# Building an outdoor riding arena start to finish!



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Ray MacDonald said:


> I am building an outdoor riding arena from start to finish! The place we are putting it is the top half of my pasture. What is the first thing I have to do to it?
> 
> 
> It has almost no grass. Gets very muddy when it rains. not completely level, it kinda goes down hill.
> ...


I personally pick an area that doesn't get muddy and drains. When I built mine which was a ravine I rented a skid loader and dug up the high side and moved the dirt to the low side. Then I found some guys doing some street work and had 80 loads of fill hauled in. I leveled that out and then they hauled 30 loads of sand in from the same road work. I leveled that out and then built a reatining wall on the high side. It needs gilled and I now also have a gate that I built.
Pic attached


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

Thats a really good idea! what did you first thing you put down? (the fill?)


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Yes the fill goes down 1st, then I think the next thing that was brought was dirt and then sand and some lime over that. The lime hardens and keeps it from getting too soft. If I hadn't found free fill it would have been sooo expensive as it probaly would have added another 7K. I oriced someone coming out with a skid loader and doing the 1st part. They quoted 5K and I rented a machine for maybe 300.00 and a long weekend of work. It was rewarding to do it my self.


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