What is the best surface for a horse arena?

Sand
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 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.

How deep should the sand be in an arena?

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.

How much fall should a horse arena have?

You must have a fall and that should slope away to where your water drainage direction will be. 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.

Can I use concrete sand for a horse arena?

Masonry Sand is widely available and mixes well with crumb rubber products such as Prostride Arena Footing. Concrete Sand: Particles are usually sub-angular to angular in shape and tend to be larger in size. The particle size ranges between 2.0mm (#10 sieve) 0.3mm (#50 sieve).

What is the best footing for an outdoor arena?

Choosing Footing for Your Outdoor Arena

Plasticity Index – A measure of the soil’s density.
Clay – The finest soil particle.
Sand – The largest soil particle.
Loam – A medium-sized soil particle.
Hard Pan – A layer of extremely hard-packed soil.

How often should you drag an arena?

An arena should be dragged as soon as any of ruts or holes appear. How frequently an arena needs to be dragged depends primarily on how many horses work on it. A personal arena that has one or two horses work per day may only need to be dragged once a week. A busy lesson barn’s arena may need dragging every day.

How much does sand cost for an arena?

Arena Footing Cost

Material	Price Per Square Foot
Sand	$1 – $2
Synthetic Mats	$0.50 – $2
Wood Mulch	$0.50 – $0.75
Rubber Mats/Mulch	$1.50 – $4

What is the best sand for an arena?

Angular sand provides better stability than rounded sand particles, which behave similar to millions of ball bearings underfoot. 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.

Is River sand good for horse arena?

Some sand particles, such as beach and river sand, are extremely round. Both can be useful, as angular sand provides more stability while the round sand provides more cushioning. A combination of both, along with other materials, will let your horses work well.

How long does it take for Arena to settle?

It will take at least three months of regular watering before your new arena surface is completely settled. During this period, we recommend that you avoid heavy impact activities, such as lunging or jumping.

Do you need planning permission for a horse arena?

Planning permission is required for any permanent equestrian construction including stables, a permanent field shelter, or an arena, and it may even be required to simply keep horses/ponies in a field.

How is G90 membrane used in riding arenas?

The use of G90 membrane also helps prevent the sub-soil the arena is built on from migrating upwards and contaminating the arena sub-base. The NW8 geotextile membrane is used to seperate the upper surface (i.e. sand and rubber) from the sub-base below.

What kind of membrane is used in an arena?

Typically there are two types of membrane required for an arena, the Woven G90 and the Non-Woven NW8. The G90 is designed to go directly below the arena sub-base to separate the sub-base from the drainage system below. This prevents any fine material from the upper surface entering the drainage system and potentially creating a blockage.

Why are there holes in riding arena membranes?

It is critical that there are no gaps or holes in the membranes once laid to prevent material working its way underneath which is the prime cause of membranes coming to the surface. We often speak to customers who have opted out of having a membrane as they have seen other arenas where the membrane has started to appear on the surface.

How is the NW8 geotextile membrane used in a riding arena?

The NW8 geotextile membrane is used to seperate the upper surface (i.e. sand and rubber) from the sub-base below. Seperation of the two layers is critical to prevent stones from rising to the surface and also to prevent the upper surface from disappearing into the sub-base below.

What is the best surface for a horse arena? Sand 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…