Sharp sand 'arena'

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Shizzle

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Recently put in a small turnout area/riding space with railway ballast, membrane then sharp/grit sand on top. Drainage is spot on as husband v particular. However even when rolled and wet it is riding a little on the deep side. Now we aren't expecting the same result as an expensive surface but wondered if anyone had managed to firm up a similar kind of thing without adding carpet fibre, rubber or anything else that the council may baulk at!

Anything mechanical or a machine? Or environmentally safe additive? We have always been a bit wary of carpet fibre after seeing tiny particles in the air at a local competition venue...with this being outside our home it has to be safe.
 
We had a sharp sand surface at home when I was a kid, but crucially it was mainly indoor, so dry. We used to have to damp it down with the hose, but it rode pretty well.
Wet sharp sand is very heavy and clogged together (think beach), so I’m not sure you could lighten it without adding something?

ETA: I’d ask your local council what surfaces they consider acceptable and see what others in the same district have managed via local Facebook groups? Might give you some ideas.
 
Sharp sand doesn't work as a surface. It has to be silica sand; possibly P100 grade? My memory is hazy on the specifics. This is because of the shape of the sand granules.

Adding anything to sharp sand will be a waste of your time and money. There is no additive to make it, safely, usable.

Unfortunately it is the expensive option of silica sand that has to be used for a sand surface.
 
I used 2-4mm grit (a little bigger than sharp sand) for my first arena and added plastic wire stripping when I realised it was riding too deep. That rode really well, (and used to be sold branded as Pasada) but that supplier doesn't sell the nubs of plastic any more because it's not legal to use them due to pollution.
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We recently built a cheap lunge ring and I wanted to use sharp sand or builders sand. The guy building arena warmed strongly against it and took me up to talk to someone who got it in and then had to replace three years down the line. I think the issue is it clumps and doesn’t let drainage work correctly. It also is too heavy. He said it would never work for an arena surface, I’d end up replacing it fairly quickly. We ended up forking out for silica sand
 
Sharp sand does not work too well as an arena surface and it better to use a specialist material specific to what you will be doing in the arena.

Appartently it is no longer permissable to use carpet fibres in arenas because they are classifiedf as a pollutants.

I would contact one of the specialist companies such as Collins and explain to them what you are doing in your arena and what would be the best surface for you.
 
I have sharp sand with carpet fibre (put down a few years ago). It's a great surface so if you can find out if there is something to use instead of carpet fibre it might work. Mine was too deep without anything added. I did experiment with rubber before the carpet and it was useless - made things worse if anything.
 
So after a day of ridiculous rain my 'arena' didn't have a single puddle in it, thanks to OH's meticulous drainage system! And also was much firmer to travel on, so obviously the problem was it was too dry before, watering is the key!
 
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