Arena ideas.

[05jackd]

With the increasingly wet winters here i am struggling to school in the winter months without having an arena. We don’t have the finances at the moment to put in a ‘proper’ outdoor but would possibly be able in a few years time subject to planning.

Has anyone managed to put something straight into grass as a halfway house? It would be used for the maximum of 4-5 hours a week for 15hh horses so doesn’t need to hold up to much traffic but just a safe area to be able to canter without slipping. Jumping not needed.

Land fairly flat but can be quite wet especially at the moment.

Thinking maybe rubber crumb of some sort?

 

[PeterNatt]

Unless it is built properly it will not work or survive and you are likely to have an accident. You would be better off to spend your money on getting planning consent for your arena at this point in time so that by the time you have saved up you will be able to build it. To get planning consent you will need the services of a local planning consultant or surveyor who has a good relationship with the local planning department.

 

[Rowreach]

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/building-an-arena-straight-onto-grass-experiences.760603/

this might be useful OP

 

[blitznbobs]

Unless it is built properly it will not work or survive and you are likely to have an accident. You would be better off to spend your money on getting planning consent for your arena at this point in time so that by the time you have saved up you will be able to build it. To get planning consent you will need the services of a local planning consultant or surveyor who has a good relationship with the local planning department.

Just be aware that planning permission is not open ended so you usually need to start works within 3 years

 

[Quigleyandme]

I think you will just end up with a field full of rubber crumb which your animals will invariably ingest.

 

[Sprig]

How is your hacking? Can you just school out hacking in the winter months (that's what I do), or do you need somewhere to ride in the dark?

 

[SEL]

I've heard of people putting mud control mats or some of the Jelka mats straight on grass with arena topping. No idea how successful or how pricey!!

 

[catembi]

You would 800 sq m of mud control mats for a 20x40, and I *think* they're not far off £30 a metre...

 

[05jackd]

How is your hacking? Can you just school out hacking in the winter months (that's what I do), or do you need somewhere to ride in the dark?

I need to be able to ride in the dark really as I work 8-6 in the winter and I find it impossible to keep them fit at the moment.

 

[palo1]

I need to be able to ride in the dark really as I work 8-6 in the winter and I find it impossible to keep them fit at the moment.

Is there any way you can create an area of well draining/draining grass based surface? You are not planning a great deal of traffic and if you could create a well drained, possibly slightly raised area which has the kind of soil base to both drain and support tuff grass you might do that potentially. Arena surfaces are not only very expensive and require planning but they are pretty environmentally unfriendly and for 1 person riding 1 horse possibly not actually needed. I know that grass surfaces can be difficult but they can be created and looked after if traffic is limited. Mud control mats would work, they are removable and allow grass through but the cost of them would be comparable I think to a 'built' arena, though potentially more environmentally friendly, much quicker and subsequently movable as well as easily extended as finances allowed. (800 x £30 = £24,000). I think tbh that 24K for that is 'reasonable'!