Arena idea and how to's - Around The Stable - Around The Stable - Horse Community, Horse Pictures, Horse Forum and Information

Posted : 11/6/2011 11:29:20 PM

Alright, my question is does anybody here have any good ideas for an arena ?? My property is limited space, and iv never had an arena before so being new to this, wondering what the idea arena size would be, im not looking to host any big events, just looking for a comfortable sized coverd winter riding area that wont be to small but yet big and comfortable enough for my daughter and myself to ride in...secondly, Were not looking to build a big fancy expensive all out 50 thousand dollar arena, but we dont want a shack either, looking for any good ideas and advice anyone can toss our way....we were thinking maybe to start looking for telephone poles and trusses, but wev never done this before... id LOVE to see some pictures of arena ideas that arent fancy expensive, but just comfortably within budget =)

danastark

Posted : 11/8/2011 3:28:02 AM

We put in an arena in our back area, it's about 150 X 100 feet. At first we just dug weeds and picked up rocks, then eventually got it graded. We finally bought a tractor as it was too expensive to keep paying someone else to do it and then having it rain 2 days later and make it as hard as concrete!

Most round pens are 50-60 feet but that's not a really good size for riding, just doing groundwork.

How much space do you have?

missyclare

Posted : 11/13/2011 8:02:54 PM

I have a 60`round pen that I built alone. Couldn`t do it again, today. I find it great for riding....getting off the wall and doing all kinds of things. I just found out that it would cost me $15,000 to put a roof over top of it. It would be nice here in Canada, where the ground conditions can put a halt to a lot of things for 6-7 months of the year. I`ve also found that being in there can get boring and ever since I`ve built it, the horse and myself have been looking to get out of there, so we usually do. I go and find things to make life more interesting and help the horse see the reasons for these lessons. (you`ll never see a dropped shoulder going around a tree) I just saw a video of Clinton Anderson`s place and how he trains by lungeing on an obstacle course...now that makes sense to me! Makes sense to the horse as well. If I could build some obstacles to work with, then I figure the round pen would probably be left in the dust for the most part. Riding the trail is my number one option for soothing the soul and is the least expensive. The conversations with your daughter as you amble down the trail....precious.

TanyaC97

Posted : 11/16/2011 6:38:01 PM

The smallest indoor I have ever ridden in was 75' x 75'. It wasn't too bad, but could get a bit tight at times.

Decide where it would be best placed (since you mentioned winter indoor) to be able to get to from your stalls. Think of ice and snow buid-up too and how that may impact access.

Good footing is not going to be cheap and will need to be maintained. You really need to figure out a $$ amoun that you are comfortable spending.

Put stakes or markers in the area you think you want it and ride around on your horses to see if you have enough room. Remember it may feel big and spacey open, but when you put walls up that makes a difference in how closed in it feels.