Home Arena on the cheap

[Samigator]

I usually try not to cut corners with things, but with new arena construction being so cost-prohibitive, I’m tempted to try to do it on the cheap, so I’m looking for those who have done this and how it has turned out for them.

We bought a small hobby farm last fall and building some sort of outdoor riding arena is in my 2-3-year plan (hoping sooner even, but we’ll see). I want to build an arena somewhere between 70x140 and 100x200 (again, depending on cost and space) for my own personal use. I have one lower level dressage/versatile horse, a saddle seat show horse, and a few walking horses, who I mostly trail ride. My daughter will hopefully eventually start to ride more too, but otherwise, it would get pretty light use, probably only a few days a week.

We have a spot in mind for it that’s fairly flat (though needs a few young trees removed and some grading) and dry. Our soil is about a foot of clay, with sand under that. So far this spring, it has been very dry and drains (runs off) really well when it rains. So I’m debating removing the topsoil, crowning and compacting the existing clay, and then adding 2-3" of some type of angular sand over that for footing. I have the Underfoot book and have read it, and yes it’s a great guide, but I’m not building an arena for the Olympics.

Wondering who has built a very simple arena like this and how did it turn out? What are its limitations and do you have any advice? Would you do it this way again or is it better to spend the $40K and build the fancy, perfect arena? Thanks!

[mmeqcenter]

I know many barns that have gone that route and have great arenas for their needs.

Personally, I don’t love a clay base. I would put 4" of a compacted stone base (lime rock, road rock, stone dust, etc.) on top of the clay, then your 2-3" of footing.
I like concrete or masonry stone for economical footing, myself.

[costco_muffins]

I did exactly what you are thinking of. Scraped topsoil, added gravel and compacted into the low spots, and added coarse angular sand. We hired a guy with a big tractor to do our earthwork and then DH used our little tractor to keep working at it. It was never laser leveled, but you can easily eyeball that it has good slope! I have jumped up to 3’6" in there, ridden in the wettest winter in recent history in the PNW, and generally take mediocre care of our footing.

For a 75x145 arena, I used 4 10 yard loads of sand, which came out to 2". That is PLENTY.

When it was winter, one horse with giant platter like feet really dug into the clay and would slip, but the others all did fine. I am VERY happy with my investment. All in, including earthwork, footing, fencing, and stain, it cost us around 3K. That was a lot of haul-in fees if needed and clinics, which is how I would rather spend my money!

Here is a little clip of the arena last week:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUx7loZA…by=sharkeyfarm

And the arena in the middle of winter, while it was raining:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQwrhzmA…by=sharkeyfarm

And the arena with snow, for good measure!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN5qtNZB…by=sharkeyfarm

[costco_muffins]

I will say that we decided to build this type of arena because everyone that I know who spent a ton on their arena still gripes about something (sheet flow, puddling, mushiness, depth, all sorts of things) maybe with the exception of @PNWjumper who has an amazing and unusually well draining PNW arena. We felt that the return on investment was better with us building a barn - which is what we are using the savings for.

[Kodidog763]

@Samigator did you get a quote for $40K? I just had a contractor come out and give us a quote for a 60’ x 120’ on relatively flat area for $16K. Granted we are on the west side, but I wouldn’t think the distance between here and the east side would equal $20K (unless it’s the tree removal which is increasing your price). I’m happy to give you the name of the contractor we contacted if you are interested (just PM me).

That said, DH is a contractor and we are going to do my arena ourselves rather than hiring it out. We are on clay, so we are toying with the idea of clearing to clay, using millings (which is a LOT cheaper than stone dust in this area), and then sand footing.

[Samigator]

thank you all!!

mmeqcenter- what don’t you like about a clay base? I assume we will have to stay off of it when it’s wet so as not to make divots in the base. Does the clay mix too much with the sand footing and get hard or slippery?

Costco muffins- that is WONDERFUL thank you! I love to hear that it can be done in a decent reasonable manner, and your arena looks really nice Do you have clay as a base or what was under your topsoil? Btw- I absolutely love that winter video- not only the arena is awesome, but that horse is SO lovely!

Kodidog763- we are on the west side now too. I sent you a PM. Our quote was for $30K for a smaller arena without any drainage system or anything fancy… Ideally, I would love 100x200 if I can manage it. The tree removal I don’t think will be too bad. We may be able to rent a spade and move them around our property or sell them actually. They were planted by the previous owners with the intention of selling them by the time they got this big. Worst case, we’ll rip them out and use them for firewood. They’re pretty young trees yet.

[CupcakeTough]

I’m so happy for this thread. I also have the Underfoot guide and no budget for an Olympic ring. I’ve been toying with the same idea of removing top soil, adding compacted rock, and then footing. One day I’ll have my professional arena, but right now it’s just not in the budget!

[Libera]

I’m in the PNW… We had a flat area where we scraped off the weeds and topsoil, then groomed with an arena drag.
It is about 70x200 and drains great, have been able to ride on it most dry days this winter. I don’t ride in the pouring rain but I probably could have.
so it cost us the gas to run the skidsteer and the tractor, less than $100…

Only problem, I do have rocks popping up after a heavy rain or snow, takes maybe an hour a week to pick them out

i will eventually cover it with a real base and footing, but for now it works

[OneTwoMany]

We have clay in our area too and I’ve tried it two ways. I’ve gone the cheap route, scraping off the topsoil and putting down sand on top of a clay “base” and I’ve done it the more expensive way, removing the clay and putting in a proper foundation of 6-8" of crusher dust with sand on top.

For the light use you are suggesting, the cheap route may serve you well for several years. Depending on how much rain you get, you may need to stay off the ring when it is wet because your clay “base” will become soft and the footing will become too deep, inviting injuries. In our situation, over time, the clay began to mix into the footing. Once enough clay had mixed into the footing, we found the footing could become quite hard when it dried and it didn’t provide the proper cushion. Daily aggressive raking was required to loosen up the footing during the drier months of summer, and boy was it dusty.

Personally, I would avoid a clay base. I didn’t mind it the first few years, but later I came to hate it. When it came time to build a new outdoor on a new property, a clay base wasn’t even a consideration.

[mmeqcenter]

@Samigator

mmeqcenter- what don’t you like about a clay base? I assume we will have to stay off of it when it’s wet so as not to make divots in the base. Does the clay mix too much with the sand footing and get hard or slippery?

Yes to all, in my experience. A crushed stone base will last you a lot longer, for all the reasons OneTwoMany said.

[mellsmom]

In Virginia we build two really nice arenas. We leveled the spot and rolled one then added about an inche of manufactured sane (angular sand) and rode on it for about 6 months then added more footing. This was on a clay base. the second ring we leveled and let sit for about a year before we added an inch or so of manufactured sand. then rode on it… then added more sand after about 6 months. Both drained really well, and held up well. We were careful in the first year ot to ride on it when saturated, but it was never too hard or slippery.
Here in Indiana, I had the benefit of pre-set up drainage tiles in that area. THe former owner set up the area for an arean but never put one in. We leveled and added about 5 inches of limestone screenings and rode on it for about 6-8 moths before adding sand. It drained well, but I think the limestone packs harder and we have the washesand and I think it has a tiny bit of rolling. I just build an indoor over part of it and will be completely revamping the footing this summer.

[Samigator]

mmeqcenter- thanks, yes that makes a lot of sense.

Libera- you must not have clay.

OneTwoMany- great insight, that’s exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Thank you! I will have to consider something between the clay and the footing… maybe geotextile and crushed stone base… it seems that a simple clay base may work for a while, but it’s just a matter of time before the footing disappears… I really don’t want to have a high maintenance arena if I can avoid it.

[kashmere]

Friends of mine did this. We are in Atlantic Canada with very heavy clay soil and lots of rainy weather in spring and fall (oh and if we’re being honest, also summer and winter :lol:) For our climate and soil, leaving the clay base would have been a no-go. They scraped the clay topsoil, added compacted stone/gravel of some kind, and then angular sand on top. It is crowned and slopes down to shallow ditches on each side to help with drainage.

It doesn’t get super duper heavy use, and they try to stay off it immediately after heavy rains just to be safe (maybe over kill), and it’s been a great arena. No, not Olympic quality - but also well under 30k! I think, all told, it probably cost them sub 5k to put it in - not including fencing.

[Sweetums_Mom]

It took me almost 2 years to make my outdoor arena only because we let nature do some of the work for us. We scraped off the topsoil with a box scraper, then stopped as no money…then put in 4-6 inches of screenings/stone dust and let sit and actually rode on it, even dragged it with a chain link harrow for about a year as no money for sand. It got very compacted and hard. Then bought the sand and 14 years later, it’s still very good.

I figure we spent about $3,000 for about a 90 by 120 ft. No fencing around the ring. Used the Underfoot booklet also.

[costco_muffins]

@Samigator

thank you all!!

Costco muffins- that is WONDERFUL thank you! I love to hear that it can be done in a decent reasonable manner, and your arena looks really nice Do you have clay as a base or what was under your topsoil? Btw- I absolutely love that winter video- not only the arena is awesome, but that horse is SO lovely!

Our “base” is native soil that happens to be fairly firm and have high clay content. It also drains very well, so no idea on the actual mixture or specs. Prior to being our arena, that area housed hogs in a hog pen…

That pinto is my absolute favorite - the best guy to teach kids to really ride!

[costco_muffins]

@Libera

Only problem, I do have rocks popping up after a heavy rain or snow, takes maybe an hour a week to pick them out

I should mention that I do pick and throw rocks too. During any lessons I will pick a few rocks and once in a while I will send a kid out there to do a more thorough picking. It is totally worth it, though.

And Libera, it is nice to see a fellow PNWer with a backyard arena that is working out for them!

[costco_muffins]

@OneTwoMany

For the light use you are suggesting, the cheap route may serve you well for several years. Depending on how much rain you get, you may need to stay off the ring when it is wet because your clay “base” will become soft and the footing will become too deep, inviting injuries. In our situation, over time, the clay began to mix into the footing. Once enough clay had mixed into the footing, we found the footing could become quite hard when it dried and it didn’t provide the proper cushion. Daily aggressive raking was required to loosen up the footing during the drier months of summer, and boy was it dusty.

Our thought process was that we should at least try to see if the cheaper route would work, with the idea that if we had to scrape it all out then put down a proper base and new footing we hadn’t invested too much into the trial. We also did 2/3 of the arena to start and went the first 9 months with only that much completed. I am still super happy with it, but I am definitely not the pickiest person about footing and am thrilled with the upgrade from when I was riding on our gravel driveway and uneven pastures.

[Samigator]

So I thought I should post an update… we built a beautiful arena, and didn’t cut any corners. In the end we decided since we have clay, it was best to make a proper base. So the clay on site was graded, crowned, and compacted, then 6" of ag lime base installed and compacted, then 2" of angular sand. I absolutely love it!!! And though it’s expensive, I’m glad we didn’t cut corners, so hopefully we will be able to enjoy it for many many years!

[2Below]

@Samigator

So I thought I should post an update… we built a beautiful arena, and didn’t cut any corners. In the end we decided since we have clay, it was best to make a proper base. So the clay on site was graded, crowned, and compacted, then 6" of ag lime base installed and compacted, then 2" of angular sand. I absolutely love it!!! And though it’s expensive, I’m glad we didn’t cut corners, so hopefully we will be able to enjoy it for many many years!

SOunds like this plan worked out. I’m on solid clay and used it for a base. I hired a guy for all the earthwork, grading (about 3’ of grade work), he put sand and hardwood chips for the footing. My original arena was 80X120 (put in about 2008) and cost about $5K with the dozer work and materials. Last year I added on to make it 80x200, cost about another $5K. I’m about 4 hours north of you in WI so familiar with the weather we endure. I’m SO glad I added on last year, rode all winter in it, through our endlessly wet summer and well into our crappy fall, while other arenas were too wet/swampy/slippery/deep. It was worth spending the money (although both times I had to sell a horse and use savings to afford it) to have it done right.

[RTF]

I took our farmland spot that is a dirt/clay base, and packed it. We added angular sand and spread it out apprx 2-3 inches deep. Next step was to fence it in. Ours turned out really well. There are times I stay off of it, after heavy rains, and when the ground freezes then thaws and they can dig up the base, but I think I spent 600.00 on footing for a nice area to ride. It gets dragged on a regular basis, I have to spray weed killer on it, and it’s not used year round due to snow and heavy rains. I get about 6/7 months of riding on it though otherwise. Mine turned out really well, and if your ground is right, yours might too. If you have anyone local, talk to them about what they did. I seriously lucked out. Our long winters keep me out of it for about three months, so if it wasn’t for those it would be close to a year round riding area.