Arena or paddock? Advice needed.

[QHEventer]

Looking for some advice or ideas - we had an arena put in a few months ago, but the contractor botched the whole project and the base failed. VERY long story short, we just met with a new contractor who basically told us the entire area is a disaster and in order to fix it he’d need to take down the fence, dig everything out and start all over.

We spent a small fortune on the original arena and don’t have another 30K laying around to redo the arena right this second, so I’ve been trying to figure out a plan B. My horses currently only have runs attached their stalls for turnout, I was planning on putting in a large, all weather sacrifice paddock for them this fall. Now I’m wondering if I should have someone come grade the old arena base (which is screenings) and let that be their new sacrifice paddock, and then next year start all over building the arena in a new location.

Is this a good idea/bad idea? Is there anything I’m overlooking if I decide to go this route? I’m hoping if the old arena base is graded I’ll be able to at least lunge them or do some light riding in the paddock until the new ring is built. Any other ideas I haven’t considered?

Thanks!

[TheJenners]

I would probably go with the sacrifice area and start new. Spendy either way, wasted money either way, but the value of a good sacrifice area is pretty high around here. Not sure about where you are though? Depending on the shape of screenings depends on how much you’ll be able to do riding in it…what did the new contractor say about it? I would start there and good luck!

[S1969]

It’s hard to say because we don’t know the layout - I would not be able to change the location of my arena very easily, for example.

But I agree that you will never regret having a real dry lot (not just a dirt lot where the grass won’t grow). I have a 60x60 paddock around my barn, and a lot of it was a driveway when we bought it, but when I had to do the driveway over I had them grade about 2/3 of it, add drainage and put stone dust. It get used SO much - during spring and fall “mud season” so there is always a dry spot to stand and feed hay, easy to clean manure out of, and easy/cheap to refresh with stone dust every couple of years if it shifts or gets thin.

And it doesn’t grow grass, so if you need a real dry lot for any reason, you have one.

I can’t really say whether it’s better to move the arena or not, but if you can use it as a drylot/paddock, I think you’ll like it.

[IPEsq]

What is the problem with the arena and base now? I think the main question is whether or not taking some of the footing out would result in a safe turnout area. If you can’t ride on it, could a horse run around on it? If so, then it sounds like slightly less money down the drain versus value added to make it a dry lot and start over on the arena.

[keatssu]

I’m assuming the new contractor has to start over because the sub base has to be done correctly in order for the base to be done correctly.

Since you have already fenced the arena, at least it would save you from having to rip out the fence. If you have an equally appropriate area for the new arena, I would start over in the new area. Though if the new area will need significant grading, it could be more expensive, so it might not be worth moving the arena to save the fence.

If you have the current arena area graded, I think it would make a nice sacrifice paddock, and at least some of what you paid for will be put to use instead of wasted.

[QHEventer]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8776460]
What is the problem with the arena and base now? I think the main question is whether or not taking some of the footing out would result in a safe turnout area. If you can’t ride on it, could a horse run around on it? If so, then it sounds like slightly less money down the drain versus value added to make it a dry lot and start over on the arena.[/QUOTE]

The subbase wasn’t compacted or graded correctly so we have drainage issues and an uneven surface. Not good for an arena, but would be fine for a turn out area. The footing has already been removed, so it’d just be a matter of grading the base smooth.

I’m torn…another big factor is the layout of my farm. My runs have gates that lead to what was supposed to be my sacrifice paddock, the sacrifice paddock gate could then be opened to the pasture. So the horses could go from stall to run to paddock to pasture as they pleased. If I have to build a new arena in a new location and make my existing arena my sacrifice paddock, their runs would then open into the new arena, and in order to get to the sacrifice paddock, I’d have to lead them there, which defeats the whole purpose of how I set up my farm.

Decisions, decisions…

[S1969]

[QUOTE=QHEventer;8777569]
The subbase wasn’t compacted or graded correctly so we have drainage issues and an uneven surface. Not good for an arena, but would be fine for a turn out area. The footing has already been removed, so it’d just be a matter of grading the base smooth.

I’m torn…another big factor is the layout of my farm. My runs have gates that lead to what was supposed to be my sacrifice paddock, the sacrifice paddock gate could then be opened to the pasture. So the horses could go from stall to run to paddock to pasture as they pleased. If I have to build a new arena in a new location and make my existing arena my sacrifice paddock, their runs would then open into the new arena, and in order to get to the sacrifice paddock, [B][U]I’d have to lead them there, which defeats the whole purpose of how I set up my farm.

[/U][/B]Decisions, decisions…[/QUOTE]

Given this information, I would say no. You will always hate it.