# DIY Arena Help



## Nickers2002 (Nov 25, 2009)

So I have an arena at home fenced off. It's about 120 x 65 and just has regular dirt/sand footing that's everywhere on the farm  It drains well except in one spot. The other problem I have is that after raking it on a regular basis, I seem to have too much "footing" and it gets fairly deep in areas. I do have a grading blade, but I don't know how to use it :sad: Is that what I need to do? The arena does slant from top to bottom to form a natural small hill. I unfortunately do not have the funds to tear everything out and build it up right now - maybe in a few years though.

Thanks!


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

From what you wrote, I get the impression that due to hand raking you have some high spots and some low spots. Is that correct.

If not too severe, you might be able to fix the problem with a decent arena drag. Some regular dragging should even things out. A hand rake is not very good for regular ring maintenance. You should be running a drag* in a proper pattern* to avoid these kind of problems. 

I'm not familiar with these of grader blades in rings. I mainly see them used with gravel driveways. There might be some videos on YouTube that can help with that. A grader blade may be overkill for your problem (again, dependent on how bad it is), but you may be able to make it work. I still think a drag is essential for maintenece.


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## Nickers2002 (Nov 25, 2009)

This is what I have, but the tines are closer together and there are more of them. It's for a 3PTO Tractor. I don't have a chain harrow unfortunately, but that's next on my list.

Once I use the rake the arena is very level (minus the incline - that's part of the property) but some spots are so deep my horse sinks past his fetlock. That's what I mean by too much footing, some areas are just too deep.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

Nickers2002 said:


> Once I use the rake the arena is very level (minus the incline - that's part of the property) but some spots are so deep my horse sinks past his fetlock. That's what I mean by too much footing, some areas are just too deep.



I'm no expert at this. If the footing is basically level and your horse sinks in that deep, you have too much footing material. The way you describe, you seem to have eight inches or more. I'm not sure a drag is going to fix that.

What is under the footing? If the footing is level and the horse sinks in some areas but not others, the base may not be level or (worse) have holes.

It sounds like you may need to remove some footing. I can't see your attachment... does your tractor have a FEL? Can the grading blade be used to scrape off some footing? Is there anyway you can measure the depth of the footing in various areas to see how level it is? It may seem like it is following the natural slope, but if it is 12" deep at one end and 4" deep at the other, that could be a problem.


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## Nickers2002 (Nov 25, 2009)

I realize I have too much footing - that's why I asked if the grading blade would help, I've never used one though. It came with the tractor. A york rake - that's the name I couldn't think of lol. That's what I have. Again - it's not an actual arena, it was part of a field and I fenced it off. It's dirt/sand mix that's just the ground that the farm has  The base I assume would be clay like the rest of the farm at some point.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

Okay, that's a little clearer. A grading blade would be like a plow blade. A york rake is more of a comb. The rake can smooth and contour, but it is not very useful in clearing off a large amount of excess.

I understand that this is not an "actual arena." Just wasn't clear on how the footing got there. Seems it is just the existing dirt with nothing added.

Since you didn't create any kind of base, you are pretty much at the mercy of the existing soil. It may be softer in some areas and harder in others. You are not going to be able to fix that without some extra work. 

To do it right, you need to strip off some amount of surface. Then you need to create a compacted base. The footing material goes on top of the base. 

Without a good base you will get uneven areas throughout the ring. Some areas will compact over time/use. Others will not. Water and the seasons will have their own effect. You will have little control over the "depth" of your footing, which will become uneven. The drainage problems you have (which are unavoidable) will add to the problem.

Perhaps someone else with more experience in ring construction/maintenance can chime in with some suggestions. 

I always suggest this link as great reading material on the topic: http://extension.psu.edu/publications/ub038

I realize you are not in a position to do a major fix on this right now. When you are ready, that link should provide some insight. You can likely rent all the equipment you need and do it yourself. The biggest expense will likely be gravel for the base. With a proper base, you can probably reuse the existing dirt/sand that is already there. (Scrape off several inches of dirt and store on the side. Then, put down a gravel/crushed stone base and compact. Replace and grade dirt/sand.)


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