Outdoor arena watering solutions: not enough water pressure for sprinkler system

[tidy_rabbit]

Here is the scenario.

1. Large outdoor arena with Silica sand footing (so it must be watered regularly).

2. Arena location is a couple hundred feet up hill from water supply that already has low pressure.

I’m thinking I have a few possible solutions.

1. A trailer with water tanks mounted on it and a spray system built on the back to distribute water.
   a) This is probably the most reasonable / cost effective solution.
   But… how many gallons would I need to water a 250x140
   arena?

Because of our low water pressure I feel like I would need to have enough water in the tanks to do the entire arena and then the tanks can be refilled during the day / overnight and I wont care how long it takes since the ring will have been watered.

2. A water truck but I don’t like that because if it mechanically breaks down I’m SOL. If I have a trailer I can hook it up to any tractor or even a truck if necessary.

3. A big holding tank placed above the arena and set up some kind of irrigation / sprinkler system.

[starsandsun]

Hmmm. So, maybe you could think about buying a large water containment system (a tank) - that would be somewhere near the arena (you can get them between 300-1500 gallons). Then you connect that to a landscape water pump that when turned on forces the water through PVC pipe around the edge of the arena that has sprinkler heads facing in … but that means you need electric.

[DMK]

I think your tank idea is the best, for a bonus round I would divert rainfall (I hear there is such a thing, although from the state of MY pastures, I don’t believe it) from the gutters into the tank when it is parked (leave the overflow open). Basically make your roof+tank a water barrel. It won’t save you from filling up the tank all the time, but hey, when it does, that will make life easy

[PeteyPie]

I keep coming up with 5,454 gallons to water your arena with 1/4 inch of water. Now I have no idea if a quarter inch is too much or too little, but if that figure is close, you will need some substantial tanks.

I would want to do exactly what DMK said; your option#3 with tanks located up top, combined with a rainfall collection system to augment your low-pressure hose.

If you don’t know who to ask about how many inches of water you need, I would use the system which tests sprinkler function: place a few pans around the yard, turn on a sprinkler and when the ground looks as wet as you would like it, measure the depth of water in the pans. Use several pans to get an average or at least a more accurate measurement. Of course it would be best to do this test right in the arena to get a better idea of how much water you will need.

My math, in case I made an error. Main equation is based on 1 inch of water:

250’x140’/12=2916 cu feet
1 gallon = 7.48

2916cuft x 7.48=21,817 gallons

so you need 21,817 gallons of water to water your arena 1" deep. A quarter of that would be 5,454 gallons.

Nevermind the math; here is a nice conversion website which makes it easy. Don’t forget to convert your water depth from inches to feet (one inch = .083 feet).

[BroncoMo]

Not questioning your math Petey, but I think 1/4 inch is a bit much? Just thinking of the shows I attend across the country (indoor and out) that manage their rings well, I have noticed they don’t refill the tanks on the tractor very often. I would have to do some shopping to see how big the tanks are but I’m guessing 250 gallons, maybe 500 on the BIG tractor they us at the Congress. I’m assuming they don’t use that much since it’s really just a heavy mist. Granted it’ll depend on the water retention properties of your footing, other environmental factors (wind, etc), how many horses are using it, etc. But I think even with a heavier mist so it’ll last a while, I think tanks on a trailer is your best option.

EDITED TO ADD: Didn’t think of this when I initially posted. A friend jerry rigged a system to spray for thistle, from the back of a truck. We had a tank (I want to say it is 150 gallons for so). Ran a hose to a 1/2 inch in diameter PVC pipe with a couple fittings you can get at Home Depot, drilled tiny holes all along the length of the pipe, and fixed it to the bumper of the farm truck. Granted it’s not a fine atomized-type spray. But perhaps smaller holes spaced closer together would be acceptable, especially if you drag after watering. Just an idea.

[Boo]

Not so sure on the water requirements - never had to calculate but i’d look into the buying a pump and pumping to the tank above the arena then gravity feeding down into sprinklers. Pretty sure cost wise it would be cheaper than the trailer version - though obviously not portable in case of fire etc (ie like a fire cart - but most fire fighting trailers in my experience only have a few thousand litres at most due to the weight to move it).

You wouldn’t need a huge pump if your happy to fill the tank slower overnight eg. and it can then be used later on for other water sources etc.

[eastendjumper]

Just joining the party. Looking into these types of options, too.

[Jsalem]

I’m following with great interest as I have the same situation at my farm. My outdoor arena is 130 x 215 and it sits a little up hill. We have city water that we use for watering the horses but we also have a well that was installed to take care of arena watering from a water truck pulled behind our tractor. I think the water truck holds 900 gallons but we don’t fill it up because it gets too heavy to get up the hill. I would say we put about 600 gallons on the ring when we water. It’s fine if the ring isn’t too dry, but if it isn’t raining we probably need twice that.

The well is kind of wimpy and it doesn’t fill the water truck very quickly. Logistically it’s difficult to water the outdoor and the indoor, plus switch to the drag all in one session so we try to alternate outdoor and indoor. When it’s dry, we really need to water the outdoor twice.

I’d really love to install an automatic system on the outdoor as the indoor doesn’t evaporate that quickly and the water truck takes care of it just fine. I’m looking at approx 15-20k to install an above ground storage tank that will fill from the well, plus install the system. I’ve found a guy that is actually experienced with the type of installation. We’re thinking a 5k tank would do the job. If I need more water, we could add tanks. We talked about using rainwater from the roof of my hay shed or indoor arena. The tricky part is the filter system that’s necessary so I’m hoping it will work to just fill from the well.

[Huntin_Pony]

Additionally, think about ways to retain the moisture that you have in the footing. For instance, apply magnesium chloride. This is used widely both for dust control (it attracts water from atmospheric humidity, if you have any) and to keep footing from freezing in the winter. I have not heard of people having trouble with horses’ feet as a result. Ask your vet if you are concerned about that.