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MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Owner of yard has agreed to The Menage.... so now we're looking at size and which surface. I've asked that it have lights...

Any thoughts re. size and re. surface?

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Yep, I suggested big
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Are there standard sizes? The yard may well end up quite big, so they may need another one some day, but for now it will have to cope with jumping (a number of us want to BSJA) and dressage schooling, as well as all the usual schooling/lunging, etc.
 
Ideally you'd want it at least 20 x 60 - decent size to jump in and full size dressage arena. However in a ideal world 30 x 60 would be amazing for jumping!!!

The martin Collins surfaces are fab!!!
 
My "manege" (can't do accent thingies)/sandschool/arena whatever, is 30 x 40 and brilliant for jumping in. You are welcome to use it any time Mrs M
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The sand comes from Lough Derg, so it is very religious.
 
how about a 20x40 with a 20x20 on the end for lungeing - then you won't mess up the surface of the big school by lunging in it.
 
Lucky you!
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I am definitely no expert in arena surfaces, but would say whatever you do, don't get plain sand! We have it at one yard in the supposedly 'all weather' arena, and it freezes over like an ice rink in the cold, floods and becomes heavy and claggy in rain, and blows everywhere like a desert storm when it's windy and dry.
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Other one has some sort of rubber chips...i like them
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TOLD you i have no idea at all
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If you had a 40x40 you could put poles across the middle to make 2 'standard' schools, so 2 people could use it at once if needed, with the bonus of being a nice size for a decent course of jumps.
 
I think we have a 30x55 which is ideal for dressage and you can put up a nice course of jumps with no hammering it around the corners etc.
Rubber with sand is what we have and its looovely.
Do not, ever - get Polyfluff :\ its awful
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We have a 20 x 40 with sand and rubber - works really well drains in the rain well and has never frozen so is used all year round. We are spoilt brats and also have a seperate jumping paddock as well as lots of extra field space for lunging etc so school only gets used a lot for everything in the winter. O and well aslo have floodlights so it can be used all year and in the dark!!

Don't tell the horseys - let it be a nice surprise for them
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Agree with SU. Its never once flooded and i think it froze for 3 days this winter
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I miss the dark because i love riding in the school with floodlights so much! Its so quiet and peaceful. If a little scary when your shadow appears
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the livery yard i'm on has a 20 x 60 menage- and its fab, has some kind of sand/rubber mix surface, and so long as its looked after it always used - even during the really cold weather it didnt freeze - can get a bit deep for jumping sometimes though.
Great news for you though!
 
QR thats great news!
At the yard we are on we have a 40 by 40, can fit 9 to 10 full size jumps in as a course, with plenty of room to spare.
The best surface I have ridden on was sand covered with rubber, but it wasnt looked after properly and now hear that there are major problems with it, but like anything the better it is looked after the longer it will last.
Not keen on just a sand surface, a real pain when its windy and again if not looked after properly can become very deep.
Might be worth having a look at Broomfield the surface there was really nice to ride on.
 
Hm. Ta for that folks. The size to go for seems to be 40x40 so's we can split it into two 'normal' ones, but maybe be able to book it as a whole for jumping lessons.

What size does a full dressage arena take up?

I'm hoping we can get a seperate lunge arena (a round pen) as well.
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Even some Prelim tests are in a 60m arena, so 60m length is a must. Also means it easier to share when schooling.
 
I have a 20 x 40 which is fine for one horse but otherwise we'd struggle and jumping a big 16HH excitable TB in it is nigh on dangerous.

So ideally I'd have a 60 x 45 although drainage is the key it doesn't matter how big it is if you can only use it half the year as it's flooded or frozen then it's no use. We have drains in a herringbone pattern which is fab and we haven't had an issue. Also make sure you have a membrane or the surface will make it's way down to the bottom blocking the drains as well as being wasteful.

We have cushionride which has been fantastic although I don't recommend putting it down in Mid January in Northern England with 4 kids lying in the membrane along with every heavy object you can find while someone sews it together and then barrows the surface across the arena as the lorry wouldn't fit!

So make sure it's easily accessible and is topped up regularly as it beds down after 12 months and ends up 12 inches rather than 18 and the membrane can be torn.
 
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