# Hard arena footing...



## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

Our riding arena is two years old. It's leveled packed earth with 8" of stone dust. It's 66' x 198' (standard dressage size). The footing was great for the first year, but since late spring it's been hard and getting harder. It's to the point now that I don't want to ride on it. We drag the arena on a regular basis, using a harrow. This used to do a wonderful job of breaking it up and smoothing it out but the last time we dragged the arena it rained about 4 hours later and as soon as it dried it was even harder than it was before! The harrow really isn't doing what it used to, and something needs to be done about it.

My mom and I plan to drag it again tomorrow and put something heavy like cinder blocks on top of the harrow in the hopes that the tines will bite down and break it up more.

My riding instructor suggested adding sand. I really don't know much about arena footing. If we were to add sand, how much sand should we add, and what kind of sand is best for arena footing? I read that mixing sand and stone dust is good, so would it be a good idea to add the sand in layers and drag it in between? Any idea how much this might cost?

If anyone has any other suggestions, I would love to hear them!


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

Sounds like the stone dust has compacted into a base, so yes sand would work well over that.

You'd want about 3- 3.5 inches depending on your discipline of choice, but the 3 range is safe as 4 inches can be too deep.

You'll want cleaned (washed) angular sand, rounded sand will be to slippery and the horses will slide on it.

To figure out how much you'll need, measure your arena, then follow the measurement formulas below.

For cubic inches Length x width x depth (again in inches) This will give you cubic inches, now divide the cubic inches by 1728 to get cubic feet. If you need cubic yard, divide your cubic feet measurement by 27.

Some places will charge by the ton, while others charge by volume, so prices will vary accordingly.

I don't like mixing the stone dust with the sand as it'll still compact over time, I like a stone dust and gravel base with sand over that.


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## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks for the tips! If I did my math right, 3" of sand would be 3,267 cubic feet... No idea how many tons that would be, though I suppose wherever we purchase the sand from would know.

If it makes a difference, the arena is multi-discipline. It's used for dressage, jumping, gaming, western riding, and driving.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Let's call it 3000 cubic feet with is about 100 yards, or about 180 tons of sand. 

It's all rough guess due to water weight etc. But figure 10 truck loads. 

That's assuming legal loads and dry.


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