PercyMum
Well-Known Member
We have moved to our own place and have an existing arena that is just a cut-and-fill jobby thats basically squashed rubble with builders sand on top. It 18x24 so workable but not great, especially when you have a 16.2hh baby and a 17hh oil tanker!!
We have planning permission to extend and we want to extend 2m sideways into the bank and 9m lengthways and replace the surface. Quotes so far are around £14k
and a new arena is only £20k!! The existing arena (apart from the sand) drains well (a few puddles but fine really) and I don't really want it messed with as it works, although I do want a better surface as it will get deep in the summer. Having done some thorough research, I really think we can do it ourselves for a fraction of the price. I'll run through the plan and I would be hugely grateful if those of you have done it before could comment or advise??
First plan is to get a landscape contractor in to do the digging out bit and make sure it is level but with the correct fall as we don't have the knowledge to do this and I think its the critical part. A existing drainage ditch is at the planned end of the arena already so water can flow into that. We can put the top soil on our own land so dont need to pay for removal. We already have rubble to build up the 'fill' bit of the arena.
Once this is done, I was going to get rubble and lay it on the base and get that tamped down well (hiring one of those machines and DIY-ing it!). Then spread the existing sand over the rubble, then put a membrane over the top of this (advice as to what sort of membrane would be great). Hopefully this will allow enough drainage and I didnt want pipe as have read that it can block, meaning your whole arena has to be taken up.
After the membrane I was planning on silica sand and fibre. Then rubber on that when we can afford it (alternately I know my local college is selling their old surface so might look at that). Fencing - not sure at what stage this goes in and we have a friendly fencer who I think will do us a good deal, and we will only need 2 and a bit sides doing as I hope we can salvage the existing fencing on 2 sides.
Please note that its only me riding in the arena, max 2 hours per day and I am as big a fairy as my horses and I don't ride in the pouring rain!!!
Thanks for getting to the end - what do you think?
We have planning permission to extend and we want to extend 2m sideways into the bank and 9m lengthways and replace the surface. Quotes so far are around £14k
and a new arena is only £20k!! The existing arena (apart from the sand) drains well (a few puddles but fine really) and I don't really want it messed with as it works, although I do want a better surface as it will get deep in the summer. Having done some thorough research, I really think we can do it ourselves for a fraction of the price. I'll run through the plan and I would be hugely grateful if those of you have done it before could comment or advise??First plan is to get a landscape contractor in to do the digging out bit and make sure it is level but with the correct fall as we don't have the knowledge to do this and I think its the critical part. A existing drainage ditch is at the planned end of the arena already so water can flow into that. We can put the top soil on our own land so dont need to pay for removal. We already have rubble to build up the 'fill' bit of the arena.
Once this is done, I was going to get rubble and lay it on the base and get that tamped down well (hiring one of those machines and DIY-ing it!). Then spread the existing sand over the rubble, then put a membrane over the top of this (advice as to what sort of membrane would be great). Hopefully this will allow enough drainage and I didnt want pipe as have read that it can block, meaning your whole arena has to be taken up.
After the membrane I was planning on silica sand and fibre. Then rubber on that when we can afford it (alternately I know my local college is selling their old surface so might look at that). Fencing - not sure at what stage this goes in and we have a friendly fencer who I think will do us a good deal, and we will only need 2 and a bit sides doing as I hope we can salvage the existing fencing on 2 sides.
Please note that its only me riding in the arena, max 2 hours per day and I am as big a fairy as my horses and I don't ride in the pouring rain!!!
Thanks for getting to the end - what do you think?
