Arena footing - sands and fibers

[CRTXLaw]

I am trying to decide on footing for my arena (the top layer) and I have been going crazy researching sands and fibers (I am not considering any other types of footing like rubber).

This is an outdoor arena that is only for my personal use with 2 horses, so it won’t get a ton of traffic. I am looking for the most economical solution that would be safe for jumping up to 4 ft. I could improve upon the footing gradually over time by adding more bales of fiber.

I have engaged a consultant but the sand quoted was $42.50 per ton and this seems expensive (I need 150 tons for my arena - about 125 x 225 ft). The recommended sand is silica, coarse, fairly large grains with slight angularity (so it won’t compact too much).

For those who have been through this, what did you choose in terms of sand? and if you added fiber what did you choose and what was your % sand vs. % fiber?

How much $ did you spend? Thanks!

[PonyTales]

In some cases the excavation can initially be the most expensive aspect
That said in my situation the land piece I used drained quickly & seemed to have no issues w/sitting water. So no fancy excavating needed. My first layer was 6 inches of crusher dust, which is fairly inexpensive & makes a nice base. Upon that I added 2-4 inches of sand after 6 months & thereafter every spring. I used the cheapest sand available (suppose I could have put more thought into that) but seemed to work fine in my case. As far as maintenance the arena was dragged after heavy rains. It did tend to pack down after rain, but a quick drag easily broke the surface up

[Mosey_2003]

That’s ridiculous. I bet they’re quoting you white silica that they use for fracking and manufacturing, you don’t need that for an arena. Call around and find a local limestone quarry and ask about manufactured sand. It’s angular and would do just find. Ours here sells for $6/ton.

[LeapOfFaith]

The wonderful world of sand… I put FSGeoTex in my indoor arena a few years ago and got a bit of an education. They recommend Silica too but as pretty and white as it is, it is very expensive. I went with a fine, angular mason sand that cost $15 per ton. I sent a few samples of different types of sand from local quarries into the company where i was buying the footing, they looked it over and told me which one was the best for the footing. I believe i put somewhere between 100-125 tons of sand into my 70 x 150 indoor. about 4 inches deep. Then 9 bales of fiber. Came to around $4,000 for the fiber and $2,000 for the sand. This was the cost delivered we did all the installing. I love this footing, I love jumping on it, its soft and springy but still very stable under your horses feet. I rent the arena out to a few barrel racers in the winter and they love it as well. It holds its form nicely, I rarely have to groom it. I do have to water about once a week in the summer.

FS GeoTex- http://www.footingsolutionsusa.com/horse-arena-footings/products-geotex_2.php

[CRTXLaw]

Thanks for the replies! LeapOfFaith - your approach is way more in line with the budget I had in mind. I will check out FS GeoTex!

[Shammy_Davis]

[QUOTE=CRTXLaw;7900034]
Thanks for the replies! LeapOfFaith - your approach is way more in line with the budget I had in mind. I will check out FS GeoTex![/QUOTE]

Before you make any decision investigate everything thoroughly. It is just not about the most convenient or inexpensive materials because a poor design, poor materials, and poor installation will certainly lead to extremely high cost later in maintenance.

The following link might give you idea on alternative and further questions to ask.

http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/ub038.pdf

Check with your local extension agent and see if they services to assist you. It’s free.

[keatssu]

Regarding the sand - how many inches are you starting with? It’s hard for me to compare what I spent on sand based on tons. It’s been a few years since we put in our arena. For 180x90 we spent around $2800 for washed concrete sand for a depth of 1 1/2 in. We added a 1/2 inch of rubber to the sand. This year we added 1/2 inch of the same sand for $800.

Part of the cost is transport, so it’s going to be more depending on how far away you are from the quarry.

Your contractor should spread the sand to the exact depth that you need with a paver. Ours brought in just enough sand - he didn’t base it on a formula. We used less than the formula had predicted.

If you are getting enough for 1 1/2 in., the cost doesn’t sound outrageous to me. You want to have a nice angular sand to mix with the fiber. The experts say you should start with the minimum amount of sand because it is much easier to add than take away. The footing shouldn’t be deeper than 2-3 in. total. Too deep is not good for jumping.

[Mosey_2003]

180x90 at 1.5 inches would be approximately 112.5 tons, so approximately $24.80/ton. Your new 1/2 inch was approximately $21.33/ton.

[Rabtfarm]

Sometimes it might be a bit easier to get your putty sand trucker to quote a price per yard delivered, then you will be in a better position to calculate the cost of the required truckloads per inch of arena coverage., rather than with tons of sand with differing amounts of moisture and weight…

[speculation07]

This is such a timely thread as I am renovating my facility and putting in a 160x220 ring with Geotex. We are using the silica even though its more expensive since that seemed to have the best “reviews” for the south florida climate. What has been drilled into me by everyone I’ve spoken to and “borrowed” samples from their rings the base is everything and drainage is key! I think because of my specific location its extremely expensive but I am more of the camp spend now to have lower maintenance costs later. And the only I guess advice I have is CHECK WEIGHT TICKETS on the trucks that come in with materials if you can.

[keatssu]

[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;7901166]
180x90 at 1.5 inches would be approximately 112.5 tons, so approximately $24.80/ton. Your new 1/2 inch was approximately $21.33/ton.

:)[/QUOTE]

Thanks! Now we’re getting somewhere. I do think that they try to sell you the fancy sand. Washed concrete has been just fine for us, our footing is fantastic.

[ponygirl]

[QUOTE=speculation07;7901341]
This is such a timely thread as I am renovating my facility and putting in a 160x220 ring with Geotex. We are using the silica even though its more expensive since that seemed to have the best “reviews” for the south florida climate. What has been drilled into me by everyone I’ve spoken to and “borrowed” samples from their rings the base is everything and drainage is key! I think because of my specific location its extremely expensive but I am more of the camp spend now to have lower maintenance costs later. And the only I guess advice I have is CHECK WEIGHT TICKETS on the trucks that come in with materials if you can.[/QUOTE]

Not to derail but who is doing your ring?

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=Rabtfarm;7901317]
Sometimes it might be a bit easier to get your putty sand trucker to quote a price per yard delivered, then you will be in a better position to calculate the cost of the required truckloads per inch of arena coverage., rather than with tons of sand with differing amounts of moisture and weight…[/QUOTE]
I don’t see how changing the unit of measure would make a difference here. Unless it’s a very small area the moisture will be the same whether you measure a ton or a yard. Unless you’re strictly talking about deriving a per inch price, which seems a titch excessive to me.

@speculation07;7901341

And the only I guess advice I have is CHECK WEIGHT TICKETS on the trucks that come in with materials if you can.

Our tickets actually print in perforated copies of 4. I get a signature on one and the trucker gets three so that contractors and customers can have their own copy.