Arena Surfaces

"I'm thinking of building an arena on my yard, but with so many different types of surfaces to choose from, I feel quite confused! Can you help?"

There are so many different surfaces available today that choosing the correct one for your circumstances is quite an art.

When I go to see a prospective customer I try to establish their needs, hopes and expectations as these along with their budget will determine which surface is best for them.

There are 4 basic surfaces to choose from: Wood, sand based, fibre, and finally sand with fibres and wax coating.

There are usually two types of wood surface to choose from. I never install wood chip or peelings as they are usually too slippery and degrade too quickly. However, I do install woodfibre. Woodfibre lasts up to 6 years before needing a top up, is self draining when laid deep enough and once it has bedded in gives a good stable surface to ride on. It also has the benefit of being at the budget end of the cost spectrum.

An arena finished with a woodfibre surface 60mts x 30mts

A better but more expensive surface is washed equestrian grade silica sand. Sand by itself would be too deep in the summer and freeze too quickly in the winter but with a top layer to insulate the sand from the elements it will give a stable base to ride on. There are several different quarries around the country and each sand will have slightly different characteristics. Some will be more free draining than others and some will hold the moisture better.

So when choosing a sand you need to consider whether to have a free draining sand and maybe an irrigation system for the summer months or a tighter sand and live with the fact that it may hold water for a few hours after heavy downpours in the winter but will have more water content in the dry months of the summer. Whatever sand you choose you will need a top surface to insulate it and to ride on.

The most common is chopped rubber from tyres. This should be wire free and you will do your bit for the environment typically using around 2,000 tyres to cover an arena. The rubber will mix gradually with the sand so a top up every 3 years or so will be needed but it will provide a good surface for most disciplines.

An arena with chopped rubber surface 22mts x 42mts and unusual fenceline, with bund and fence on top and boards beside the arena on one side.

For a slightly better quality of ride then either rubber strips or frame seals create a longer lasting surface that does not need quite so much maintenance.

An arena with rubber strips surface 25mts x 45mts

The sand and fibre mixed surfaces give the best of all worlds though, as they imitate the natural qualities of a grass arena. The fibres mix with the sand and bind the sand together and with a few other fibres and some rubber give a spring and bounce to the surface. The only down side is they are slightly more prone to freezing and may need irrigation in the summer.

An arena with arti-turf fibres as the surface 20mts x 40mts

Some companies are developing fibre surfaces that need no base layer of sand which saves some expense, but they are still in their infancy and I have yet to install one.

The most expensive surfaces are the wax coated surfaces. The wax is used to hold the sand and fibres together to give a consistent surface which needs little maintenance, gives a great ride and lets the horse move with complete confidence. Most suppliers will offer 3 or 4 surfaces which vary in the amount of fibres and the amount of wax in them. These two factors have a huge effect on the price and will give quite different rides. The more wax and the more fibre the firmer and more stable the ride, but if you don’t use it enough or have enough equine traffic on the surface they may become too solid so it becomes important to be realistic as to how much wax you need in your surface.

An arena with a Premier Wax Fibre and Sand surface 60mts x 30mts

Whichever surface you choose it is important to try to match it to your expectations.