Making grass arena

smiggy

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27 February 2008
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Would love to make. 20 x 60 grass arena to practice long arena tests. We have a proper school and would only use this when ground dry enough.
I have a flat area but we are on clay and at the moment it’s dry and and a bit rutty. Any ideas on the best way to sort out a flat surface. I don’t think rolling alone will get it flat enough as it’s more holes than lumps.
Anyone done this ?
 

Goldenstar

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Yes but mine Is much larger you can fit a full size carriage driving arena ( 100by 40) in and drive round the outside and get a small course of jumps in it .
It was very very rutted when I started we narrowed and rolled repeated whenever the condition where right .
We stopped horses grazing the area its only used for in hand grazing .
It’s mowed every week when the grass in growing fast and fortnightly once the growth slows are we go through the summer I will get done once more before winter at first we never even walked a horse over it in winter over about three years the going improved and it’s now used as a jumping flat work schooling paddock and it’s great fun .
But it’s a fair bit of work
It’s never used when it’s wet .
I wish I had done it years ago .
 

Quigleyandme

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I have a huge one that I can put up a course of 12 show jumps. A farmer sprayed off the grass and levelled and harrowed it before seeding it with amenity grass. A lot of stone picking up every day was needed and I didn't use it for a couple of years while it established. you have to keep on top of the mowing and weed control and stay off it in the wet.
 

Tiddlypom

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I had just a grass arena for the first 25 years we were here. I set it up at 60m x 20m with proper boards and markers. It worked pretty well from late spring to early autumn, but as others say you have to keep off when it's wet. I mowed it every week, and would shift the arena slightly if the track was getting cut up. We're on loam, though, so easier to manage than clay.
 
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