# Building an outdoor arena?



## Mimi2610 (24 February 2011)

My landlord has offered me land on a lease basis to build a yard on and I have been looking into building the arena....the prices!

Between ourselves and the landlord we have the right tools for the job for building and maintaining it but was wondering what surface, wood chip or silica/rubber?
It would need to stand upto several hours of work a day. Also does anyone know of good supplier in Scotland/ North England for either?

Much appreciated!


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## Pippin79 (24 February 2011)

I wouldn't go for woodchip personally.  We used to have a woodchip arena as used initially as so much cheaper, but it only lasted about a year.  It went to mulch in the rain, was slippery and in places ended up really boggy.  We ripped it all out and put a sand and rubber school in - makes so much difference!

I would try to use the best quality sand you can afford, it makes so much difference to how deep the school gets and how much maintenance it needs.  The rubber strips work well too if you can get hold of them, Belvoir Rubber do them I know. They sit on the top of the sand and knit together rather than mixing in which also helps stop it getting too deep.

Good luck - all sounds very exciting!!


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## Booboos (24 February 2011)

You can definitely build your own arena, we've done it twice, you just need to do a bit of research and understand what is required. You also need a very good digger driver who can take off the topsoil and sort out the grading for you, other than that you can do the rest yourself with a bit of hard work and hired machinery.

Woodchip is probably the cheapest option but for a reason. Even equestrian grade kiln dried woodchip will turn into mulch in a few years and will need to be completely removed and replaced as it becomes very slippery. Ideally you want a really good grade, fine, angular sand and then you can add different things to it depending on personal preference. There are some fibre mixes on the market that are lovely to ride on, rubber is always a popular choice and will keep the arena usable in lower temperatures or you can go all out and get a wax surface but they come with a corresponding price tag!

For the most economical DIY price, call all your local quarries and ask them what they have. They should be able to tell you the type of sand they have in and with a bit of research you can figure out the most suitable sand you can afford.


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## ofcourseyoucan (24 February 2011)

build it cheap and you will spend a lot more. you need very good drains, and lots of hardcore as a base. then a good membrane, and a good surface. woodchip will only last a couple of years before it rots and becomes slippery. buy the top end silica sand then you can add rubber, or shred, or a waxed surface, but the useability comes from the drains. fencing is optional, but ideally concreted in whilst the base and drains are being put in. height of fence depends on whether private or commercial use, and whether you want to loose jump in the arena. i boult one in 97 which cost 18000 which i could just afford, had nearly top end sand, and wire cables (pasada) i have topped it up in 06 with 25 tonne of rubber, and it is still going strong. and is used every day, for jumping, lunging, loose schooling and flat work. generally it is levelled 3 to 4 times a week. works all year round and doesnt freeze. please dont build cheap or smaller than 20 by 40 as you will regret it and it will cost you a lot more in the long run. lots of advice from lots of companies, and get samples of surfaces and go visit some of the constructed ones, and get feed back from the clients. good luck.


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## Paddy Irish (3 March 2011)

We built an outdoor school 20m x 40m . We got in the best digger driver ever who did a fab job as we are on sloping ground , so not straight forward . I didn't install any drainage as it is at the top of the hill and naturally drains , I used woodchip which i have found is fine and certainly hasn't turned to mulch. The digger driver charged for 3 days digging = £700 and we had approx 5 trailer loads of chippings ( think the trailer held about 20 ton ) at a cost of about £900 - £1100 can't remember exactly and then we did boards and rails , all in all it all cost about £2000 - bargain - and the school still looks and rides great after 3 years!! Only snag is when it's really cold the surface freezes a bit , but then I wouldn't ride then anyway.


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## YasandCrystal (3 March 2011)

We built our own 40 x 20m manege and it cost around £6,000. That includes £1,000 on post and railing and we paid someone to put that up. We installed diagonal drains accross the manege which we put that blue plastic 6" or 8" holey drainage pipe and pea shingle in. We used a cheap option for the bottom layer - crushed concrete, granite is best but expensive and we used membrane and then 4" of crag. Crag is a wonderful surface if you have a quarry supplying it anywhere near you. You don't need rubber as it doesn't blow away and it retains a certain leve of moisture always offering a perfect supportive surface. (It comes from the sea bed). We paid for a professional digger driver to put the crag down, but we did the concrete ourselves and rolled it.
It was suggested to us to use woodchip as we only had 1 horse at the time, but to do it well is money well spent, we laugh when our manege is dry and in full use and the expensive bespoke ones that cost many times the price of ours in the area are flooded or frozen! If you do choose woodchip don't put down a membrane else your horses will slide everywhere! Good for the western riders out there. lol


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## Mimi2610 (6 March 2011)

Hi thanks you for your comments, after looking about other posts on here about woodchip I think it's def going to be rubber!


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## nikkimariet (6 March 2011)

Another vote for rubber. Our outdoor menage has been up for 10 years? The membrane was made with limestone. The rubber is mixed with sand. 

One thing we find is the horses tend to kick a fair amount out the sides, unless yours has boarded sides maybe look into getting some gale break? http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging//blogs/005253/images/islandlandscapes13.jpg Super cheap, and easy to put up with a staple gun!! Breaks clean if a horse is really insisting on putting their foot through it...

Make sure you get the rubber chunks, not the rubber slithers (the really flat pieces) I've ridden on the slithers and find they get SO slippy in bad rain. Found that the chunks on ours have never frozen over even when it's snowed!


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## kittykatcat (6 March 2011)

Ive just rejuvenated my school using a surface from Leisure Ride - really great surface and bargain prices!


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## jaynie (13 March 2011)

Mimi2610 said:



			My landlord has offered me land on a lease basis to build a yard on and I have been looking into building the arena....the prices!

Between ourselves and the landlord we have the right tools for the job for building and maintaining it but was wondering what surface, wood chip or silica/rubber?
It would need to stand upto several hours of work a day. Also does anyone know of good supplier in Scotland/ North England for either?

Much appreciated!
		
Click to expand...

if you call stephen barnes he will be able to help out his tel no is 07896439090 i had wood chip from him and i use my areana quite regular .his prices were amazing also no he does a mixed version, i opted for basic wood chip and has excellent drainage hope this helps he is based stafford but hey ho he,s saved me some cash


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