Menage surface? turffloat.

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rowy

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Hi we are just about to get our menage built and have gone with turffloat with a different brand of silica sand which is redish colour.

Was just wondering what people thought of the surface? we are getting the menage done properly with good drainage etc. Was it able to be ridden on over the winter?

thanks
 
I've known/know a few turfloat arenas and don't like them tbh. I think the fibres are too large and I much prefer Clopf from Martin Collins.

Also it will freeze solid in winter and in summer will need a lot of watering to stop the fibres from rising! Why not go for sand and rubber? Shouldn't freeze until -8C and won't need much watering at all. Like PS's for example?
 
Hey, we were originally going to go for flexiride so its like the rubber but doesnt smell bad in the summer in the heat sorta thing but still does the job. my dad decided to change though i may persuade him to change his mind back.
All i know about the sand is that it is silica sand and its just got like a orangy tinge to it which i wasnt keen on cos my horse has white legs and i can imagine that going badly...
 
I have flexiride on top of silica sand in our round pen, it's quite good for lunging on and doesn't get deep etc, but I do keep it well watered in dry spells. However, I do have a few liveries who come from a yard where they had one arena just flexiride and one with flexiride and silica sand and they said they were awful arenas! But like I said it's fab on our round pen. Just make sure you put galebreak around arena as it does blow very very easily.

I know how hard it is, I'm still undecided as whether to add Clopf to our silica sand and rubber arena or a rubber top up (ours is just a little looser than I'd like, although gone back to near perfect again over the weekend now I have watered and rolled it). I also went to see our neighbours arena today and they have large rubber chunks (not strips) on top of silica sand and it is fab! Plus she said it doesn't stain white legs, the rubber stays on top and doesn't smell in the heat. That rubber is from Charles Britton. Ah decisions decisions! I really don't know what to do *sigh*
 
Hi
I have just read this and am concerned as some years on my sand school I had a red sand with wax and fibre that was like horse hair put in by a past manager, this did not drain .We have removed it and now replaced it using Redhill fine from Days Aggrigates and all is good.
 
Hi! I run lakeside farm livery ltd (lakesidefarmlivery.com)and have built two schools ( one of sand and fibre and one of sand and rubber)and a lunge areana,
So start with the basics,Drainage and base below the sand depth.If it does not flood in the winter or you have a membrain all is good
Sand I recently changed one school as the wrong sand was used, it was a building sand with oil and went down like concreat not allowing water through, so we changed it for Redhill fine a Days product.
Sand is every thing a good quality silican sand, or a Playpit sand.
Depth no deeper than 6" Rule not to be broken.
Adding to the sand and rubber, fibre not nessesary with a good layer of rubber on the surface. Strip rubber gives to much slip when you ride on this, so 20mm pieces are best.
Add fibre to the school yes 10 bales to a 20x60 school at £200 each
Power harrow this in and gate harrow in afterwards and it will in the summer need this each day.
Hope this helps
 
MillionDollar said:
I have flexiride on top of silica sand in our round pen, it's quite good for lunging on and doesn't get deep etc, but I do keep it well watered in dry spells. However, I do have a few liveries who come from a yard where they had one arena just flexiride and one with flexiride and silica sand and they said they were awful arenas! But like I said it's fab on our round pen. Just make sure you put galebreak around arena as it does blow very very easily.

I know how hard it is, I'm still undecided as whether to add Clopf to our silica sand and rubber arena or a rubber top up (ours is just a little looser than I'd like, although gone back to near perfect again over the weekend now I have watered and rolled it). I also went to see our neighbours arena today and they have large rubber chunks (not strips) on top of silica sand and it is fab! Plus she said it doesn't stain white legs, the rubber stays on top and doesn't smell in the heat. That rubber is from Charles Britton. Ah decisions decisions! I really don't know what to do *sigh*
Click to expand...

I had sand and CB rubber, and this also rode deep. We added Clopf and it is brilliant, so much so that a friend who has fibresand thinks my surface is nicer, more give to it without being deep.
 
From what I've seen and heard, I wouldn't put Turfloat and sand down in a new arena. It's useable for about 2 months a year - one in spring, one in autumn. The rest of the months it is either dry and very deep/moving under horses' feet, or frozen solid.

It may depend what sand you use. I think you're supposed to use Equisilica. I don't think people always do...
 
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