Oswestry Horse
Active Member
Looking to install a ménage this year. Can anyone recommend reliable and honest ménage contractors in Shropshire. Would also appreciate knowing which ones to avoid.
recommendations for ménage construction companies
- Thread starter Oswestry Horse
- Start date
fburton
Well-Known Member
Can't answer your question, sorry - just wanted to point out it is manège, not ménage.
JillA
Well-Known Member
Avoid a chap called Craig who runs Shropshire Paddock Care (I think) from Telford. I had to get him back at least twice to remove projecting nails, rails that didn't attach to posts, badly hung gates, gateways with a step in them and in the end I gave up and sorted any other minor problems without him. He didn't dump surplus soil where I asked him to, seemed to doss in his vehicle while a skivvy did the work. Never again!
JillA
Well-Known Member
^^^^ Bugbear of mine too !
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
If you would like to know a well known company to avoid PM me. The arena looked FAB for the first year, but then became unusable and had to be taken out of use. Several dangerous attempts to right it, and then the company went out of business, but carried on trading with their well known name.... We were left with an unusable arena and no way of getting redress.
It cost around £40,000 to right the sorry mess.
It cost around £40,000 to right the sorry mess.
Merlod
Well-Known Member
Pegasus arenas 1000%
catembi
Well-Known Member
www.cheapmanege.weebly.com
Have a read & basically do the opposite of everything I did...!!
Mine is a complete & utter disaster, & I'm going to have to bite the bullet, get it all dug up this year & start again.
Ditto Red-1...my lot conveniently stopped trading at around the point everyone's schools started dying, although the same people are running several other businesses out of the same premises.
Grrr, it makes me so angry just thinking about it!
Have a read & basically do the opposite of everything I did...!!
Mine is a complete & utter disaster, & I'm going to have to bite the bullet, get it all dug up this year & start again.
Ditto Red-1...my lot conveniently stopped trading at around the point everyone's schools started dying, although the same people are running several other businesses out of the same premises.
Grrr, it makes me so angry just thinking about it!
Asha
Well-Known Member
Try Fred Willis, ( Willis brothers ground contractor) Did fab job of ours, and quite a lot of others in the area too. Hes based in Sandbach Cheshire
Asha
Well-Known Member
Good grief, that's horrendous. However, its not your fault, its the dodgy rip off cowboys who should be strung up.
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
In our case they did not even substantially change the company name, the website stayed up also slightly changed, the H&H adverts continued.... anyone reading would think this was a long standing, national, reputable company. There was a slight change to the logo, not substantial enough to let people know it was a new company, and I think the email address changed too. The only funny part was where they put our arena on their website as a good example of their work, and someone rung up! Suffice to say our arena was quickly removed!
catembi
Well-Known Member
Please, please go & look at some of their previous schools that have been down 5+ years as mine was 110% & I loved it til the 2 1/2 year point. From which it turned into a nightmare.
When you decide on someone, do a search on here & possibly start a thread saying 'Has anyone used x'. Someone on here WARNED me about my contractor & I STILL used them! Please don't be as bl**dy stupid as I was - I know the feeling of being desperately impatient to get a school & get cracking, but this year I've probably got to somehow beg, borrow or steal the price of a new school to get mine sorted out. :-/ Honestly, it is 1,000% worth spending a few extra weeks schooling on grass NOT to have to deal with an almighty **** up which makes you want to cry every time you look at it.
When you decide on someone, do a search on here & possibly start a thread saying 'Has anyone used x'. Someone on here WARNED me about my contractor & I STILL used them! Please don't be as bl**dy stupid as I was - I know the feeling of being desperately impatient to get a school & get cracking, but this year I've probably got to somehow beg, borrow or steal the price of a new school to get mine sorted out. :-/ Honestly, it is 1,000% worth spending a few extra weeks schooling on grass NOT to have to deal with an almighty **** up which makes you want to cry every time you look at it.
fattylumpkin
Well-Known Member
I was really impressed by the website and horrified by the gallery pictures, you poor hands!!! I hope everything goes well for you the second time! I know it's very tiny but I bought one of the novels on amazon
GL.
catembi
Well-Known Member
Oh thank you, fattylumpkin - I always get v excited when I see that I've sold something! You've probably paid for a cup of fibresand!
T x
T x
Ceriann
Well-Known Member
I used Charles Britton. V happy with the school - looked at other local ones he had done in advance too. We struggled to get anyone interested and we did have to chase CB a lot post getting planning but the team that did the work were great - v neat job.
catembi
Well-Known Member
That's good to hear, Ceriann. CB actually came here to quote (sighs...) and I was thinking about getting them out to rectify.
Oswestry Horse
Active Member
That good advise to look at previous schools that have been down 5 years. Know of one done 2 years ago where membrane is all showing, and contractor wants more money to top up.Seems no warranty is given with this kind of work.
Bayracer
Well-Known Member
Speak to your local farmers. Although horses aren't their main point of interest ( or like my family no interest) they are usually extremely knowledgeable on contracts to avoid or use. And like others have suggested see work they did at least 5 years ago.
JanetGeorge
Well-Known Member
Winning Post Consultancy are first class. They rebuilt mine 2 years ago and it has stood up to abuse well. I have them coming back to do some necessary maintenmance, and to re-build two all weather yards which were built by a moron. http://winningpostconsultancy.co.uk/
Oswestry Horse
Active Member
Unfortunately although they all have names of companies he trades as (Shropshire Paddock Care & Shropshire Paddock & Groundcare) they have no address or even sure of his full name. His companies have Facebook pages but no contact address, so little chance of taking action against him.
JillA
Well-Known Member
That says it all really doesn't it
case895
Well-Known Member
Material Technologies of Nottingham. He runs a yard himself and built his own, his neighbours run a riding school with two schools he has built. Mine is Fab and the surface company commented that the stonework was the most level he had ever seen as he used a laser levelled bulldozer. He built and reseeded the banking on the side, installed the drainage system, etc. He is coming back soon to sort out septic tank too!
Ceriann
Well-Known Member
You do have to chase them a bit, which is frustrating but the job they do is great and the team he has that did ours talked to us every step of the way (they lived onsite I a caravan whilst it was done). They also did my stable yard base and very pleased with that too. Wish my budget had stretched to them doing a track to my yard (it's two fields away from the road) - next time!!!
Oswestry Horse
Active Member
More pm's about this company. Apparantly his name IS Craig Brookstein but also uses aliases of Craig Paddock & Craig Mays
From what I now know DO NOT use this company. Why would an honest company use false names?
Baboo
New User
Has anyone built an arena on top of the soil? odd i know but we are on exceptionally well drained sandy soil that had been graded and levelled as all our paddocks are, so i wondered if we could just put a porous membrane down and then the surface on top?
JillA
Well-Known Member
Carpet Gallop advertise that you can do that (without the membrane, which is just there to stop sand seeping into the stone base in conventional construction) with their recycled material - I asked for if/when I move and they recommended 4" - 6" depth plus kick boards. https://www.carpetgallop.co.uk/
The company has been formed from Empire Trading recycling who sold me the carpet fibre I have in my school, with the same man heading it up. He was very helpful and his price was less than half what I was quoted elsewhere. Worth talking to them
Baboo
New User
Thanks, it looks great and not too far from me either. I think I would still need a membrane to ensure that the grass doesn't grow through the surface and to make sure that the horses hooves dont mix the top soil with the carpet. it looks very interesting and might save me some pennies. Thanks
Oswestry Horse
Active Member
Still looking for recommendations ( or not)
Are there different types of fibre/carpet topping, and how is it put down. Is it done by hand or machine?
Just want to get it right, and only done once!
JillA
Well-Known Member
My carpet came in bales and I had to get a local man with a tractor to spread it. You are welcome to come and take a look if you want to
AdorableAlice
Well-Known Member
Carpet Gallop seems to be getting popular. One comment I have heard recently whilst I am sourcing a surface for a new arena is that the carpet gallop is very dusty in a dry period. I was keen on the carpet gallop until our contractor mentioned that a local racehorse trainer had to wait half an hour between galloping pairs of horses to allow the dust to disperse before sending another pair up the gallop. However he did say in wet conditions the CG is excellent.
That really put me off because we will have no facility to water a surface. The other surface we are thinking about is silica sand and PVC granules (Manchester Plastics). It really is a minefield and I am getting ever more puzzled about which is the best to use. A lottery win is needed for a Martin Collins so that is out of the question.
That really put me off because we will have no facility to water a surface. The other surface we are thinking about is silica sand and PVC granules (Manchester Plastics). It really is a minefield and I am getting ever more puzzled about which is the best to use. A lottery win is needed for a Martin Collins so that is out of the question.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I had Manchester Plastics granules with grit, AA. It was very dusty in dry weather. A friend has an original Pasada surface which is very deep when dry and she has been looking for a fibre additive to stabilise it.