I’m planning on building an arena and want to make sure it’s large enough for future driving endeavors. Would 100’X200’ oval shaped work? The horses using it would be 16.3 or so.
Also I plan to enclose it with 3 or 4 board fence, any problem with that?
Thanks for any advice.
Probably not big enough for that size horse. Dressage rings are 40 x 80 meters…maybe 130 x 260 feet.
one the farm where we board there are 2 grass arenas - - one is a full size dressage field 40meters by 100 meters with tape …sides at about 15 inches high - - we drive draft cross horses 15.2 and 16plus hands - - there is no question that this is plenty big enough to do just about anything / / / / the other arena is grass with no sides and is smaller than the dressage arena - - I don’t know the exact size but we find it plenty big to do most work - - I think it might be about 30 meters by about 70 meters or so - - - we also board in the winter at an indoor arena facility and drive in their indoor which is about 60 foot by 120 foot (guessing a bit here) - - - when we first went there and the horses were green it was a challenge to do a circle full arena width - - now a few years later we can do a figure of 8 across the short side of the arena -with ease. - - -The round corners to me make the ring a bit restrictive in size - - they cut off A LOT of the length at the sides - - - the best size for an arena is really what fits on your property and what you can afford
Our ring is not quite full Advanced size of 40 x 100 meters, just didn’t have the room in that field. Still a really good size of about 30 x 95 meters, and allows you do do almost anything needed with driving and large horses. We usually drive Multiples, Fours, Tandem, Pairs, so having enough length and width to ACTUALLY let them move out is wonderful. Not ALWAYS turning because those corners come up quickly.
I would suggest making your ring square, so you have corners to use or not, if you like. We do make a number of small circles in the corners at times. Horse/s get more adaptable if you should need that kind of turning someplace else.
We have an edging on the ring, railroad ties, that keep the sand INSIDE and give a feel of limit, without the visual “wall” that fencing does. A lot of horses depend on that fence for limits, while others never “QUITE” get really close to the edge of ring as needed in Dressage movements. We do put up some plastic chain before any CDE, so our horses get to look at that, not be wary of it blowing in the wind.
As a user of this ring, I just love it for the open feeling. We can gallop, ridden or driven, horses have enough room to go as asked. Works well in conditioning, using all those other muscles and breathing to develop their wind. And with BIG horses, mostly 17H or so, they are not always turning or hesitant like happens with smaller rings. Lets you ride, drive, develop control as horse gains skill.
When the kids were riding more, we could split the arena, both kids working one end, out of each other’s way. I could set up a nice course of jumps, using the whole ring, so they actually had space to rate and extend their animals with good turns, not all crammed together, as horse and kid learned skill over fences. The speed rider taught her horse the needed patterns with MANY repetitions at walk and trot, before she could do her speed runs with horse being extremely consistant in his runs. Not using fences to do his turns, since he didn’t learn that way. For such a big horse, he did VERY WELL in barrels, flag race, poles, over smaller, faster horses that were not consistant, controllable as he was. Benefits of the big, open arena training.
Ridden or driven, our horses have learned to wait for instructions in the no-fence arena. You really can’t have “too much” space in your arena!
We have 2 dressage rings - one is set up at 40 x 80 m with small white dressage fencing and big box letters with fill in them (something you would see at shows, and the ring can be made to 100m length when needed). It is on grass so we only use it when it is dry. Its a great ring and we love to train in it. It gets the ponies and the driver used to the space and we are able to drive the tests as you would at a show. It is also very open so the ponies dont have a fence to “lean on” and you really notice when they are crooked.
We also have a fully fenced sand riding ring which is 30 x 60 m and its a great size to ride in, and to drive in but the short side does feel a little short when driving a pair. We do have plans to widen it in the future…
That being said, I think 100 x 200ft is a great size for an arena, but if you could go a little bigger, that would even be better
I forgot to say we have a grass/sand based arena. We put in a good base, layered for good footing in all weathers. Over the many years, the middle has sprouted grasses (some weeds too) from blown in seeds. The grassy area is TOUGH, stands up to galloping hooves, keeps the dust down quite well. The most used parts, arena edges, centerlines, is loose sandy dirt, not grassy. If using the ring immediately after heavy rains, you can ride or drive on the solid grass, have good footing ridden or driven. Vehicles are not too heavy like they get sinking into the wetter sand edges. Ring is at the bottom of field drainage, so it can be quite wet sometimes but dries quickly in a day or so. Love that volunteer grass, really helpful for grazing or driving on it.
I do mow the vegetation to keep it shorter, but not lawn short. In the winter, this arena and edges of that field is where we turnout the horses, because the fill put in for the arena gives them dry ground to stand on. Our field dirt is clay based, very heavy and wet in fall, winter and spring so horses are in deep mud, doesn’t get dry.
I don’t groom the surface a lot, want a firmer surface in the arena, so that is how the grass got started. Don’t make your base very deep, since that makes pulling a vehicle HARD for the equine. You want them moving light and floaty if possible. About two inches of soft stuff, then harder surface under that for hoof grip, is a good surface for driving arenas. Wheels don’t cut in and sink. Deeper going, soft, sink-in topping in rings (very common in Western riding rings) leads to soft tissue injury.
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