I am in the process of looking at putting in a dressage arena..
What I want is a dressage arena, what is the best and the cheapest way to do this ???
I have obtain a quote for $23,000 from a professional areana builder, which would be a very nice areana... Although this does seem very expensive...
I am wondering though as sometimes what may appear to be expensive may be cheaper and better in the long term ?
Although I really don't need the best of areana's.. I just want one that does the job...
Am I better to get someone to come in and do it?
Am I better to just mark out a flatish area, with witches hats ?
Am I better to get in a bobcat or similar to come and cut it ?
If I did the latter, should I then fill it with crusher dust and sand ?
I don't want to have to buy something to level it out once or twice a week either.. I presume this is what needs to be done if I have it filled with sand... ??
1. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #0
Obviously there are ways to cut costs with arenas in terms of surface used, edging used etc. The one thing NOT to compromise is your levels and base. My arena drains from the centre to the four corners with an aproximate 150 cm fall (my arena is slightly larger 60x30). Even with heavy rains, it drains well and I have not had to put additional drainage in. Depending on where your arena is, ie next to or at the bottom of a hill, you may have to consider run off. In terms of surface, that will always be a personal choice of course, I've used a river sand blend, but want to combine it with 5ml. blue metal. Maintenence wise, I just drag a gate with a sleeper on it around. I do notice when I'm doing alot of dressage, that obviously you start to wear a track and thus a bit more dragging required! Base wise, sandstone, supposed to be 8inches thick, but as I have ALOT of clay in my soil, only used 4. Surface material, I used 3inches as opposed to recommended 4 to 6. Again, that's just personal choice and others may recommend deeper than what I've put. I ended up spending just over $20k for mine, but that was a couple of years ago and prices have gone up! Hope this helps.
2. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #1
One other thing, friends of mine who "cut corners", ended up with huge problems as it wasn't done properly. Orginal contractor wouldn't come back to fix, and other contractors didn't want to touch it as they didn't want to be blamed if it wasn't fixed and also didn't know what the first guy had done exactly. So while the arena looked great, it was unridable!
3. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #2
So would you suggest that I should just get someone to come in and do it for me ?
I have seen areana's that water sits in corners.. I would hate to pay a lot for one and for this to happen...
Everything just costs so much money doesn't it...
We have a person call Todd Cunningham who does areana's here in Qld, he seems to do a fair few areana's and I have never heard any complaints about them...
What about fenced corners, I have been told by a dressage judge that this is very important to have on an arena ?
4. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #3
Hi Dancer - I built an arena on my property about four years ago. Professionally built - and was quoted $18,000.00 without the fencing. However, I could have had it done for about $4,000.00 cheaper if I had chosen a different part of the property that required less excavation. But I wanted it just so, didn't I... I have heard quite a few stories of people getting unexperienced contractors out, and then having to then spend much more $$$ to fix the problem. The guy who did my arena was happy to give me the names and numbers of previous clients, so I could see their arenas and talk to them about his work. Worked out well for me in the end - the arena is a dream to work on and does not retain water at all. I would post a pic if I knew how ...
5. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #3
Personally, yes, but having said that, I talked to many contractors who were all said experts. Just because they can move dirt, doesn't mean they can build arenas! Whoever you get, I would definitely suggest going and seeing their work and if possible, talking to the owners. It would be good for you to see an arena that's been in for a year or so as by then it will have had to cope with different weather etc. and most problems, if there are any, will have come to light. I don't know about fenced corners, as we are not that serious about dressage, let me rephrase that, I am, but my horse is not! Also too, as a PS, the contractor should be using a laser leveler to check that all levels are correct. If they don't mention this.......
8. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #5
True, I guess any fly by nighter, won't have any dressage arena's that have been around for any period of time... It will also show how any follow up work has been done, if the areana has needed it...
7. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #0
It depends what you want, but if you get someone in to cut or level a pad for you, make sure they've done arenas and know what is required. Ask about arenas they have done previously and speak to the owners to see if they are happy.
A bad arena is nothing but an expensive pain in the butt so if you have to spend a little more to get it right first up, I'd do it.
Todd Cunningham arenas are brilliant if you have the $$. I can't afford that but I have a local guy coming to start mine in about a fortnight. He has done quite a few in the area, and I've questioned those people at length and all are happy. Not the cheapest guy in the area either, but a good reputation and it will be worth it.
10. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #7
If you have the money for the proffessional job the just do it. I am hoping to get mine done for between $4000-10000, there are no professionals around my area but I have spoken to a few people who have had arenas built and they have given me the names of guys ith the right gear.
Basically you just need a really good base, domed with a fall of 1% is ideal and then some good quality sand or other surface.
If you do surface it you will need to invest in a contraption to keep it even, but really an old gate isnt hard to come by, if you allow tracks to form rain will sit in these hollows and create soft spots in your base.
15. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #13
Hi Dancer,
My arena isn't complete as yet however the arena fill (sand) is what so far is our most expensive cost! Hence why its not finished yet. We had quotes ranging from $20,000 - $40,000. My father and i cut costs by hiring the escavator ourselves and having my Uncle dig it out however these companies also hire the machines out with drivers if needed.
My arena has a 1 foot fall for drainage of course you can't see it or notice it. We are now saving our pennies for the $5,000 of arena fill we are getting. I would say spend your money on you base as this is also Most important. The fencing you can SAVE HEAPS ON by buying the posts yourself and hiring someone just to bang them into the ground as we have done with our paddocks then we have gone along and done the rest of the fencing ourselves. Its rather easy with extra help and a lot less expensive.
Hope this may be of some assistance to you i have attached pics of what we have done since moving onto the property in November 07. You can see all the posts banging into the ground waiting to be finished and also my dad and other half putting in the strainer posts as well as my uncle digging my arena.
Kind Regards
Emily Murray Far Horizons Lodge-(FHL) PROSPECT HILL SA
16. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #15
We tried to do it ourselves and ended up with a boggy mess. Then we had to pay a professional arena builder to fix it all up. We paid about $30,000 including fencing for a 30 x 60 sand arena. Drains beautifully, couldn't be more happy with the end result. In my experience, it's cheaper and less heartache to get a professional in. Try and have a look at arenas they have built previously to make sure they know what they are doing.
17. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #16
We had to build my arena ourselves as it would be impossible to get any professional to come out & build one where we are unfortunately. First go was a disaster! As our ground was already seemly pretty hard my father took the authoritive decision to just put river sand over our black clay dirt. Well all I can say is that it was terrible it was heavy going from the beginning then it rained and of course the ground underneath swelled & never dried out so you could ride on it. After much arguments with my father I rang Todd Cunningham myself & spoke to him about it & he gave us some info about how to fix it ourselves. So the sand got scooped up & we started from scratch again. Laid down shale & watered & rolled it in then but some gravel on top of that & watered & rolled that in, then put cracker dust (blue metal) on top of that then the river sand (which had to be sived to get most of the mud out of it). the result is reasonable good. Its not entirely level has a few bumps in the surface. We have also put some rubber crumb in the sand which is good. It stands up to about an inch of rain before you can't ride on it... it takes a few days of sun to dry out after alot of rain but all in all its the best we could have done considering we couldn't get someone professional to do it. Its better than riding on hard & rocky ground so it will do. If I lived somewhere where I could get a professional to build me an area I would make sure I "found" the money to have it done properly as the convenience of having a fairly weather proof arena with a good surface & considering they can normally build one in less than a week why would you want to go to all the hassle of trying to do it yourself.
18. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #16
Thanks for the pics, that was serious cutting..
I think from what everyone is saying I will get mine done professionally, as I think I would end up with a bodgy one first then have to spend all the extra money having it fixed...
I will ask who ever I use to give me some referals, so I can have a look at them...
19. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #18
Hi there,
I can highly recommend Todd Cunningham, he is fantastic, he knows his stuff and is really nice to deal with. My friend got a pro in to do her arena and it ended up costing her around th 20k mark and she cant ride on it so is now having to pay Todd 23k to get it fixed (basically starting from scratch). So her arena has ended up costing her a fortune. Go with someone trust worthy and in Qld I wouldn't go past Todd and the ELD team.
21. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #20
Can I also have the details of the person who makes the things to drag sand arenas?? I have river sand and it shifts to the downside of the longside after a while and some rain. How much and can they be towed with a 4WD???
22. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #21
The owners of my old agistment decided to put an arena in about 2 and a half years ago now. Was going to cost about $20k. Beautiful arena. Lovely surface. Only lasted a few months before the base started to crumble and my horses legs were going straight through.. She did get it fixed for another $25k by an actual arena contracter, as the entire thing had to be redone. Turns out they didnt leave enough room for drainage on the sides (it was cut into a hill), didn't have a thick enough base, and they hadn't rolled the base enough. My other friend decided to do it herself. Cost about $10k but she is now having the above mentioned problems. Get it done properly by someone who does HEAPS of arenas. My neighbours built an arena last year using Geomat as a base. So no clay or anything. The arena is on level ground though. Nothing really has gone majorly wrong (I am basically the only one who rides on it) but make sure you have a thick surface as the actual mat is quite slippery (they have eucamulch and river sand. Nice surface. Not much grading required). In one section however the edging of the mat is starting to come up through the arena. Clearly it wasn't laid correctly. Good luck!
24. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #0
Ems, wondering what sort of surface you are putting on the arena. I have recently had my arena topped up with sand from Compass Garden Supplies. It has a really small amount of clay in which helps it not blow away. It cost $7/t not delivered, you would have to add delivery to that unless you can borrow a truck. Just wondered if you had perhaps looked at this option to bring down prices. Also will you get run off where you have cut into the hill or do you have some sort of drainage dug that you cant see. By the way my arena cost me $3000 and it drains really well but I was lucky to have bought a property that has rock just under the surface and this acts as drainage as well.
25. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #24
Specialist arena or tennis court builders whould be able to help, but tend to be viewed as luxury additions with luxury price tags. If you're like me and live in the middle of nowhere (and have a limited budget), the best you can do is ask a lot of people, read everything you can and get a general earthworks person to do the job under STRICT guidance. For surface advice I ended up talking to the groundsman at SIEC, he told me all about their surface and it's composition, problems they have, maintenance etc. I also checked out a lot of other surfaces before deciding on what I could get locally at an acceptable price. I ended up putting in my arena for just under $4000. My site was fairly flat and only needed a bit of shaping for drainage. Good drainage is VITAL or your surface will break down. You could end up with the horses cutting through to the soil below and ruining the whole thing. If set up correctly you should be able to ride even when it is wet. We put down 6 loads of crusher dust as a base and 4 loads of river sand over the top. As the horses work a bit of the crusher dust mixes with the sand (we wanted this to happen) while the rest of the crusher dust sits in a layer under the sand for drainage. I made my own arena rake out of a sheet of fine grid reinforcing mesh with a steel beam wired to the front and back edge and 2 4WD tyres tied in the middle for added weight. I added 2 chains to the front with shackles so I can attach it to the tow bar of the ute. It does a great job and I made it from scraps we had lying about!
26. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #0
I had a large grassy paddock that was not flat. I got Todd in to level the paddock. He scraped all the grass off, leveled the dirt underneath, with a slight slope for drainage, then he shifted all the grassy soil over the top. Once the arena had grassed over we got a large load of washed river sand and a bobcat to come in and topdress the arena to get rid of bumps and holes. All up it cost around $4000.
Grass is cool to ride on, you get no dust, and if you choose your grass correctly it wears well. Every now and then my horses run around on it and make holes but I just fill these in. A grass arena can also be used for grazing and they make great night paddocks.
It has to rain really heavily for there to be water sitting at one end, but give it a day and it all drains away.
Only downside is you can't really ride on grass arenas when they are wet else you can churn up all the grass and horsies hooves can make big holes
27. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #26
I went and looked at an arena that a local guy did
It looked fine, it did not have any sand yet though...
He came over to my house and had a chat, I asked him if he used a laser leveler to cut it, he looked at me as though I insulted him He assured me that he did...
Anyway he said he lives not far from me and he has a big truck which carries around a Drott of some description and a bobcat. He said he will have his boys flatten the area I had in mind... He was really nice, he said it won't take long and quoted me $600 cash... Said he can get it done in half a day...
He was also very nice in offering to organise some river sand also, which he can get for me free of charge
I will have to pay for some crusher dust he said, although I can use his discount to keep the cost down..
He said when it's delivered he will pop by and spread it for me on his way home from work one day
What a nice man
He gave me two chooks as well I really like chooks, so he dropped them over to me this afternoon
I have a wopping big gum tree which I need to get removed now from this area....
This is a huge difference to $23,000 though ???
I was wondering if the tree would matter ??? Does anyone else have a tree in their arena ???
Or should I just get someone to come chop it and dig it ???
28. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #27
I've got 2 trees right beside the arena, but we located the arena so they just outside on 1 short and 1 long side. Having one in the middle might get in the way a bit. Change rein through X, (dodge tree), circle right (dodge tree), show some lengthend strides (but don't change rhythm as you serpentine around the tree) . Having them right on the side is great for shade in the afternoons.
29. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #28
I may just be able to get that tree on the side
I was thinking it might be good training though, for my baby's to make them canter down the side line between the fence and the tree..
I have goanna fears, I have those retched things just sit there all so quiet, you approach them at a face pace and they fly up the tree in front of you Scare's the day lights out of the horses
Speaking of that sort of thing I once had a kangeroo jump into me one day whilst I was cantering early one morning in trails I almost fell off, I don't know who got the biggest fright my horse, the kangeroo or me
What makes these animals do this Can't they just be scared and run a mile when they first hear us coming... ???
Yes, dodging a tree will no doubt interfer with training..
30. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #29
Dancer, what the guy is saying sounds fine, if you have reasonably good draining ground already. Have him put down 2" of crusher dust then water and roll to get it to harden and stick together otherwise you will end up with sand and crusher dust totally mixed sitting straight onto the ground. The amount of money you need to spend does depend entirely on what sort of ground it is.
Be carefull of the surface in that you do not make it too deep, you can always add but it is very hard to take off. About 3" is good definitely no more than 4". Make sure the river sand is as pure as possible otherwise you will have problems with that.
31. "RE: Dressage Arena Advise"
In response to message #30
Thankyou
There is such an enormous difference in price ?
He said that the area is already flat, he mentioned an area which will slope differently for drainage...
I will make sure of this, as he never mentioned rolling the crusher dust, but maybe he does know this.
When a few people have mentioned what they have paid, along with there already flat surfaces, I thought hang on. I am not asking for major earth works like what is shown in the pictures, that is a serious cut, my land is flat.
I also am not holding any competitions, I just want a flat area to train my horse on...
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