# Building a small basic arena....need advice



## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

I built a horse ring about two years back. Didn't know much at the time, but read much and asked questions of several barn owners that I trust. Here are some ideas that worked for me. Every situation is different, so I can't guarantee this will all work for you.

Like many things, there are often cost tradeoffs you must make. I traded off size for footing. My ring is 130 x 300. I wanted the large size to practice and host for the events I participate in. The large size meant more ground to clear and MUCH more footing material.

Some ideas:

Grade the land carefully. Put a crown in the middle (higher point in the middle, sloping towards the sides). This will allow water to drain off when it rains. You don't need much.. a 2% slope should do it.

We graded my ring with a 2% slope. And put a few inches of crushed stone/gravel. This was compacted to act as a sub-base. 

On top of the sub-base we put geotextile fabric. Very important to help stop thing from growing up into the ring. 

On top of the fabric we put a base of gravel/crushed stone. If memory serves it was about 2-3 inches. On top of that was placed 3 inches of washed sand as footing material.

We do western event riding and this footing has worked out very well for us. There are certainly better footing materials available - cost was prohibitive for the size ring we have. Sand is functional and inexpensive.

Here is a great link from Penn State on building a ring: http://extension.psu.edu/publications/ub038

I took many ideas from that brochure.

Fencing... I went with a wire fence. Posts are placed in the ground and three wires are used instead of boards. The wires are encased in plastic. Easy to see. Safe for people and horses. Inexpensive and easy to maintain. 

At the bottom of the fence perimeter we have pressure treated 2x6 boards. These help keep the footing from washing away. Overall, it works well. From what I hear, you have to add footing every few years no matter what you use.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

My little arena is about 70 x 110. It is barely big enough for 2 riders. Heck, it is barely big enough for ONE rider to work. It is not big enough for 6 riders at once.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

bsms said:


> My little arena is about 70 x 110. It is barely big enough for 2 riders. Heck, it is barely big enough for ONE rider to work. It is not big enough for 6 riders at once.


Funny how things are relative. I'm in downstate NY. Real estate is at a premium.

The barn near me has about 1.5 acres of land - total. Stalls can accommodate upwards of 60 horses.

Ring is about the size of yours. They recently made a "six rider maximum" rule. There can be four lessons going on at once in that ring. Definitely not ideal, but they make it work.

Another commercial barn by me has a slightly smaller ring. The used to bring in cows to practice team penning. We could have ten or more riders in there warming up at once. All loping in different directions. No one calling out anything - we just learn to watch out for each other.

The english barns tend to have more rules (i.e. everyone goes the same direction - everyone changes direction together). Western barns are more relaxed. Neither of the above barns are unique in their small size. We have to make do with what we have. If we want more room, we go out onto the trails or ride the roads to the pizza place.


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## Three Willow Run (Apr 2, 2016)

Thanks Tasmanian! I've gotten similar advice from locals, but none suggested the geotextile fabric. A great idea....I think I'm going to incorporate it into the job. ? ? We plan to start on the project mid May. Cross your fingers for me!


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