Building a ménage or riding arena

[focussed]

Any top tips?

Basically it's a old tennis court that I am going to convert into a "cattle and sheep handling area" but have decided to build it to ménage spec....

Drainage will be by soakaway.

 

[phillipe]

Put more drainage in than you think you will need,use good quality terram .dont be to short on clean stone ,

 

[rob1]

I used gale breaker type stuff from @Great In Grass when I redid ours a couple of years ago, a hundred times better than terram and it is one sheet so no bits to come through the surface,you can drive over it so much easier to put the surface on too

 

[chaffcutter]

Agree with above about drainage, ours has a full length drain every six feet. On the other hand if it's a sand school you need to be able to water it when it dries out too much in the summer so lay some water on.

 

[focussed]

What about surfaces? Any recommendations?

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

What about surfaces? Any recommendations?

We used single washed silica sand topped with rubber tyre clippings . Get suppliers to send you some rubber samples , we used the bigger ones 1/2" - 2" in size . Our 42m x 24m arena took around 30t to top . Send me a pm if you'd like more help .

 

[Derky]

Arena flex is the stuff we have laid very nice but dear. Key to a menage is drainage cock it up and your regret it forever.

 

[rob1]

Arena flex is the stuff we have laid very nice but dear. Key to a menage is drainage cock it up and your regret it forever.

Built several in very wet areas by using rubble to create deep soak aways, never had any ponding on any of them, get laughed at by "professional" menage constructors but it works and my prices were much cheaper, one person had an almost free one after the tipping fees, not sure how the new regs would affect that now tho

 

[RhysT]

Rubber is out of fashion nowerdays. You want to use shredded carpet fibre, that's what the best surface suppliers sell. Big variation in price though. Contact me for a quote. Based South Wales. Nationwide delivery.

 

[Hesston4860s]

Rubber is out of fashion nowerdays. You want to use shredded carpet fibre, that's what the best surface suppliers sell. Big variation in price though. Contact me for a quote. Based South Wales. Nationwide delivery.

Yeah I redid one last year that was rubber but when it was all put back they had fibres and harrowed them into the sand !.
Rubber makes the horses feet black or summut and the horsey girls don't like that !.

 

[Philip Watkins]

...
Rubber makes the horses feet black or summut and the horsey girls don't like that !.

Tell them to get black horses

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

Ours has the larger rubber chunks , been in 15 years with no problems . Just wondering why rubber is 'out of fashion' ?

 

[Forever Fendt]

Ours has the larger rubber chunks , been in 15 years with no problems . Just wondering why rubber is 'out of fashion' ?

Because there will be another by product to get rid of

 

[RhysT]

Ours has the larger rubber chunks , been in 15 years with no problems . Just wondering why rubber is 'out of fashion' ?

The carpet fibre 10 years ago was unaffordable, now you can upgrade a 40 x 20 with premium quality carpet fibre from as little as £1000

 

[Adam@Rumen]

Ours has the larger rubber chunks , been in 15 years with no problems . Just wondering why rubber is 'out of fashion' ?

Because he's selling this carpet rubbish by the sound of things


I know of hundreds of arenas with rubber chips, they're still very good and plenty fashionable enough.

 

[rob1]

Ours has the larger rubber chunks , been in 15 years with no problems . Just wondering why rubber is 'out of fashion' ?

I think worries about it breaking down and getting into water

 

[chaffcutter]

We have tried using rubber, and als wood chip, but have stuck with silica sand, but make sure it's the right stuff as ordinary grades of sand don't work.

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

An idea of the size of rubber chip we used .

 

[Kevtherev]

An idea of the size of rubber chip we used . View attachment 496540

Those off the marina?