Horse Arena Construction in The Adelaide Hills
Most people are surprised to learn that horse arenas are not actually flat. With a typical 1% grade, (10mm per meter),. the 'low side' of a typical olympic sized arena will be 600mm, or 800mm if it is constructed with a dual grade. The minimum grade advisable is 0.5% or 5mm per meter. This results in a diagonal fall of 400mm. If you have not already guessed the reason for this is drainage. Without a drop your arena would be unusable after a good rain. Not so much a problem in most of South Australia in the summer but a fairly big problem in the winter! As such horse arena builders like us construct arenas with laser graded falls to aid drainage. This is not something you can do with your neighbours backhoe in a weekend. Getting the base right, grading in the fall, setting the drains and allowing for fencing, lighting, water and laying the all important top surface all requires a professional and experienced equestrian arena builder. As with all the jobs we take on moving earth is what we do last. That way when we do start moving your earth, you get exactly what you need, and it lasts.
Equine riding arena construction - An 8 step process
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Do you own a horse? Or are you going to buy one? If not there are in fact far easier ways to decimate your bank account (-;​
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What size arena do you want? To a degree this will be determined by the space you have available. The reality is however that the initial earthmoving, which typically involves leveling the space represents only a small component of the overall cost. A typical olympic sized horse arena is 20m x 60m. Small dressage arenas are usually 20m x 40m with jumping arenas usually being bigger up to 50m x 80m.
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Site Selection There are a quite a few considerations here, minimising the amount of cut and fill to achieve the levels for the arena, the access both for the construction & maintenance, ease of access for you and your horse and the proximity to stables, horse floats or mounting yards. Careful consideration is taken in selecting a site that doesn't require any retaining walls with the expense and the required council approvals. Other considerations are the removal of any trees or other vegetation, the impact on water courses and the legal implications of removing vegetation. There is little point in building an arena that is difficult to access, maintain or doesn't compliment your property and its surroundings.
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Construction. First thing we do is to strip any available topsoil and stockpile it for reuse. We can then start the cut and fill process. All of the excavated fill is then spread in layers, typically 250mm, and compacted, depending on the time of year we may need to water the filling to achieve a suitable level of compaction. This is all a critical component of the construction as without this process the arena is doomed to subside with time and generally fail. We will construct the arena with the falls required, typically a 1% fall in both directions. We then grade the earth to the final grades with our laser auto controlled grader. Next is the supply of the quarry rubble for the base. Our base construction typically will be a minimum of 100mm thick once compacted. The base will then be laser graded to the final grades and compacted with a smooth drum roller. We then place the previously stockpiled topsoil onto the perimeter of the arena. This will then allow the grasses to regerminate, reducing erosion on the slopes and blend back to a more natural looking site.
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Drainage This is where the fall of the arena at the 1% is critical. We will then trench into the base at approximately 4 m centres and install a slotted pipe with geotextile covering. So a 60m x 20m arena will have minimum of 240m slotted drain installed. The drains are now ready to be backfilled with your selection of arena mix. The drains are a critical part, your arena will be ridable more quickly after a rain event.
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Fencing & Arena Mix Retaining. A plinth board of at least 150mm is required to retain the top surface layer. The fencing itself can be any material you like. We don't build fencing ourselves but sub contract local specialist for this. We can assist you in selecting a appropriate fence and preparing the site with a future access point for vehicles
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Arena Mix. This is where your input is critical. Talk to other horse owners and get their opinion or even ride on other arenas to get the feel. There is a huge range of arena mixes available with varying prices. We can supply your selection of arena mix or you can deal direct with the supplier. We recommend a minimum of 100 mm thickness so a 60m x 40m will require 240 m3 of arena mix. Once the product is delivered to the constructed base of your arena, we will then spread the material and complete the final laser grading.
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Go Riding! You can now saddle up and enjoy your investment. Like most things in life, your arena will need some regular maintenance to keep it in good condition. A regular surface rake with a tow behind rake will ensure the arena mix is spread evenly is about the only maintenance that is required. When it does rain your arena will now drain off quicker and allow you to enjoy it sooner.
Council permission
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Typically unless you will be building or modifying buildings, stables or adding lighting you will not need council permission to build a horse arena. As always it's a good idea to check in advance.
We have been building horse arenas in the Adelaide Hills and surrounds since 1956. For an obligation free discussion on how we might build you the perfect horse arena CALL STEVE today on 0407 692 631
