Woodchip arena - recommended suppliers in Scotland please!

[TotalMadgeness]

Have just moved into an equestrian property with an existing woodchip surfaced school. Am looking to top up the surface as its worn down / degraded - so does anyone know of a decent local supplier of woodchip suitable for horses /riding (no nails / glass etc)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[loulou1683]

hi, i am also on the hunt for woodchip, did you have any luck finding suppliers?

 

[TotalMadgeness]

Had quotes but prices were just too high for topping up the surface! Quotes varied between £2.5k and £1.9k. That didn't include levelling the surface which would (for me) require hiring heavy machinery on top. This was for fresh wood chip btw not recycled (which always has bits of glass/pottery and rubbish in it).

 

[JillA]

My advice would be DON'T!!! Woodchip degrades as it gets wet and ends up like garden compost. Mine hung on to the wet despite good drains and an 8" layer of stone, and a top up just added top the time it would take to rot away completely. It rode impossibly deep in wet weather. I had a layer of rubber chip added which was much better, and have recently had carpet added. Both are much better but I still have the deep riding rotting wood underneath - the sooner it has gone the better. If you can afford it, remove it altogether

 

[TotalMadgeness]

Yep that's the plan! I just wanted to have a decent enough surface which would last me over the winter. The stones keep coming to the surface at the moment but I can't afford to totally replace with rubber until early next year.

 

[loulou1683]

mine lasted 7 years and rode fairly well and i have a friend with a yard and she has had woodchip also and been very pleased with it, maybe it depends on where the chips come from ect. I just dont have the budget for anything else, even sand is ridiculously expensive.

 

[EventingMum]

Not Tracey Timber. I had good service and prices from Jenkinsons and it has done well as an indoor surface where we control how wet it is. They do indoor and outdoor grades, either recycled or from new wood. Definitely don't go for recycled, the new wood was completely clean with no rubbish in it. Tracey Timber's surface was a nightmare with nails and lots of glass in it.

 

[loulou1683]

i am just waiting on quotes from jenkinsons as my friend got hers from them and it has been very good.

 

[loulou1683]

so just got a quote from jenkinsons and im astounded £6270 for green woodchip not including delivery at £280 per load with four loads required! recycled wood is cheaper at just over £900 not including delivery but i have seen on other posts its not recommended. At a loss now as its far too expensive.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

Yeah I got a quote from Jenkinsons too and it seemed really high - for recycled wood. The cheapest quote I've had for clean fresh woodchip is £1.9k for 40m3 delivered. But for a new arena I guess you'd need double that (80m3)? Then equipment hire (about £150 a day) to level it.

 

[loulou1683]

also got a quote for silica sand over £4000. A farmer i know has just built an arena using plain old sand from his own sand pit on his land, its riding well just now and im tempted to ring up my local quarry and find prices for regualr sand and look at getting bales of that carpet fibre to mix in. Im so annoyed as had it all set up to get a surface but i have waited weeks and now been let down, if the guy didnt have the stuff for definate he should not have advertised it and wasted my time. So frustrated.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

Hi - just got a quote for woodchip 14000 litres £400 delivered. Which is probably too good to be true! Anyway I'll let you know if it pans out...

 

[Pen]

Wow what a price difference! My woodfibre surface came from Tracey Timber and its been fine for 7 years but badly needs topping up now. It's never had puddles or flooded. It's very well drained which is a must in the west of Scotland on heavy clay. Will be interested to hear if your bargain materializes.

 

[loulou1683]

£400 is really good, i hope it works out for you! I have managed to source the original stuff i was meant to get but with somebody else and i am meant to get the first load tomorrow so heres hoping all goes to plan for us!