding arenas? Remove weeds quickly before they penetrate your membrane layers. Harrow regularly (once a week, subject to usage) to maintain a level surface and stop the topping from migrating to the edge or the centre. Allow surface water to clear before using.

Do I need a permit to build a horse arena?

Getting a permit for an arena might sound like overkill, but most counties require at least a grading permit if a certain amount of land is disturbed. You may also need an erosion and sediment control permit. You may not think you are disturbing that much land, but you will disturb twice as much earth as the size of your arena.

What is a horse arena base made of?

The base supports the weight and concussion of the horse traffic and is essentially the foundation for the arena. It also provides protection to the subbase. Base material can be of limestone, bluestone, or whitestone composition.

How to build a horse arena in your backyard?

Consider a property that allows you to build your structure running north to south. This prevents the sunlight from harming both the rider and the horse’s sight. Choose a plot of land that, while away from the busy road, is easy to get to with ample space for visitors to park their cars near the arena and any other structure.

How long do you ride your horse in the arena?

Underneath the grass, the ground is pretty sandy so, while it is firm, it’s not rock hard. But, no more real arena work than I do (working circles at 3 gaits maybe 30-45 minutes on each horse per day), it works fine for me.

How do I choose the right footing for my horse?

Whatever surface you choose the aim should be the same – a surface with consistent, safe footing which provides both vertical and horizontal support and allows the horse to maximise performance with the least amount of stress and strain.

Can you use wood in an arena?

It can be used alone or mixed with sand. A wide variety of wood products are seen in arenas including shavings, sawdust, hogfuel, chips, shredded bark and shredded fibers. Wood is often mixed in with sand to help with dust.

What should I look for when buying a new horse arena?

What you should know: of all the arena surfaces, wood chip and wood fibre are the least durable and have the shortest lifespan. Another disadvantage of wood chip is that it can become slippery when it dries out, so it needs regular watering. If the drainage conditions are not good, the arena can also become waterlogged.

What kind of arena should I build for my horse?

This bulletin focuses on arenas that have a moderate to high amount of horse traffic, such as at a commercial facility. A private backyard arena, used once or twice per week, would be exposed to much less wear and tear and may suffice with a simple arena design.

What is the difference between an outdoor and an indoor arena?

An outdoor riding arena is cheaper; however, an indoor riding arena will ensure a longer lasting arena with less damage caused by heavy rain. What will your horse arena be used for? What size did you want? The standard indoor dressage arena size is 60-metres by 20-metres. This is the same size used for Olympic and Grand Prix equestrian events.

What is the best irrigation system for a horse arena?

More automated systems include ceiling- or post-mounted spray nozzles and self-traveling irrigation. Hand-held hose watering takes considerable time and is variable in uniformity of moisture addition. The benefit is that the person watering can treat wet or dry patches of arena surface with more or less water.