Sand ring/grass ring?

[Cat_Tap]

My outdoor ring is 90 by 180. Since I am the only one using it the weeds are taking over. Tried hand pulling, spraying, harrowing but I am still loosing the battle.

I did spend a lot of money to have it installed. Gravel base, topped with screenings and then sand. I am not sure that I have the right sand but was assured by the contractor that it was. There are small pebbles coming through and it is a little deeper than I like.

Would it work if I just keep cutting the weeds with my tractor and use it as a grass ring?

[cgray0983]

Only my husband and I use our arena 5-6 days per week. I found that dragging it daily is the only way to keep weeds at bay.

How new is it? There could have been weed/grass seeds already mixed into the sand that you used depending on where it came from. I would keep working it as much as possible.

[tangledweb]

It might. Grass rings have a lot of sand under the turf for drainage.

I am curious what you mean by harrowing. I’m struggling to imagine weeds that would survive weekly harrowing.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

I have an outdoor that we’ve let go to grass and the grass roots definitely lock the footing in place. Ours got much firmer compared to when we’d drag it and keep the top surface loose. Depending on your expectations that may be good or bad.

David

[merrygoround]

You will still have a problem in wet weather of holes in the footing that are hard to deal with if you leave it go to grass. Also wet grass can be slippery, and allows ruts if you constantly ride the rail.

just drag as frequently as possible.

[btswass]

What about spraying to kill weeds?

[IronwoodFarm]

I have no problem keeping the grass at bay with spraying and an occasional pull. I spent a goodly sum on my outdoor arena, so I will not give into the grass.

[Lambee]

We purchased a horse property that in an area of Kansas that is very sandy - the arena had grassed over - we plotted all winter on getting it worked up and killing the grass…until the winds came in March - so glad we didn’t work it up before then because there would have been a lot of real estate moving around… It does need to be leveled out but, I’m thinking keeping it grass is a good thing. The drainage is excellent - and it’s never muddy or slick.

[Cat_Tap]

I had it sprayed once by a neighbor but it only worked for a few weeks.

Dragging it weekly is not possible as I have my cutter attached to the tractor and I can’t remove and put it back on by myself. Even the tractor maintenance guy had a hard time with it.

I don’t have a proper ring conditioner. DH used regular diamond shaped harrows on top of which we put some frost fencing. I used the truck to pull the harrows which probably was not good for the truck. I no longer have the truck. I then tried attaching the harrows to the back of the cutter which wasn’t great either.

If I was to buy a proper ring conditioner I would also have to get some vehicle to pull it with. I am not sure I can justify the expense for just one person using the ring. My two boarders prefer to use the indoor with both big doors open year round or they will just ride in one of the fields.

That is why I was wondering if it would work as a grass ring.

[fordtraktor]

Spray it with something that lasts for a year. It won’t last for a year but it will last more than a few weeks. Something like RoundUp doesn’t really last – you need something that sits in the footing and prevents regrowth. It won’t work very well because of all the dragging. Spray it full strength and expect to respray pretty often.

You really have to drag weekly. I know it is a PITA but it is totally necessary to keep the weeds away.

I understand the temptation. I actually let weeds grow up through my previous footing because the previous owners of my farm installed sand that was not angular and it was slippery. I let the weeds grow up to stabilize it. But it became very uneven and it was impossible to do anything about that, so then huge holes formed that wouldn’t drain. Over the years it became a nightmare. Last year I had to scrape it all out and refoot the whole arena.

You can bet that this year I am taking the time to drag every week. I have learned how to attach the implements a lot quicker now that I do it all the time. I used to have to call the dealership to come out and help me put on my mower, now I can do it myself in a couple of minutes. the first time you fool with something it is very hard, I have found. But once you do it a few times, that goes away. Hire a teen to come help you do it if something is too heavy to do yourself.

[goodhors]

You can ALWAYS kill the greenery. Try using it a while without spraying or weeding. We also have a sand arena, 90ft x 300ft, which over time has gotten green on top. Mostly grass, a few weeds. I just keep it mowed, which lets the grass overcome most weeds. I don’t mow short, it is set at 5", just like when I mow the pastures.

We have found we LIKE having the grass covering, same reasons given by folks above. The sod part is firm footing, doesn’t get cut up no matter how hard the horses travel over it. NO DUST on windy days! Before there were clouds of dust when using arena in dry times, windy times. I use the arena as a sacrifice area, horses graze off the grass to keep it neatly trimmed. I don’t get ruts using the edges.

We drag or level the arena as needed, the covering grows back. It really is easy to keep up, though we are not worried about arena appearances to folks going by. Arena gets a lot of hard use by ridden and driven horses, lots of hooves going at speed, no change in turf, no holes or hoof prints marring the surfaces.

I would leave it go to grass, do whatever maintenance it needs to suit me, and enjoy it. Don’t waste your money on spraying, just mow it as needed for a nice look.

[Horsechick200]

Don’t let the grass grow in it. That would be a shame! I’d love an arena that big! Not sure if this would work but what about Mag salt? Salt kills weeds right?!

[tangledweb]

Harrowing it once makes stuff grow. You need to do it regularly if you want it to stay weed free.

If you want to see how it works as a grass ring you’ll still need to do it properly. Letting random different weeds grow then mowing them short is just going to lead to weeds that spread to other parts of the property. Killing what’s there and deliberately seeding with something might work, but you’ll still need to put work into fixing ruts as they develop.

Investing in some sort of quick hitch so you can swap tractor implements sounds like a better solution that throwing your hands in the air and pretending your weed patch is a grass arena.

[Palm_Beach]

What fordtractor said. You can get sprays that kill weeds and prevent regrowth for at least 3 months. And drag drag drag.

[snowrider]

Do you have a 4 wheeler? Almost everyone I know drags with a 4 wheeler, it’s much easier.

[js]

Since you have an indoor ring, investing in a proper ring conditioner/drag and something to pull it with might be a worthwhile investment. How do you keep the indoor footing in shape? If you get a smaller size one you could pull it with an ATV or even a garden tractor/mower. Look for used to save some money. Otherwise, if you already have an indoor, then maybe having a grass ring outside is okay. However, you invested in having a proper outdoor put in, I would make the effort to keep it.

I agree that large pieces of equipment can be impossible to hook up, so look to smaller sizes that are easier to manage, they might not do quite as good a job but better you can use it more easily and more frequently.

[invinoveritas]

I once boarded where there was a grass ring. My horses were always distracted by the grass.

[Cat_Tap]

[QUOTE=js;8663609]
Since you have an indoor ring, investing in a proper ring conditioner/drag and something to pull it with might be a worthwhile investment. How do you keep the indoor footing in shape? If you get a smaller size one you could pull it with an ATV or even a garden tractor/mower. Look for used to save some money. Otherwise, if you already have an indoor, then maybe having a grass ring outside is okay. However, you invested in having a proper outdoor put in, I would make the effort to keep it.

I agree that large pieces of equipment can be impossible to hook up, so look to smaller sizes that are easier to manage, they might not do quite as good a job but better you can use it more easily and more frequently.[/QUOTE]

My indoor has rubber footing. Have had it for 25 years and it never needs dragging. I rake the outside track by hand twice a week, takes about 10 minutes. Riding on rubber always makes it feel like the horse is wearing running shoes. My boarders really like it that is why they won’t use the outdoor. The horses also seem to go better and are easier to ride in the indoor.

[js]

Well then probably up to whether you want to ride on grass or not. We let our arena go back to grass, I’m not crazy about it but it depends on you and what kind of riding you do. A lady up the road has a nice arena but does all her jumping out in a grass field.

[ElementFarm]

in a pinch, you can even drag a sand ring with a pickup truck – that’s what DH used for a few months until we bought a tractor