Best surface for an outdoor school?

steph91

steph91

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As the title reads really. Building a new school as the old one is not in the best place anymore and was a bit crap to start with and wasn't done correctly. So what do you all think is the best surface for an outdoor school?
 
Personally I prefer rubber for an outside school as when we had all the snow last year it didn't freeze & once you clear the snow off it's usable. Sand schools freeze.
 
Ditto - i have ash and rubber never seem to freeze

Everyone that has a sand base one seems to moan that they freeze easy - so i went for ash and rubber
 
Firstly I would make sure you have amply drainage and a good sound membrane on it before even thinking about a surface. Once you have had that done decide what you are going to use it for dressage, a bit of school work, jumping etc there are a lot of good surfaces out there but for general use I use marine sand 3 tons to 1 ton of 8mm ground rubber chipping and it's fantastic it never freezes it drains really well and is not to deep. Shop around for prices and products as most companies have done one in your area and the owners may let you go and try it that's how I found the correct combination for mine. Good luck :)
 
A surface is only good as the drainage system. It is a complete waste of time spending a fortune on a fancy surface if the drainage is poor. The majority go for Silica Sand with a Rubber Chip topping. Woodfibre (Not Woodchip!) is also good. Just make sure you get a product made from virgin timber which has a low bark content.
 
Half the reason we're moving the school is for a better drainage system, so i'm well aware of that. We need the school for general purpose really so schooling and jumping. We have sand at the moment and i'm not really a fan, it seems to get wet and then thickens (may just be the current drainage though).
This may sound silly but aren't rubber skills quite dirty, like they make horses socks black etc. Just something i've heard?
 
If you have problems with sand it is more than likely that you have the wrong type. There are 1000's of different types of Silica Sand with only a few suitable for Equestrian use. You need a fine grade sub-angular Silica Sand for Equestrian use such as Kings Lynn Fines or Redhill Fines.

As for the problem with Rubber Chip and black hooves, this is caused because the supplier hasn't screened the Rubber to remove black powders. There are many suppliers of Rubber Chip but only a few have the capability of removing the very fine powders.
 
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