Surface for riding arena

[debsrl]

Could anyone comment on if you can mix padstow sea sand with fibre mix. Ive found the stabiliser I like for my new arena but am confused by either Silica sand, Silver sand (gritty) or sea sand.
Also we have put our drains around the arena, and every 2 metres across the school (oh yes theres a lot) however, Ive been advised not to put stone down but to go for either membrane or a binding layer of build sand both have worked for local people, any ideas? Our ground is clay and shillet mix and top of a hill so is quite free draining.

 

[Booboos]

Sand: what you need is angular sand (so that it can bind together, round sand is very slippery and deep) of small size, somewhere around 0.25 is ideal. I don't know this padstow sand but if you ask the supplier he should be able to tell you the size and shape and then you can decide whether it is suitable or not.

Hardcore: you need clean hardcore in your drains and covering all your surface to a depth of about 15-20cms so that water can drain. You then need something between the hardcore and the sand, otherwise the stones will come up through the sand and the sand will go fall through the hardcore clogging everything up. You have two options: By far the most popular is membrane. You need non-woven geotextile membrane, the higher the density the better but somewhere around 400 is ideal, laid under the retaining boards on the sides and heat sealed so that there are no gaps - this is very important, if you leave it loose it will just travel up and be a horrible tripping hazard. The other option is a blinding layer, where you take 20mm to dust stone, level it and compact it making a layer which stops the stones from rising and the sand from going through. The trick to this is getting the right stone to dust and compacting it to perfection - if you don't compact it enough it will shift and let through sand/stones, if you overcompact it, it won't drain.

The type of soil you start off with is less significant as you will have to dig down to the sub-soil anyway.

 

[kerilli]

as above. you need sand that has 'sub-angular particles' - it holds together if damp if you grip a handful, it doesn't fall apart as sand with round particles will... the latter rolls and is disastrous. find out other arenas the quarry has sent to and go and see them, you'll soon see the difference. i can send you a sample of my sand if you want, it's from one of the quarries that Charles Britton uses, so I know it's very good sand for equestrian purposes.