Arena border - ideas?

[lizziebell]

Looking to refurbish our newly acquired arena, and I'm thinking of taking down the fence. Can't decide whether I should make a border, or just leave the grass around it. I've seen some with gravel borders, and ones with rubber pavers.

Any other bright ideas?

 

[ycbm]

Wooden railway sleepers or crossing timbers (heavier). I think they are attractive, and they stop the surface kicking out over the sides. I built my first arena with them. Now I just have one foot high kicking boards. I don't like fences, I think they 'lean' on them mentally and take too little responsibility for keeping straight.

I also have a ring of white electric rope on short posts four or five feet out from the edge to stop them playing on it by themselves.

 

[lizziebell]

Thanks. Think that's what I'm going to edge with (or perhaps telegraph poles as we have a load being taken down on our property so might see if I have enough), but wandering if to then put something else between the edge and the grass.

 

[ycbm]

Thanks. Think that's what I'm going to edge with (or perhaps telegraph poles as we have a load being taken down on our property so might see if I have enough), but wandering if to then put something else between the edge and the grass.

I've gone just for grass, but white limestone chip would look lovely (and cost a lot!). Do you feel you need something else or is this just for aesthetics?

 

[lizziebell]

I've gone just for grass, but white limestone chip would look lovely (and cost a lot!). Do you feel you need something else or is this just for aesthetics?

Just for aesthetics. The arena we have where we are currently has a hedge on 3 sides, with one side having grass up to the double height kickboards. I find we get bits of grass growing at the edges and when I weed kill I always kill a bit of grass at the edge and then it just looks horrible.

Like the idea of white chippings - not sure whether they will stay looking white or will get mouldy in winter (?)

 

[ycbm]

My chippings are still white after four years.I spray them every year with glyphosate to keep the grass back. When I had sleepers I just used to let the grass grow outside, and spray inside the sleepers. That seemed to work well.

 

[Gift Horse]

We have been putting an arena in.
Half of it has retaining stone walls (where it is dug into the slope) and the other half (which is above ground) has sleepers on edge with crushed sand stone ramped up against the outside face. We don't have a surface yet but I think it's looking nice.