Arena keeps freezing ?

[shamrock2021]

Is it normal for a area to freeze when it just frosty and take days for it to unfreeze like there is still ice in the arena day’s later.

 

[Goldenstar]

It can be, if I get very very wet weather flowed by suddenly drop to very cold this happens to mine .
Its like this atm .

 

[Red-1]

Most arenas will freeze, if they have water in, they will freeze. The best one I had was a well drained rubber-topped one. It got frosty but the rubber seemed to insulate the under layer from freezing.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Even though ours is sand and rubber it can still freeze

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I remember, many years ago, one RS proprietor, who was obviously furious, took out an advert in a 'trade' newspaper, apologising for the frozen 'all-weather arena'. The ad was very carefully worded but it named the company who had installed it. I think since those days, most people understand that 'all weather' is bit of a mis-nomer for most surfaces, in UK weather.

 

[sport horse]

We have sand & rubber. It can freexe if it is wet and then turns cold. We can usually keep it rideable by harrowing the afternoon before a frost with the spikes of the harrow loosening the top surface of the school and we then harrow again in the morning.With this regime we can usually ride as the surface is flat and has a couple of inches of loose surface. Ok in really bad weather we might only be able to walk and trot and in extreme conditions we give in!

 

[ester]

Most arenas will freeze, if they have water in, they will freeze. The best one I had was a well drained rubber-topped one. It got frosty but the rubber seemed to insulate the under layer from freezing.

That's my experience re. rubber topped one, we had rubber strips on sand at yard. My RI had rubber crumb on sand and after they had to dig it out to do the drains the resulting mixed surface froze whereas when it was separate layers it hadn't

 

[Goldenstar]

Mine is large rubber pieces and sand .
pits really good in cold apart from exactly the weather we have here atm lots and lots of rain followed by sudden change to cold .

 

[asmp]

I was at a very small yard once which had a lovely big school. Only problem was that I, as a happy hacker, only wanted to use it when the roads were too icy to ride on. To my dismay the (mostly sand) school was frozen in ridges ? and unusable.

 

[milliepops]

flexiride is the only surface I've used outdoors that fairly reliably doesn't freeze rock hard. it depends how much sand is in the mix though.

 

[Tiddlypom]

A wet arena is more likely to freeze and will take longer to dry out. I’ve got a sand and rubber crumb surface.

We’ve had a few dry days now, but I still need to whizz around with the leveller after the last horse has been in, but it will then be good to go the next day even after a frosty night.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I see this every year with the outdoor arena. It rains, the sand get sodden then freezes overnight.

Some of the horses love finding the puddles so they can pick up pieces of ice to crunch. They don't like so much getting big clods of half frozen sandy slush forming under their hooves.

It's not as bad if one of the instructors has used the tractor to pull the harrow then the leveller over the sand, to break up the sand so it drains a bit better before the rain falls.

 

[Spottyappy]

We have flexiride,and as Milliep says, it doesn’t tend to freeze. If the sand is exposed,that does, but the surface has been excellent in cold weather, over all.

 

[Polos Mum]

My flexi ride one is still ridable and we have been frozen solid for 10 days straight not (getting to it across the yard is another matter!!)

As for the taps / drinkers - I am very glad I invested in an IBC container for emergency water this summer

 

[windand rain]

Mine is grass and has only been unrideable for 1 day as water lay on the surface then froze by the afternoon you could possibly have use it but definitely the next morning was fine, Wasnt easy to walk on the field either but the grass is longer in the school

 

[mariew]

That's why in Sweden all big stables has at least one full size indoor arena, otherwise it would be hard to school or jump in the winter.

 

[Lady Jane]

I hate to tempt fate but mine doesn't freeze. The drainage is good and the top is basalt and something? Unfortunately you can't get it anymore. We have had it re-laid twice but next time there may not be enough surface so no idea what we will do. The mine that produced the basalt has run out of this quality - confirmed by several people. I thought that if the drainage was good enough there were many surfaces which don't freeze?

 

[Keith_Beef]

I hate to tempt fate but mine doesn't freeze. The drainage is good and the top is basalt and something? Unfortunately you can't get it anymore. We have had it re-laid twice but next time there may not be enough surface so no idea what we will do. The mine that produced the basalt has run out of this quality - confirmed by several people. I thought that if the drainage was good enough there were many surfaces which don't freeze?

I can find basalt sand, is that what you have? It seems expensive, though, at around €9 for a 20kg bag... If you're interested, I'll try to find a supplier by the tonne. But be warned that this is over here in France, and the shipping would cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Hallo2012]

sand and carpet fibre and not frozen

 

[Annagain]

In the 18 years at my yard, I can count the number of times the arena has frozen on one hand. This winter, it was frozen every day between Christmas and Jan 2nd. On the 23rd, we had severe flooding in my area. Again, we never even get puddles in the school, it's at the top of a hill and the drainage is really good. This time the whole thing had standing water. The surrounding ground was so wet the school had nowhere to drain to. Then the temperature dropped and all the water froze. It would start to defrost by about 1pm but would freeze again before having the opportunity to drain away.

 

[AnShanDan]

I've got silica sand and carpet fibre, topped with rubber-backed carpet shreds, and it has been rideable all the time. It did get a bit crispy last week after we had freezing rain one night but a quick harrow and it was good to go again. It has been pretty cold here too, at least -6.
The roads on the other hand are horrendous, cars in hedges all over the place!!

 

[Tiddlypom]

My sand and rubber surface was fine to work in walk and trot in this morning after temps went down to -7°C overnight. I’d levelled it yesterday afternoon. It’s fairly firm, but there are no false patches or areas of exposed frozen sand. I’ll need to level it again this afternoon to redistribute the rubber, the SORN’d 4x4 stays in the arena for convenience hooked up to the leveller when it’s freezing.

I usually have poles out, but cba fetching them in and out twice a day to get the arena levelled, so they stay put away til it thaws.

 

[jnb]

No arena so I won't get stressed about them freezing however am peeved that it was frozen all week when I finally got a week off work so barely rode, defrosted when i went back to work (so couldn't ride as at work) and now we will be having snow just in time for the weekend - AGAIN

 

[Leandy]

I'm not an expert but have ridden on many arenas over the years, often first thing in the morning all year round. Whilst some arenas freeze more than others (the more fixed, waxed sandy type in particular) and some less (the looser, deeper ones with more rubber), I don't think I've ever come across any which take more than 2 or 3 hours to thaw (assuming temperature rises above freezing) and most do not become completely unuseable even when frozen ie I can usually walk and trot at least and if you stay on a circle they will break up sufficiently to be useable over 20 minutes or so. So if yours stays frozen for days I'd say it is too wet and you should look at the drainage.

 

[EllenJay]

If allowed, you can always drive your car around the arena which breaks down the ice. Have done this a few times - but obviously only with permission from YO

 

[Lady Jane]

I can find basalt sand, is that what you have? It seems expensive, though, at around €9 for a 20kg bag... If you're interested, I'll try to find a supplier by the tonne. But be warned that this is over here in France, and the shipping would cost an arm and a leg.

Its not basalt sand - its basalt mixed with something bigger - but thanks for offer

 

[frolickyhorse]

My flexi ride one is still ridable and we have been frozen solid for 10 days straight not (getting to it across the yard is another matter!!)

As for the taps / drinkers - I am very glad I invested in an IBC container for emergency water this summer

Hi, Please advise me, I have a flexiride only surface, and it is fantastic though it is riding deep and I wondered if you had any silica sand run through the top to make it more stable? I had a top up a couple of months ago and the horses are doing more technical work and we are finding it too deep. Before ordering sand I need advice that it would help?

 

[Polos Mum]

Hi, Please advise me, I have a flexiride only surface, and it is fantastic though it is riding deep and I wondered if you had any silica sand run through the top to make it more stable? I had a top up a couple of months ago and the horses are doing more technical work and we are finding it too deep. Before ordering sand I need advice that it would help?

hi - yes mine has a sand base with flexi ride as a topper so sand mixes in over time. Not sure on putting sand over the top - I guess you could mix it in with something close to a power harrow if you have a helpful friendly farmer.