Arena - leaves and weeds

[spotty_pony2]

Our new arena does have some trees the other side of a track down one side - there are already a few leaves on one side due to the wind but so can see in autumn I am going to have a leaf problem! How do you all manage yours? Do you use a leaf blower or rake them up?

Also, on the other side it borders our lawn and there is a bit of grass growing along the surface - would raking it be enough this break this up and stop it seeding too much or would weed killing be better? They are tiny, tiny little plants so too many to pull up by hand.

Pretty straightforward questions I know but this is my first arena of my own!

 

[Bradsmum]

If you have post and rail round the arena, try putting some netting on the bottom section to the first rail as this will help keep the leaves from blowing in. For those that fall in I used to have a small hand rake and rake into a little pile and give them a shake to get any surface material off before bagging them up. It’s tiresome but worth it, as is pulling weeds while they are small. Enjoy your arena, I no longer have one since I moved and I really miss it.

 

[spotty_pony2]

If you have post and rail round the arena, try putting some netting on the bottom section to the first rail as this will help keep the leaves from blowing in. For those that fall in I used to have a small hand rake and rake into a little pile and give them a shake to get any surface material off before bagging them up. It’s tiresome but worth it, as is pulling weeds while they are small. Enjoy your arena, I no longer have one since I moved and I really miss it.

Thank you, it is a bit of a novelty at the moment as w have lived here for almost 5 years and I’ve managed without with three horses to exercise but I can see it’s going to be very useful in the winter! I’ve schooled my mare from scratch just in the field and out hacking so she is loving the idea of the arena too! Would you literally pull every blade of grass by hand then because it’s tiny blades of grass rather than weeds? I think the seeds have blown through when the lawn was mowed last week. I think we will have to look into putting some netting along the bottom, at least on that side.

 

[Bradsmum]

If it’s just tiny blades of grass then raking them will probably sort them as long as the roots are exposed so the plants die.

 

[Carlosmum]

A timely post for me! I am currently using 'nextdoor's' arena, the old neighbours left last summer, the new ones are still pulling the house apart, eventually the arena is to be removed and replaced by a tennis court. I am hoping to take what I can from it and build myself one. However, I digress. The arena has had barely any use over the last 12 months due to my not being able to ride, but now I m back on board. II spent most of yesterday cutting back all the overhanging trees- willow/branble/nettles and made a start on weeding across the surface and filling in the rabbit scrapes. Unfortunately the previous owners sold their arena rake and I have nothing to pull one with atm, so its by hand here until we get it set up at my place!

 

[Landcruiser]

I find a sharp hoe easier than a rake to dislodge weeds. I hand pull any that are big enough, I tend to go round with a poo scoop (the extra capacity ones), saves bending too much.
We have squirrels burying acorns in ours and therefore tend to get loads of oak seedlings popping up, plus ash seedings. There are mature trees all down one side, thankfully on the lee side so leaves are annoying but not disastrous. I wait for the leaves to "set" in drifts, usually in the corners and down one or two sides, then scrape them up with poo scoop and rake and barrow them off.

 

[St Nicnaclaus]

I rake the leaves and seedlings using wide hand rake. Often have tiny oak trees growing in it acorns get buried! These I pull up but they are only rooted into sand below surface.
I chuck the leaves out over the edge as one side is built up so they don't blow back in and just mulch.
I bought a leaf blower but it's far quicker to do it by hand and said blower is redundant in the tack room.

 

[Grassy]

Please don’t put netting around the bottom, it’s really dangerous for wildlife, the leaves will just blow in anyway. I’d use a leaf blower & clear them that way & hoe the weeds.