Schooling in winter without a surface?

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Jericho

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Obviously I would love an all weather ménage but without the £c30k to fund it I have to use my field. Does anyone have any tips as to what I can to improve the surface of my schooling field - in winter to avoid it becoming a quagmire and in summer to avoid it being too hard - without spending a fortune?
 
I would be interested in ideas as well have the same sort of set up - we just tend to hack out more & school when we are out - sorry not much help x
 
Ive never had a school either and dont even hack (had too many accidents in the past so have given up with that!). I just adapt my schooling to suit the ground all year round, even if that means schooling purely in walk! I will admit though that in the worst of the winter I usually give mine time off. My grey who evented I would turn away straight after his last event (end of Oct) until February. He loved the time off and it meant I didnt have to battle with schooling on frozen solid ground (or snow). I have kept the odd horse going all through the winter though but its been hard and I certainly couldnt ride every day. Im not looking at possibly buying an unbacked horse and wondering how to back it over the winter with no facilities (I normally do it spring time as so much easier!).

Forgot to say - its also a lot easier to keep their fitness ticking over by keeping them out 24/7!
 
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If there was a solution then people wouldn't be paying £30k for an arena.

Our fields have drainage installed in all of them. It has been there for quite a long time and makes quite a bit of difference to the ground in winter. Even with drainage I found it impossible to ride on last year as it was still wet and slippery most of the year. I've been on yards where sand has just been laid on the ground with no drainage or stone layer underneath. It's fine when the weather is ok but awful in winter.
 
I have known people just put builders sand down and it's okay when the weather is good/ a little wet but once the bad weather set in then it just washes away and goes really boggy.
 
You can do a lot out hacking. I have only had access to a surface for the last 5 years, mainly because my chap has conformation issues which mean he can't cope with hard surfaces, but I have ridden and schooled for many many more years. You can do transitions, lateral work, serpentines on roads and tracks and circles etc on stubble fields if you have access to any. You just need to be inventive :)
 
i did most of my schooling while hacking (there were quite a lot of field to ride around that weren't nearly as wet as mine) there was a dry bit at the top of my field which was about 20x40m which i schooled on and other then that i ended up hiring a school. if there was a solution i dont think anyone would bother putting in schools at all. i do know a few people who put bark chippings down but it would depend on the ground as to whether it will make any difference!
 
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