How important is it to have an arena?

[5horses2dogsandacat]

I have a half built one... but due to family politics its not allowed to be finished where it is.

To me having an arena is hugely positive.. Its going to sound like such a terrible statement, but I really cant be bothered to ride properly and work on fitness levels as all I can do is hack out. ive been doing the same tracks for 14 years and although I can see the beauty in the countryside around me, I want more from my horses work wise. I know people say that they school when they are hacking out, but I think it depends on the horse.. mine are too busy enjoying being on a hack than concentrating on what Im asking them, and even if I do get them working reasonably, they then see a branch and all the work we've done is lost.

It also gets dangerous, if I havent had a chance to ride in the week, especially in the winter, Im riding very fizzy horses.. either young or an ex-racer.. im fed up of being chucked because they had a broncing session cos I asked them to trot and it was all just too exciting..and then having to walk miles back home, bruised and fed up.

I know for a fact that when I do have access to an arena (i saved and put my horses in livery..) I rode every single day sometimes twice a day in the summer.. and unless it was pelting it down or totally rock solid from being frozen I was riding or lunging everyday in the winter too.. my horses were doing fantastically even had my ex-racer jumping bounces and schooling around a course within a month; before hand the sight of a jump blew his mind!!

What do you guys think?

 

[stevieg]

Cant think that anybody would say no to an arena if they had the chance.

We are lucky in that we have free unlimited use of a friends but if we hadn't then we would just have to make do.

A friend of ours produced a showjumper from a 3 year old to Grade A, including HOYS qualifications, without the use of an arena so it can be done.

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

Cant think that anybody would say no to an arena if they had the chance.

We are lucky in that we have free unlimited use of a friends but if we hadn't then we would just have to make do.

A friend of ours produced a showjumper from a 3 year old to Grade A, including HOYS qualifications, without the use of an arena so it can be done.

Did she have enough paddock to ride though? All my grass is used for grazing and I cant cut it up.. The other bit of grass I have and use for summer grazing is a mile down the road, and not practical mid winter on icy roads :/

It also hinders me when trying to find sharers to help with the work load... I dont ask for a penny but because I havent got an arena they arent interested!

 

[sophiebailey]

We don't have an arena (and although I'd kill for one!!!) we manage quite well without one. We pace out our own school and mark the corners with pieces of guttering we painted white. During the winter when the ground starts to churn, we move the school around the fields so as not to make a mess in one place, this seems to work well for us

 

[Theocat]

Quite honestly, if I didn't have access to an arena, I wouldn't keep a horse. The things I enjoy abiut horses and riding are too dependent on an arena - I know you can school on hacks, but not in the dark after work on winter evenings, and there are too many of those in the year for me to want to do without a school!

 

[stevieg]

Wow Theocat thats quite a statement.

Good point 5horses2dogsandacat. Acreage was never an issue. They live on a farm

 

[Goldenstar]

I love my arena it's the best thing we ever spent money on , I do hack but only because the horses need to I just love playing in the arena.
I also a large grassed arena it's bigger than 100 x 80 as I can get a dressage arena for driving in it ,it's never grazed and mown weekly in the growing season I have loads of fun in there and put the jumps in in sumner of course I don't use it at this time of year.
For me an arena is a must have.

 

[stevieg]

For me, my must haves are limited to things I can afford and an arena isnt one of them

 

[Theocat]

Wow Theocat thats quite a statement.

I should probably have said I'm using "arena" in the widest sense - even a patch of field with minimum lighting would be okay at a push, but I wouldn't do without somewhere to school altogether!

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

Wow Theocat thats quite a statement.

Good point 5horses2dogsandacat. Acreage was never an issue. They live on a farm

Funnily enough so do I!! My dad has over 2000 acres, but wont turn an acre of that to grass. My half arena, which my grandad was paying to have done for me, but unfortunately died before it could be finished (partially because my dad insisted on making it himself and taking months and months and months.. just laying the hardcore and putting drainiage in..) has now got caravans on it which my uncle insists on not moving.

my summer grazing I have down the road from the ponies winter grazing, I have only just been allowed to graze after 14 years of asking if I was allowed to graze it..


Farmers.

 

[stevieg]

Glad you qualified that. It made you sound like a right little madam!!

 

[Goldenstar]

For me, my must haves are limited to things I can afford and an arena isnt one of them

I know I am very lucky but I would not have a horses if I had no arena when I had one horse it did not matter so much as I just took her places all the time but at the moment I have five and love every moment in my arena.

 

[abercrombie&titch]

Essential.... I use it for turn out for my aged cushings pony, turn out for all three if it is a wet winter as we are on clay soil so the fields can become a bog otherwise, and of course for riding on - if the weather is wet/dark/icy at least they can work safely, and it is a godsend when the ground is hard too. Quite honestly, I wouldn't be without it. We built it ourselves to keep the cost down, and it is worth every penny!

 

[stevieg]

Yes I must admit we do consider boxing up and travelling over to our friend's arena as time well spent. We only have one horse atm so we can manage...just!

 

['S'teamed]

Not important at all.
It is easier for the rider to have one, but a horse can be schooled/got fit just as easily without one.

 

[JollyTall]

Does sound like a frustrating situation, I hope it gets resolved soon,and that you have your arena one day

In the mean time, try and put some perspective on it - you still have your own horses which you get to care for and have fun with and don't have to travel miles and miles to see and things like that. Lots of people aren't as as lucky. Manu would be happy just to have any horse, to keep anywhere, and do whatever as long as they still got to ride. So smile and try and be happy with what you do have

 

[Theocat]

Not important at all.
It is easier for the rider to have one, but a horse can be schooled/got fit just as easily without one.

I'd have to disagree with this - as a working owner who can't even get to the yard in daylight at the moment, I simply couldn't ride as much in the winter if I didn't have a floodlit surface. He wouldn't be as well schooled, and he certainly wouldn't be as fit, because we'd be limited to weekends only.

 

[stevieg]

Well said Jolly Tall

 

[JollyTall]

Well said Jolly Tall

Thank you I haven't had my own horse (allthough have worked a fair bit in the industry) and I know I'd be absolutley potty just to have one (let alone two) to bumble around the countryside on if nothing else

 

[stevieg]

I think its human nature never to be satisfied with your lot. When we had no trasnport we were desparate for a trailer. When we got our trailer we wanted a lorry. Now we have a lorry its not fast enough. haha

 

[JollyTall]

Well said stevieg

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

Very true, i know how very lucky I am, too lucky sometimes!

This probably comes across wrong but I mean it in every nice way I can... this is why I share my horses, ok it helps with the work load but I manage so its neither here nor there but if I can give someone an opportunity to ride and help with my horses I will.. which is why I get a little miffed when people say no thanks you haven't got an arena.. Xx

 

[JollyTall]

Very true, i know how very lucky I am, too lucky sometimes!

This probably comes across wrong but I mean it in every nice way I can... this is why I share my horses, ok it helps with the work load but I manage so its neither here nor there but if I can give someone an opportunity to ride and help with my horses I will.. which is why I get a little miffed when people say no thanks you haven't got an arena.. Xx

Fair point about the sharers, but that doesn't have much to do with whether or not YOU still can't enjoy your horses.

If you're a student, surely you can hang on a couple of years or however long til you've graduated and have a job then move your horses to a yard with an arena if it means that much to you?

 

['S'teamed]

I'd have to disagree with this -

I thought someone might, TBH.

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

Of course I enjoy them I enjoy every second of every minute I spend with them, I just feel like I let them down when I can't make them into the best they can be.

Livery wouldn't be an option now.. I can't afford to have them all in livery now.

Just to keep saving for the arena, if I could sell the lorry is be at my target

 

[newbie_nix]

We are about to commission a contractor to put a 40 x 20m one in for us and we can’t wait. Of course we could manage without, we have 17 acres to ride across and live at end of a quiet road with large verges so there are other areas but we have found the money in our budget and given we have the choice I think it will be of great benefit to us.

When it’s in we will of course continue to hack out/ride around the farm but I have to admit I can’t wait to also have a uniform, flat surface to lunge and school on. And of course it will be handy in the winter when everything else gets pretty soggy.

For us I think it will be really useful because we are only intermediate level riders (I am your typical happy hacker, return to riding adult type) with lots still to learn. We want to get lessons here on our horses.

We have quite a lot of challenging terrain here. We are used to riding over rough ground on hacks (used to ride out over Exmoor a lot before we moved Down Under) so that’s no problem but it would be nice, when schooling to finesse our technique, not to have to also have to worry about uneven bits of ground as we learn. One of our horses is older and recovering from foot issues so this will be a good surface to gently exercise him without having to take him across our stoney driveway to the other grassy areas we ride on. We have sheep on the land we use as a makeshift grass arena at the moment (they keep it mowed for us) and it’s a bit of a hassle having to move them out before we ride in so I can’t wait until we are properly set up!
Also, we are looking to offer self catering accommodation in a small cottage here. This is a very horsey area with lots of shows so although I wasn’t necessarily looking to purely focus on the equestrian market for the cottage, with the arena there as well, we could offer ‘horse packages’ when the shows are on where people could bring their horse and use the arena during their stay with us.

Also I agree regarding it possibly being more attractive to sharers. Not something I am looking to do right now, but in future you never know. There are a few horse owners up our road without an arena. We will probably go back to UK every year or so to visit family and I am wondering if by offering free use of our arena, I might be able to persuade one of them to horse and house sit for us whilst away...

Anyway sorry for wittering on, good luck O/P, hope you get your arena soon.

 

[sodslaw]

I quite get what you're saying about not wanting to cut up your grass and not being able to school out hacking cause the horses get too excited!!
The first year we moved onto our property we had no arena and did the pacing out etc.. But we are on clay and in the summer it was too hard to do any proper canter work and in the winter, at the first sign of rain, it became like an icerink!!
The arena was finished by the time I was 6months pregnant and couldn't have come at a better time for me and the horses!
If you can at all get your arena finished then do go ahead - cannot imagine why anybody (who knows horses, the difficulties and the dangers) would deny you this!
Good luck with it all

 

[Goldenstar]

I just will add that my Long suffering other half points out that we horsey people have a strange definition of need sometimes lol

 

[JollyTall]

Of course I enjoy them I enjoy every second of every minute I spend with them, I just feel like I let them down when I can't make them into the best they can be.

Livery wouldn't be an option now.. I can't afford to have them all in livery now.

Just to keep saving for the arena, if I could sell the lorry is be at my target

Sorry if I sounded grumpy I din't mean to I am sure you do enjoy them, and I sympathise with feeling like you can't do the best by them. It is always good to have goals to work towards, some might sya selling your lorry is a bit drastic but I suppose you just have to weigh up the pro's and con's of lorry vs arena, and you MIGHT move awya form your farm and have them on livery someday, who knows?

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

Oh no you didn't sound grumpy at all I just didn't want people to think I don't enjoy my horses because I can school and jump them as often as I would like, I love them no matter what
Xx