# Outdoor Arenas, cost and sand vs grass



## iloverains (Apr 1, 2011)

Hello all, just wondering the cost and size of your horse arenas!

I've got an area of 50m x 60m that I'm wanting to turn into a Jumping Arena. Trying to work out rough costs and I realise this will greatly change dependent on location but it'll give me a rough idea, and more then that I'm just interested.

Also any input on a sand arena vs a grass one.

TIA!

Here's a photo of some super pretty arenas (not mine, I wish)  And a grass arena, which mine will have some trees in it too.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I have a paddock which I use as a riding arena. It has a tree in the middle, which is nice for when the horses are just hanging out in it. 

Anyway, there's no way you can keep grass growing in an arena. The horses will kill the grass in no time, and it will turn to mud. I got tired of it after the first year and added sand last fall. I'm planning on adding a lot more sand this summer so the surface has nice, thick sand all over. It will also make riding a lot easier for the horses (my daughter jumps). 

I got it cheap because the sand pit is close to my house. They only charge 137$ a dump truck load here. Three loads covered most of my 150 ft x 90 ft paddock, and I plan on getting another 5-6 loads. To do it properly, you should install drainage and such, but I didn't bother.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

As long as your footing is relatively flat without holes and deep unseen divvet spots I don't see a bad side to grass arenas.
You'll see a ride track and wear pattern but otherwise I see a benefit of not having sand blowing or shifting.
Both arenas will need ground maintenance whether it is dragging or mowing.
Moving of jumps to to mow and change the wear track...
If sand you will be adding it to maintain a precise thickness...

Horses can be ridden on either footing...
Personally, I think it is a individual choice most any horse can adapt to and with.
Depending upon hour of day and your weather pattern though, grass may have some restrictions to safer footing if wet but sand can get real "cuppy", hold water hidden and also be slick to ride on...
Personal choice and decision.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

We currently have a grass arena but we are going to convert it to sand this summer. Since ours is away from our turnout areas it does stay grass even though we ride in it but it gets so slippery if there is any rain/snow/mud etc. In the winter it is frozen and too icy and in the summer more days than not it doesn't have great footing. I recommend sand.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

We have one of each, or had. My BO is turning the sand ring into grass. He is anal about his rings. You will be spoken to If you ride the track to much, though some degree of wear is unavoidable, and riding while the ground is wet is a mortal sin. Any divets get filled, the jumps are moved regularly and mowed. 

It can be slippery compared to sand, especially if the grass is damp or very dry. But you don't have to pick up poop, just scatter it. You do have to ride a little differently since the footing is less predictable; slight inclines, more slick, uneven spots. Unless you grade the whole area, then seed you are going to have some inconsistencies. 

The sand ring wasn't worth the maintenance for the amount of tines it was used in a year. The footing either blew away or washed away after a while, the base got punchy, and for only using it for 3-4 months a year, the upkeep was unjustifiable. 
We have a large indoor ring, so the outdoors can be used lighter when required. During the summer when it's dry, we will ride outside most of the time.


----------



## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

My local area gets very wet weather during certain times of the year so drainage is important. A grass arena is impractical unless it's on a section of ground that drains very well, even then, it will turn into a mud pit if you don't stay off of it at key times. Thus far, I have found the best arena to be packed stone dust with sand on top. My grandfather built his arena not too long ago. He started out by grading a level surface with drainage, and adding several inches of stone dust. We rode on the stone dust for years. When it's first laid down it's soft enough to ride on. It provides good traction and drains well. After a few years of use and heavy rains, the stone dust hardens, and dragging the arena no longer softens it. That's when you add a few inches of sand on top of the hardened stone dust base. The stone dust base still provides great traction under the sand, and it continues to drain well. Once hardened, it holds its shape and keeps the sand from washing out. The sand stays soft then on top of the stone. I've ridden in several arenas like this and once you have your packed stone base and add your sand, it requires minimal maintenance, just occasional dragging. The footing is safe and comfortable for nearly any discipline.

One other footing type I liked was recycled rubber. It was a layer of recycled rubber bits on top of packed stone dust. This, once again, drained well, and and had good traction. The rubber offered plenty of cushion and the arena required minimal maintenance. The stable actually got their rubber from a local park that was rebuilding a play ground and wanted to discard the old shredded rubber play ground base.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I worked on a yard in the UK where we had several shows a year so we had one grass area that was always left as an arena for schooling/jumping - it was useless in wet weather. Keeping a grass area in good order, even just for summer use is very high maintenance. Even on well drained land its going to be muddy in wet weather and dry hard like a brick in hot weather


Sand's a lot easier to work with - though more people are turning to a mix of sand and fibre now as that rides even better.


Cost will depend on how much of the work you can do yourself and if you buy the materials direct. Using a dedicated company will cost more than if you locate someone with a suitable machine that does 'groundwork'.


----------



## iloverains (Apr 1, 2011)

Thank you all so much for your replies. 
I've got a bit to think about - I think I'll have more of an issue of it being hard and having dead grass rather then drainage or being too wet - most of the arenas around here are grass as our competition season is during winter, which is our dry season and it's not too hot (Australia) 
My current sand arena holds well and is easy to maintain, but it gets very hot half the year.

I should of added that the main area base is a rock, one massive rock slate, so I would also have to add some sort of soil on top of it. 

Lots of thinking I say! 
Thank you all again


----------

