Can you really build your own horse arena without a professional arena builder?

Fact: Horse arena construction is expensive. So, naturally, many people want to build their own riding arena to save. That is understandable. But, oftentimes the desire to save money ends up being more costly in the end. To help you decide whether attempting to build your own arena is wise, we suggest the following urgent advice based on practical experience.

Always ask beforehand: Are your machines or the contractor you have commissioned really able to create the exact slope you want for your riding arena? Companies inexperienced in riding arena construction often fail because of the necessary precision—with costly and annoying consequences for you as a system operator.

The most important factor is to build the arena base with the proper aggregates and base material, then have it professionally sloped by laser. This is your baseline and when laying the arena footing, the laser leveler will follow this baseline. If you need your arena footing laser leveled in the future, it will always follow this baseline. If the baseline is off, the laser leveling of the arena footing will be off. That is why you should clarify beforehand whether the desired company can really build a riding arena that will meet the requirements afterward.

When you build an arena from scratch, invest in a professionally constructed riding surface planum. It will be the best investment you make long-term.

What is the best slope for the arena base?

We keep it very simple. For an indoor arena, there should be zero grade, For an outdoor, 1 % across the length of the arena. You might have to add a perimeter French drain at the low end.
The direction of slop depends on the buildings around the arena and differs from job site to job site. Stay away from crowned bases and diagonal slopes. They complicate the maintenance, as you cross over with your arena drag all the time and as the arena drag is not on a laser, it will thin out the arena footing.

Take home message:

Hire a professional arena builder or grader when building your riding arena base.
 At Footing Solutions USA, we’re committed to serving our clients from coast to coast, providing top-notch customer service, world-class expertise, and the highest quality products. When you work with us in your horse arena construction, your horse’s health and performance are in good hands.

About Hilo Nick

Hilo is a lifelong equestrian, having competed in jumping and dressage in Germany as well as in the US. As a compassionate rider, Hilo understands the biomechanics of the horse and has deep-seated expertise and a gifted feel for sand—the most important aspect in any footing. Because of this, Hilo hand-picks the sand for all of her FootingSolutionsUSA clients. “I LOVE sand,” she says. “You have to have the right feeling for good sand and combine it with the technical and engineering aspects. I never stop searching for even better sand blends and geotextile additives to provide friendly footing for the horses.”Hilo founded FootingSolutionsUSA in 2004 to fill a void in quality riding surfaces in the US, which at the time were behind in comparison to European riding arenas.

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