I’m looking at potentially building an outdoor arena. My issue is…I would only be able to build a 35’ by 80’ and the ground gently slopes from one end to another. I am unsure if I can afford sand etc To do the footing. I may just end up leaving it grass and dirt which it is now. This is the only area of my property that is basically straight enough and I can’t go wider because there is a 50’ tree in the way. I would typically only be using this for exercises such as the cruising, follow the fence, diagonals etc. We don’t typically do a ton of arena work unless we are doing groundwork etc. Any comments are greatly appreciated. It was just a rough measurement by me walking.
I use Clinton Anderson training if wondering what cruising etc is
I’ve no idea what cruising is, but a 35’ arena would not be of any use to me. I can’t imagine asking a young, unbalanced horse to always be taking turns that tight. Even a round pen I’d want to be 66’ x 66’.
I’d cut the tree down, or trim it’s lower branches and have a tree in the middle of the arena to get a useful space or I’d work in fields or driveways and skip the mini arena.
If you can’t afford $15,000 minimum, then a properly built arena is not in your future. And quite frankly, that size is fairly useless for functional riding or even ground work. 35 feet wide is too narrow for all but a walk or slow jog. If it slopes and you leave it grass/dirt it will become slick and muddy at some point. Not really safe for effective work.
What’s on the other side of the tree?
I took lessons at a farm that had a really cool sand ring - built right around a couple of very large trees and had a pretty noticeable “hill” on one end. It was so much fun to ride in.
35x80’ might as well be used as-is for reasons stated - the 80’ is useful, but the 35’ really isn’t worth investing footing in
I could push it to 40’ wide at max due to just not having anymore room. And its an outdoor arena which is just wooden fence so not sure why I would need $15,000??? I’m not looking at an indoor At all. I have two horses and only one does training for anything. But I would like an area to use just for working so I have a strong fence line basically. Doing rollbacks etc, and practicing staying at one gait when asked.
There is more flat ground on the opposite side of the tree but its a massive pine tree.
It sounds like when you say “arena” you mean a space to ride with whatever footing is there, but when I think “arena” I think a prepared base, professionally footed (sand), installed outdoor which would cost $15K on average. And honestly, 35 x 80 for anyone in the hunter/jumper/dressage world would be too small for any effective work. After all, 35 feet on one end is about 2 and half strides, which is like being worked on a lunge line over and over again. Probably not good for feet and legs.
Bigger is not always better! Small arena’s are very popular in Europe. In Spain I trained at a barn that had a 40x80 foot indoor and they had three horses working in it :eek: It works well for them and I have seen even smaller area’s like covered round pens work fine depending on what you want to do. Spanish riding school arena’s are very narrow and the Bolsover Castle school ring is smaller than those. I have also seen barns in the USA that use the barn aisle way used like a ring and it is less than 20 foot -saddlebred people ride like this often.
Do what works for your farm and horses:lol:
I can’t talk for Spain, but when I was working in Portugal 12x20m was a common indoor arena size. Remember that the Spanish and Portuguese horses are much smaller than warmbloods… I can’t imagine trying to pilot my 18hh gelding around something that small.
But for the original question, if you think that your 40’ is wide enough for what you expect of your horse, then that is fine. If you work mostly at the walk then I can’t really see much of a problem with that. But if you are expecting your horse to work for longer periods of time at a higher pace, be aware that those tight turns are going to put a lot of strain on his joints.
We are in the process of gathering quotes for an outdoor arena at the moment. Looks like it’s going to cost us about $20,000. And that is on a dead flat area. If you want your work area to be rideable after more than a few drops of rain, you need more than just a wooden fence around the area. You need your native ground and base leveled with a 1-2° angle to allow the water to run off. This needs to be made of stones/gravel and compacted to concrete hardness. Then you add your sand on top. If you are just wanting a cheap alternative, that might not be always able to be used when you want to ride and might be a bit tricky to ride on due to the terrain not being flat, then sure just fence in the area you want to ride and it’s done!
The vast majority of horse people don’t have a proper arena, do not despair. But you can’t ride after a rain or if it is super dry and hard, and will be limited therefore to times when your footing is ok. What you are able to come up with will depend on what equipment you have to build it and to maintain with.
That said, 35’ would be of no use to me. I would go approx. 66 feet or 20 meters minimum. I have seen jumper arenas with a couple trees in them too, but roots could be a big issue depending on species.
50 feet is my minimum for the short side. I’ve gotten quite a bit of work done in 50x50.
My thoughts on grass. My outdoor is mowed grass, essentially the same as your typical lawn. During our dry season it is so hard and slippery I cannot canter safely in it. Maybe half a turn and a straight away, but requires caution. And then in the wet season it is unusable because I know I’m going to tear it all to heck and have to repair muddy hoof marks.
[QUOTE=Tiffaneykalata;8273200]
And its an outdoor arena which is just wooden fence so not sure why I would need $15,000??? I’m not looking at an indoor At all.[/QUOTE]
When you say arena, it’s assumed you mean footing. It will cost that much to clear, grade, pack a base in, and put sand in for your footing. It is expensive to have contractors prepare a level base. Depending on your area, sand can be more or less than you’d assume, you’d need to call your local quarries to see what type they have and how much it is per ton. Plus hire a truck to bring it. Then you’ll need someone to spread it, unless you have a tractor to do it yourself. This all adds up.
If you’re just fencing off an arena area, it’s more akin to a paddock. And in that case, what exactly is your question? Can you fence off that small of an area to ride in? Sure. If you’re just playing Clinton Anderson games, it’s probably big enough. Is it worth it to invest in the fencing? Only you can say.
[QUOTE=Tiffaneykalata;8273200]
I could push it to 40’ wide at max due to just not having anymore room. And its an outdoor arena which is just wooden fence so not sure why I would need $15,000??? I’m not looking at an indoor At all. I have two horses and only one does training for anything. But I would like an area to use just for working so I have a strong fence line basically. Doing rollbacks etc, and practicing staying at one gait when asked.
There is more flat ground on the opposite side of the tree but its a massive pine tree.[/QUOTE]
Why not leave the tree in the ring? You are more looking for an enclosed space to ride not really an arena but if there is more flat ground on the other side of the tree why not just work around it?
I could put in a sand over a packed/graded clay arena for a lot less than 20k here. I have flat area and know neighbors who spent about 5k for grading double the size (roping arena) with more grade (5’ difference from side to side) than what I’m looking at. The rest is trucking and spreading the right sand.
Or I know people who did it in stages. Grading year one and they rode on raked up dirt with some stone dust. Year two added footing…and so on.
That’s not what I want to do, however, I’m putting in drainage and a base, but I do think in some areas of the country people get by for much less than most COTHers talk about spending–I’m guessing that’s what the OP is looking at? Still you have to be able to maintain it. Personally, until I get a tractor I’m just going to ride on grass. That means boarding elsewhere in the spring and watering in the summer. All my eventing buddies ride in their fields and seem to survive, so hopefully if I use common sense I do too.
We in the Midwest really are fortunate in that way, TrotTrotPumpkin.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8277529]
We in the Midwest really are fortunate in that way, TrotTrotPumpkin.[/QUOTE]
The downside (at least up here) is winter. Cold, bitter winter. A heated indoor helps.
[QUOTE=Tiffaneykalata;8273200]
And its an outdoor arena which is just wooden fence so not sure why I would need $15,000??? I’m not looking at an indoor At all.[/QUOTE]
:lol: Add another zero for the approximate cost of an indoor.
The real question is, in what way does the current space not meet your needs? Is it just a matter of putting in a new, strong, straight fence up one long side? Or are you wanting all-weather footing? In most cases, simply dumping sand or whatever on top of existing soil does not work well at all, but to do a proper base costs more than it sounds like you are hoping to spend.
Edited to add - if you are hoping to fence the whole arena area, have you roughly priced out fencing options? As there aren’t good AND cheap options for that either.
Do you mind sharing your intended budget? I think that would help. As I read things, folks are warning against just throwing expensive footing down on the current base and adding expensive fence to such a narrow area that would be hard on the horses joints if going much more than a slow jog. Good advice, really. But it sounds like you are looking for a modest informal area in a defined space and won’t be cantering and galloping…
We have only had a grass ring (80’ x 200’) since we bought our farm. I threw some gravel down initially with the plan on building a proper arena at a later date. 3 kids and 25 years later, I still do not have a proper ring. But we have ridden in rain, sleet, snow and sun in that ring, and my kids all learned to walk, trot, canter on it. It has been fine, but we are not show folks, or serious riders, just backyard horse owners enjoying our steeds.
We are moving to a very small, hilly property. It has a 45’ x 100’ or so area with a few big maples about 10’ from the north rail side. It is my sacrifice area. It is going to have to double as our riding ring for now. Really not great, but it is all I have. Next year I am going to cut down the edge brush and expand the width to 60’. I will not have a ton of $ to do proper footing. I am going to keep the maples. I like to ride in shade and my horses are older and sane. I am just going with what I can manage at this phase.
If I were in your shoes, I would increase the width as much as possible, going around the tree (or hire a person for a few hundred to remove it). You can get a chainsaw and/or clippers and lop away until you get enough height or find someone to come in and stump grind it away if you find an inexpensive way to remove it.
As far as fencing, I had a ring of fiber glass poles and tape in my early days. We electrified it and it worked fine. That is super cheap, and obviously you turn the power off when riding, lol. Or have someone dig posts, and put in some PT posts and do tape for a bit more sturdier fence line.
