arena nightmare ...again!

shamrock84 · 10-02-2009, 08:54 AM

I an SOOOOOOOO burnt out with people down here ! We have just spent$2000 on the riding arena and.....I CAN'T RIDE IN IT after the rain: WE SINK! I spent most of my life in Europe, where the weather is so different! Anyway, I asked the advice of a grading professional ( a jerk) who sold me dirt, saying it would do great....A mess ! I had to buy stone dust to make it rideable but after buying that *##$@*@ dirt I could not afford enough to cover all the mess ! HUbby says we should buy sand but :1 not enough money and 2) I refuse to give that jerk 1 more cent.

Any ideas?

I understand people need to make a buck BUT down here in the horse related business all people seem to do is lie and cheat

Horse poor · 10-02-2009, 09:42 AM

Be careful about the sand. If your dirt is clay it makes for a very hard surface. You may have to redo it to totally fix the problem, sorry. Go on the Internet and look up arena preparation. It will tell you how it is supposed to be done.

So sorry you were the victim of an unscrupulous contractor. It is really hard to weed them out all the time.

EquineAlberta · 10-02-2009, 12:02 PM

What kind of dirt is it? It can take time for the base to pack unless you use a proper packer, so it may be unfair to expect the brand new footing to hold up to rain in the first year.

$2000.00 is not very much to spend on footing.

You can get a sealant to coat the base which will help make an all weather arena, but it is not cheap.

Perhaps you can visit local area arenas and see what has worked for them?

a potential cheap sorce of footing can be a local competition grounds, for example up here you can get cheap footing from the fair grounds when they are done for the season...it isn't the best footing as has manure in it and you have to pick garbage out of it, but it is cheap.

Karen

pippy · 10-02-2009, 01:16 PM

What type of ground was it before you put the dirt down, what type of dirt was it? I am not all that familiar w/ stone dust, so am not sure what to do now.
I've learned fora good footing, you want to build w/ a good base of rock/gravel with smaller sizes on top and then a very fine gravel on top and finally your sand ontop of that. I have never had anyone recommend dirt for an arena, not even ontop of gravel.
I think maybe he said he is a professional and knew what he was talking about but am afraid you may of been taken by the recommendations of someone that does not know really what they were talking about..not sure maybe some regions do differently to.

Horse poor · 10-02-2009, 01:23 PM

I have read articles where they say you should expect to pay $10,000 for a decent arena floor. You have to scape down to clay then put gravel down and pack it then another layer of crushed gravel then that is all packed then another layer of clay, pack that good, then your top layer of whatever you decide to use. Then they talk about different kinds of sand from silica which you don't want to round gran and sharp grain and grain size.
It sounds to me like you may not have gotten a good base under it. All the articles I have read say when it is done properly you can use it immediately in any weather.

BarnBum · 10-02-2009, 01:25 PM

Get with Sirta88, she just put in a gorgeous arena !!

Silvercreekcrossings · 10-02-2009, 02:10 PM

I have sand over clay and it's fine for my daughter and I but deep and needs to be drug when rained on. I know it takes time to settle.

TB's_are_my_thing · 10-02-2009, 02:49 PM

If you want to do some reading on it, i highly recommend Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage by Cherry Hill. I used it as a reference in a course i did once, it was extremely informative.

shortbusgeek · 10-23-2009, 09:41 AM

We're just south of you in Georgia, and this is the company we're looking at using to do our Arena. They could probably offer you some advice. Here's a link directly to their guidelines page that offers some helpful information:

http://www.georgiahorsearenas.com/guidelines.php

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10-02-2009, 08:54 AM
shamrock84 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: north carolina Posts: 274	arena nightmare ...again! I an SOOOOOOOO burnt out with people down here ! We have just spent$2000 on the riding arena and.....I CAN'T RIDE IN IT after the rain: WE SINK! I spent most of my life in Europe, where the weather is so different! Anyway, I asked the advice of a grading professional ( a jerk) who sold me dirt, saying it would do great....A mess ! I had to buy stone dust to make it rideable but after buying that ##$@@ dirt I could not afford enough to cover all the mess ! HUbby says we should buy sand but :1 not enough money and 2) I refuse to give that jerk 1 more cent. Any ideas? I understand people need to make a buck BUT down here in the horse related business all people seem to do is lie and cheat

10-02-2009, 09:42 AM
Horse poor Started Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Idaho Posts: 2,778	Be careful about the sand. If your dirt is clay it makes for a very hard surface. You may have to redo it to totally fix the problem, sorry. Go on the Internet and look up arena preparation. It will tell you how it is supposed to be done. So sorry you were the victim of an unscrupulous contractor. It is really hard to weed them out all the time. __________________ Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead tell the storm how big your God is.

10-02-2009, 12:02 PM
EquineAlberta Kid Safe Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 6,013	What kind of dirt is it? It can take time for the base to pack unless you use a proper packer, so it may be unfair to expect the brand new footing to hold up to rain in the first year. $2000.00 is not very much to spend on footing. You can get a sealant to coat the base which will help make an all weather arena, but it is not cheap. Perhaps you can visit local area arenas and see what has worked for them? a potential cheap sorce of footing can be a local competition grounds, for example up here you can get cheap footing from the fair grounds when they are done for the season...it isn't the best footing as has manure in it and you have to pick garbage out of it, but it is cheap. Karen __________________ New Hillside Website The Art of Praise

10-02-2009, 01:16 PM
pippy Started Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: minnesota Posts: 2,300	What type of ground was it before you put the dirt down, what type of dirt was it? I am not all that familiar w/ stone dust, so am not sure what to do now. I've learned fora good footing, you want to build w/ a good base of rock/gravel with smaller sizes on top and then a very fine gravel on top and finally your sand ontop of that. I have never had anyone recommend dirt for an arena, not even ontop of gravel. I think maybe he said he is a professional and knew what he was talking about but am afraid you may of been taken by the recommendations of someone that does not know really what they were talking about..not sure maybe some regions do differently to. __________________ "It's never to late to live happily ever after."

10-02-2009, 01:23 PM
Horse poor Started Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Idaho Posts: 2,778	I have read articles where they say you should expect to pay $10,000 for a decent arena floor. You have to scape down to clay then put gravel down and pack it then another layer of crushed gravel then that is all packed then another layer of clay, pack that good, then your top layer of whatever you decide to use. Then they talk about different kinds of sand from silica which you don't want to round gran and sharp grain and grain size. It sounds to me like you may not have gotten a good base under it. All the articles I have read say when it is done properly you can use it immediately in any weather. __________________ Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead tell the storm how big your God is.

10-02-2009, 01:25 PM
BarnBum Kid Safe Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 5,862	Get with Sirta88, she just put in a gorgeous arena !! __________________ *Life is a coin, you can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.*

10-02-2009, 02:10 PM
Silvercreekcrossings Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 311	I have sand over clay and it's fine for my daughter and I but deep and needs to be drug when rained on. I know it takes time to settle. __________________ Silver Creek Crossings Standing Scotch on the Rocks, FHANA Friesian Specializing in Friesian/Arab Cross http://www.excaliburbreeding.com/Rocky.html

10-02-2009, 02:49 PM
TB's_are_my_thing Halter broke Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 172	If you want to do some reading on it, i highly recommend Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage by Cherry Hill. I used it as a reference in a course i did once, it was extremely informative.

10-23-2009, 09:41 AM
shortbusgeek Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8	We're just south of you in Georgia, and this is the company we're looking at using to do our Arena. They could probably offer you some advice. Here's a link directly to their guidelines page that offers some helpful information: http://www.georgiahorsearenas.com/guidelines.php