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Asphalt Grindings for an Arena Base

Around The Farm
#1

We are putting in an arena on our little farm. The size is approximately 75x150 and is already cleared and graded with a nice 2% slope along the length of the arena. The area drains very well: the soils are a relatively firm mix of sandy clay with minimal organic content. For reference, we get 60" of rain annually and I anticipate trying to ride through the winter - but am okay with taking a few days off if the arena needs to dry out.

Our original plan was to simply add some angular sand to the top and hope to be relatively happy with our arena (given that its total cost would be around 3K).

I have ridden the horses on the current flat area to see how it is and they slip a little in the higher clay areas when it is wet. So now we are rethinking that and are strongly considering using reclaimed asphalt grindings to make a base and then add sand to the top once the asphalt is compacted. This is a readily available material in our area and is substantially cheaper than gravel (almost half the cost).

Any experience with this? I know of folks around here who have used it as a base in indoors, and we use reclaimed asphalt grindings for our gravel road very successfully, but I have no experience with an outdoor arena base made out of it.

#2

I think you will find that the asphalt will actually compact together after a while and not be suitable for a riding ring base. We used this material for all our driveways and pathways going to the pastures and over 10 years or so it has almost turned back into pavement. Its a lovely surface to walk on but I don’t think it would work for the purpose you intend.

#3

We used CMB, crushed misc. base which is a combo of asphalt chips, concrete, maybe a little tile, etc. at I think two + inches deep, then rolled with a giant ride on roller which we rented. But we did top that with DG, then rolled again before installing the footing. Since the water is meant to sheet flow off instead of penetrate and drain downward, I think your idea might work. Still would opt for DG as a buffer because if it does set up to “street” hardness that might be too much concussion if you get sand that is easily displaced or have a wild episode where they really dig in.

#4

It’s been at least a few years and wherever I have used millings I can still drag them into ‘fluff’. I have it in my all-weather turnout paddocks and it works great on its own 
 it has basically turned into pea gravel at this point and compaction/slippage/hardness is not an issue anywhere. I prefer it over bluestone, which after spending a small fortune on, I covered with screened millings as it was wicked hard. I would think about using geotex or something similar to keep it out of the eventual top layer of sand though. Makes for more careful dragging, but you won’t churn it up into your sand.

#5

I used some recycled asphalt in one of my paddocks when I put in a new run-in shelter. I put it all around the shed area. I found it very abrasive on shoes, and in summer sun it smelled highly of tar and made the grey horses very dirty. Strongly would pay a bit more for crushed limestone and have chosen to pay four times as much for limestone in my own ring when I redid my footing this year. Worth it!!! I covered the asphalt with limestone chips too. I was wearing out steel shoes in one setting, kid you not. Not sure if that is an asphalt thing
but it has gotten a bit better with the new footing in that paddock. It comes through in places so those horses still go through shoes faster than everyone else. It is weird.

#6

[QUOTE=bathsheba8542;8523104]
I would think about using geotex or something similar to keep it out of the eventual top layer of sand though. [/QUOTE]

Geotex can be slippery too. We put it under 3-4" of sand and had to pull it out. The sand never stabilized on it and the textile was slippery when the went through.

#7

SmartAlex, thanks for that info. Can you post what kind of sand you used?

#8

I wouldn’t. It’s great for driveways and the like, but I just don’t think it’s the right fit for an arena base. You want limestone and some fines that will pack in and the sand will grip to.

#9

We tried that geo-text fabric too. Was a mess and pulled it out. The best thing to get is limestone. We have one ring that is all fine limestone and another that uses wash septic system sand cant remember the mesh #. Both great options.

#10

The base of my arena is quarter inch minus (compacted) - which is similar to asphalt minus the tar. Maybe check into the price of it? I would be curious about whether the tar content would affect the ability for the base layer to drain. But you want it to turn into a road/sidewalk-type consistency (as long as you have enough footing on top of it). You’re always welcome to come out and take a look at my place - you don’t want an arena that’s unrideable through the better part of the winter, and that seems to be the fate of an awful lot of outdoor arenas around here. I also had an extra drainage layer added of 1 1/4" rock under the quarter inch minus - and I would highly recommend doing that even if it bumps you back a while to save up the dollars.

Regarding limestone - I’m not sure we have easy access to limestone here in the NW. None of my rock/topsoil places carry it, and my assumption would be that it would be more expensive than the rocks more typically found in the NW
but I’m sure someone can correct me is that’s an incorrect assumption.

#11

What kind of rock is your quarter inch minus made of, PNWjumper? I assumed yours was probably limestone because it’s the same color as mine but I am sure it could be other stuff too I just don’t know what else comes in that grey. Maybe a granite or something? mine is a very similar size, it’s called “limestone chips” here but 1/4" and finer is the approx. size. It doesn’t have to be limestone for sure, that’s just what we are used to here.

#12

[QUOTE=bathsheba8542;8523987]
SmartAlex, thanks for that info. Can you post what kind of sand you used?[/QUOTE]

It was just coarse pit sand. Not anything especially market for footing, but it did end up being perfect after we got the geotex out. It just could never bind to the base.

#13

[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8524127]
The base of my arena is quarter inch minus (compacted) - which is similar to asphalt minus the tar. Maybe check into the price of it? I would be curious about whether the tar content would affect the ability for the base layer to drain. But you want it to turn into a road/sidewalk-type consistency (as long as you have enough footing on top of it). You’re always welcome to come out and take a look at my place - you don’t want an arena that’s unrideable through the better part of the winter, and that seems to be the fate of an awful lot of outdoor arenas around here. I also had an extra drainage layer added of 1 1/4" rock under the quarter inch minus - and I would highly recommend doing that even if it bumps you back a while to save up the dollars.

Regarding limestone - I’m not sure we have easy access to limestone here in the NW. None of my rock/topsoil places carry it, and my assumption would be that it would be more expensive than the rocks more typically found in the NW
but I’m sure someone can correct me is that’s an incorrect assumption.[/QUOTE]

I remember liking riding in your arena and know (from all your pictures) that it drains well. We get 60" of rain annually, vs. maybe 30 annually where you are? So I am anticipating that drainage will be an issue. Right now the area has an incredible ability to drain, both sheet flow off the site as well as permeate down through the current soils. It is a high point in our field and the land slopes away in all directions.

The idea with the grindings would be to create the firm base that everyone seeks, but at a lesser cost and with a lesser known material. I, too, am interested/concerned about what the tar would do to the material in terms of drainage.

I talked to our mutual friend who lives out this way and has an outdoor that she uses all winter and she isn’t terribly satisfied with her arena either. Some neighbors of mine have 3" of 5/8 minus that they compacted and let sit for a few years and then added Cadman’s angular sand to and are pretty happy. I wonder about the 5/8" or 3/8" minus just getting mixed into the dirt below it. Maybe that is an over reaction and compaction would solve that problem?

FYI, these are the local options for rock: http://www.cadman.com/north-bend.php

#14

I know this is an old thread but Costco muffins, I was wondering if you ended up using the asphalt millings as an arena base and how it worked out??

#15

She’s out of town at a show, but I hope she reports back! Maybe I’ll bug her


I’m putting in mine in a few weeks, with a designer directing a local dirt guy. Right now they are saying screenings compacted for the base, after taking away dirt and compacting subbase. The dirt guy knows my property, he did some of the dirt work when my house was built, and it was winter time, so he knows exactly how wet it gets (four or five inches dirt that becomes a swampy mess over impenetrable clay)


#16

She didn’t do asphalt. She used gravel in low areas and native soil/glacial till and compacted it.

#17

Thanks Jenners!! Im guessing if I really want to have a base installed, I’ll need to bite the bullet and save/pay for screenings. The asphalt millings would be half the price but I assume that if they worked ok there would be more people that have used them in that way!

By the way, what is glacial till? And she compacted and then put sand on top with only putting gravel at low spots?

#18

Asphalt is composed of bigger stone sizes than other kinds of screenings.

I would not put anything with bigger stone, the size you don’t want to ride with underfoot, for a horse riding arena base.
There may be the time those may just come up into the footing.

#19

Erm, local silty sorta stuff, I think, hopefully she’ll update with a better description of her soils. We are close as the crow flies, but the grounds are totally different between my place and hers. My impression was she did some grading/leveling, filled low areas, compacted, and put on sand. She has a very good draining place though. She replaces sand regularly due to grade (3 percent) but is very happy with it. I will have major drainage issues so having to do a bit more. A lady I know on the south end of the island did the asphalt millings and is unhappy I think, as is a friend of hers who used the same arena guy. I was worried about it becoming way too hard, but also don’t want to punch through the sand to the base and make divots, so I decided to hire out some professional help. More expensive but shrug

1 Like
#20

Im about to put a sand arena in. Well, Im still waiting for the quote, but I need it done. Have no idea what it will cost. Was quoted 25k 10 yrs ago on east coast
Now in the middle of the country so who knows.
Praying its not crazy expensive.

Any tips? Things to watch out for?

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