August 2005

Economical Arenas

There’s no shortcut to a safe arena, but the cost doesn’t have to be sky high.

You’ll want some type of perimeter around the arena, like railroad ties.

If you’ve been making do with schooling in your flat, grassy “dressage arena,” you may have wondered if you can just dump some sand on the grass area and make an inexpensive arena.

Unfortunately, you can’t. Tricks that have been tried and failed include riding on the same soil until it compacts in a ring-like fashion. Some people throw sawdust on the ground, but that will shear away under the horses’ hooves and cause slipping. Sand poured right on top of clay soil will have the same effect, shearing away over time. And any of these shortcuts can result in concussion injuries and costly veterinary bills. …