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Arena Construction & Maintenance
"Perfect footing is difficult--seemingly impossible--to attain, the importance of working on good footing on a daily basis cannot be overemphasized. One or two training sessions or competitions on less-than-ideal footing are generally less detrimental to your horse than daily pounding on hard, slippery or "sucky" footing; nevertheless, such footing, even in short duration, may be sufficient to aggravate an injury or cause your horse to lose confidence. At shows, use common sense; at home, invest in securing your horse's footfalls" ~ Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, is the McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University.
Almost everyone who rides horses will agree that good footing is a key component to the successful training, performance, and health of our equine partners. That said, it is helpful to understand why there's more to good footing
than what meets the eye.
The ideal arena provides a firm foundation of support in addition to a riding surface with the appropriate combination
of resiliency, traction, and cushioning ability. This combination of factors is the reason many of the best arenas
consist of three layers.
The bottom layer is often referred to as the sub-base. The sub-base is created by first removing the top-soil from the existing ground, then compacting until the ground reaches near maximum density. After the sub-base has been prepared, the base layer is constructed. The base layer most often consists of some type of gravel or crushed stone screenings which are spread atop the sub-base layer anywhere from 4 to 12 inches deep, Many arenas are constructed with highly compactable AB or road base. This base layer is also prepared by using compacting equipment. The grading, leveling, and compacting of both the sub-base and base is important because a solid, impenetrable, non-slippery foundation is needed to support the riding surface as well as to allow excess water to run off.
The riding surface is the footing layer that you can see. The riding surface is the top layer and should be deep enough to minimize the concussion to the horse's legs, but not be so deep it causes muscle and tendon strains. Sand, chat, decomposed granite, man made synthetics, polymer sand products and a variety of combinations are commonly used as riding surface materials. In addition to the basics of arena composition, here are a few more points to consider prior to building a new arena or restoring an existing one. All dirt is not created equal. As identified by Robert Malmgren, soil scientist, in his book, The Equine Arena Handbook, there are over 10,000 scientific classifications of soil. In addition to the scientific names, there are common names for the various types of soil. The common names may vary depending on geographic location and the names adopted by soil brokers and construction crews. During the planning and construction process, it is helpful to describe the soil materials needed in terms of particle size and how they will be used. In the chart above, you can see the common method of grading and naming materials size. Become familiar with this information, it will help insure that the soil materials purchased are, indeed, the soil materials best suited for the arena designed.
With the expertise, technology and tools available today, creating a near perfect arena is most certainly possible. The major variables to consider are time and money. For many of us, those are one in the same. Here are some factors related to cost that are helpful to consider prior to constructing a new arena or restoring an existing one.
Know your dirt. Availability varys greatly by location. Transporting soil adds greatly to the overall cost. The $5-$10/ton sand may cost upward of $50 per load to transport. Minimize the transport miles by purchasing soil and surface materials locally - as close to the site as is available. Work with a local construction company when possible to cut down on transportation costs.
Learn about arena construction or renovation before hiring the contractor with expensive equipment and crews. Talk to other riders, trainers, and equine facility managers. Find out what worked for them, what didn't and why. Ask about the types of problems and maintenance issues they've noticed with the various riding surface materials. Read about arena construction, renovation and maintenance.
Remember to consider water and drainage before breaking ground. Good drainage is especially important in the design of the outdoor arena. Good drainage will facilitate rapid run off of rain water and increase the number of days the arena is rideable. Proper drainage will also minimize the damaging effects of erosion and frost heave. Water is an important element in the proper functioning of the riding surface as well as an important dust control measure. This is especially an issue with indoor arenas where some type of watering system will be needed. Consider conservation as well as cost.
Dust control, rut or build up along the rail, uneven footing and hard or slippery spots can all be minimized by proper arena maintenance with an "equine" designed footing tool. Again, it will cost more to fix footing problems after they occur than to prevent them on the front side through proper construction and proper maintenance. If possible build bigger than is actually needed. This will allow you to vary the position of your workout routine, Drag often and buy the best arena drag you can afford. Proper maintenance is essential for protecting your investment in your arena and for your horses safety. A equine footing tool will bring aeration into the riding surface minimizing concussion and injury as well as maximizing confidence. A good drag should re-compact the aerated footing to provide a stable surface your horse can "move from". The best arena implements also level in the process. A drag attached with a three point hitch will often work better than a trailed harrow in many circumstances. Stay away from blanket or chain harrows, they tends to 'drag' the surface materials from the low spots to the high spots compounding the problem of unevenness within the riding surface. Stay away from drags that use rippers such as a box blade. These rippers will undermine your base which is the heart of your arena. Follow a pattern (alternate direction with each grooming) for using your drag like the one shown here: Riata developed pattern for periodic maintenance, you will learn to maintain a near perfect arena with a little knowledge, patience and consistency.
"Good footing is no accident™"