Outdoor arena fencing ideas please. Also holding arena footing in: RR ties vs. boards vs. ?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Working on the details of what I want to do for arena construction. Arena will be crowned 2 degrees and I plan to extend the base a few feet past the perimeter and then have drainage swales. So there will be a downward slope on all sides. I have talked to several people that wish they would have used something other than the natural soil to hold the base and/or footing in place. One contractor recommends that you have something in place for the aggregate base and footing, while others just worry about footing.

Anyway, if you don’t want to fence the perimeter, the option appears to be a retaining wall of either 2x8 or 2x10" and stakes every so often. I’m not clear on what is used for stakes, how deep and how you prevent a 2" board from bowing and rotting (even if it is pressure treated)?

Another option is RR ties. Not super easy to get and the ones I see look like they were thrown away by the RR for a reason. I assume rebar would be used?

We will likely fence the arena, but my understanding is the retainer goes on the outside of the fence–thoughts?

Second debate is fencing. I will have to take down my no-climb to build the arena. The other fencing in the area is black wood board and coated wire (depending on paddock or pasture). I also have some Horseguard.

I wan’t something low maintenance and attractive, but can’t really afford continuous steel/galvanized pipe at the moment. Wood board looks nice, but is such a bear to stain (all my fencing is black). I had thought about doing Centaur/Ramm flex fence board, but am not clear on how terrible the corner bracing will be? Anyone use this for a smaller area like an arena? I also want 2 gates, which means even more bracing.

I have been pouring through internet pictures/pintrest, but am just not sure what to do. Any ideas welcome and pictures appreciated.

[DoubleDown]

I just finished my outdoor the end of May, and just put in RR ties this past Friday. I’m in Oregon, so drainage is important, as well as keeping the sand in place. I put the ties on three sides on top of my rock base next to the sand, and on one side, next to the rock & sand. The side next to the rock is going to get stakes on the outside to help hold them as they are on a bit of an angle and not sitting square on the ground. The arena has a 2% grade away from that side so it is built up a little which didn’t give me a nice spot for the ties. I have a tons of drains under and around the arena, so drainage should work OK.

The ties are super heavy, especially if you come across any oak ones, so be prepared! Because they are so heavy, I’m not worrying about them floating away or moving if kicked or bumped, so not staking on the 3 sides. My arms are still a little sore, and I have a lovely scrape/bruise/egg on my ankle from one of those stupid things!

I would love a true fence around it, but that isn’t in the budget right now. :no: I’ll try and remember to grab a few pictures tonight.

[PNWjumper]

My arena base extends 2-3’ past the arena fence on all sides. I have nothing holding the rock in place and I haven’t had any problems with any of it leaving or moving. On top of the base and for the footing, I have pressure treated kick boards. Maybe one or two have bowed a little over the years, but we’re on 14 years and the two boards I can think of that are a little bowed were knocked hard by the drag (hard enough to kick out the nails on one side, and then not repaired for years) and I think the bowing happened because of that.

Can’t help on the fencing ideas. I did 4-board fencing to match the rest of my property. But we left the arena fence natural where the rest of the fencing is white. I actually quite like it the way it is. But I don’t know if it would look the same against black fencing in the background.

[dressagegirl123]

I have boards with stakes behind them holding my footing in place. The rock has topsoil holding it in place. No fence around the arena, just a plastic dressage arena set up (only older horses).
You mentioned pipe or steel fencing. I shudder to think what it would feel like to fall off onto that. Wood is hard, but more forgiving, and Centaur might just pop you back up onto the horse!

[Libby2563]

My arena is crowned as well and the very experienced contractor was adamant about not putting boards or railroad ties around the edges because it impedes drainage. There are shallow swales on three sides and a steep slope down from one short side. He graded appropriately and planted grass up to the edges of the arena. I have sand with rubber, and only small amounts of rubber ever seem to escape (it’s so light that it floats away). I don’t think I’ve lost any significant amount of sand in almost 4 years, except at one corner where I’ve had some washout lately that I’m pretty sure is due to me not raking the edges often or well enough. My arena drains very well and dries out quickly, so at worst I lose one day of riding after torrential rain (the contractor says I won’t hurt it but I prefer to be conservative).

I did a low dressage-style wooden fence around the whole thing and also a 4’ three-board fence where the drop-off is steep. I thought about not fencing at all but riding at that end was a bit scary without one. I also thought about a hedge but decided it was to much maintenance.

Pics here, scroll down: http://thesmallhorsefarm.blogspot.com/2015/02/building-outdoor-riding-arena-with.html?m=1
http://thesmallhorsefarm.blogspot.com/2015/03/mirrors-for-outdoor-riding-arena.html?m=1

[OneTwoMany]

@TrotTrotPumpkn

Working on the details of what I want to do for arena construction. Arena will be crowned 2 degrees and I plan to extend the base a few feet past the perimeter and then have drainage swales. So there will be a downward slope on all sides. I have talked to several people that wish they would have used something other than the natural soil to hold the base and/or footing in place. One contractor recommends that you have something in place for the aggregate base and footing, while others just worry about footing.

Anyway, if you don’t want to fence the perimeter, the option appears to be a retaining wall of either 2x8 or 2x10" and stakes every so often. I’m not clear on what is used for stakes, how deep and how you prevent a 2" board from bowing and rotting (even if it is pressure treated)?

Another option is RR ties. Not super easy to get and the ones I see look like they were thrown away by the RR for a reason. I assume rebar would be used?

We will likely fence the arena, but my understanding is the retainer goes on the outside of the fence–thoughts?

Second debate is fencing. I will have to take down my no-climb to build the arena. The other fencing in the area is black wood board and coated wire (depending on paddock or pasture). I also have some Horseguard.

I wan’t something low maintenance and attractive, but can’t really afford continuous steel/galvanized pipe at the moment. Wood board looks nice, but is such a bear to stain (all my fencing is black). I had thought about doing Centaur/Ramm flex fence board, but am not clear on how terrible the corner bracing will be? Anyone use this for a smaller area like an arena? I also want 2 gates, which means even more bracing.

I have been pouring through internet pictures/pintrest, but am just not sure what to do. Any ideas welcome and pictures appreciated.

In our area, many arenas are fenced. And we get enough rain and snow melt that many are built with bottom boards to keep the footing from washing out. We use pressure treated boards for the bottom boards, but they do need to be replaced over time. Like the top boards, the bottom board is nailed to the posts on the inside of the enclosure.

We’ve never used railroad ties on our facility. We see them used occasionally in our area, but they aren’t always readily available and they are stinking heavy.

I love the look of stained fencing, but refuse to sign up for the cost to maintain. Unstained wood fencing is fine for us. I would rather spend the money on beautifying the barn or keeping the grounds “just so”.

Agree with earlier poster. Consider what you use as a retaining wall. I love the look of stone walls, but people don’t bounce off them. Went with board fencing just for that reason.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I really appreciate everyone’s input and especially the pictures. Thank you.

[ElementFarm]

We use RRties in ours and I have zero complaints. The contractor use “landscape quality” which means not as ugly as some of the others out there. They were set in a few inches deep, and two holes drilled thorugh with rebar driven down several inches into the ground, but below the top of the hole, so no danger if a horse stepped on it or rider fell on it. They are firm enough for me to run into them with the tractor/drag and not move them out of alignment.

I think they look quite nice, and since my ring is on the smaller side (210x80), the rail road ties make it feel larger, whereas a traditional fence would close it in. The low profile just makes for a neater appearance in my opinion.

I’ll try to take pictures and upload them…

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Element, did you do an aggregate base over the native subsoil? And is that behind RR ties, or did you just use the RR ties on top of the base to keep the footing in? I would love to see pictures. Thanks!

[Jarpur]

We used secondhand utility poles, and our arena is fenced with cedar posts and two rows of pressure treated lumber boards. Since I knew I was going to be starting horses under saddle, I wanted the slight flexibility of wood, and we positioned the boards such that - when astride the average size of the type of horse I ride – my stirrups would hit a board (rather than fit in the open space between the boards) to reduce the chance of catching a foot on a post.

I boarded for years at places with pipe arenas and, although I never hurt myself on the fence, I knew others who whacked knees, etc.; what I experienced was the loud clanging sound a stirrup can make hitting a pipe fence, which is often unappreciated by the horse.

We keep the fence stained with semi-transparent stain, reapplied every few years; I prefer semi-transparent as it doesn’t flake or peel off as it ages, just gradually fades away. I put the stain in a five gallon bucket with one of those screens that hooks over the edge sold for the purpose, and slap it on. I’m fortunate in that I’ve sometimes had assistance from friends who come over occasionally to ride – we talk as we paint, and it’s not that bad a way to spend the time.

[Brave_Mucker]

We completed a 100 x 230 outdoor arena last year. Built up the base first; gravel, rolled, stone dust, rolled. We then put in posts every 8’ and added a 2 x 8 apron sitting on top of the stone dust. Next added sand.

The arena is sloped on the long axis 1 degree to the right. All water drains across the stone dust and “under” the apron. Sand stays in place. Re fencing; we used RAMM flex fence…three rails. This gives enough “security” for the horse and rider that they are in a contained area. We like the flex fence because it protects the horse and rider should they hit it.

Re corners: we did a 45 degree corner in all 4 corners. This gives a more “sweep” image and is easier to groom the arena. Quick note, invest in a good pull behind piece of equipment to groom your arena. This will save you $$ and time and insure that your footing is well distributed.