help turning wet field into horse arena

[horsechick]

I want to turn a 110'x110' wet area in my field into a horse arena, sand and all. What would be a good base for starters, any ideas on how to get this done? I contacted a local guy and he quoted a price over 14,000 Really? Come on, I know I can do this cheaper for pete's sake. I may be a girl but not stupid.

 

[boomer1025]

I want to turn a 110'x110' wet area in my field into a horse arena, sand and all. What would be a good base for starters, any ideas on how to get this done? I contacted a local guy and he quoted a price over 14,000 Really? Come on, I know I can do this cheaper for pete's sake. I may be a girl but not stupid.

If the area stays wet, then put in 4" field tile for drainge, then make your arena. You have to get rid of the water under the area to keep it dry. Not sure where your located, but maybe someone in your area has what they call a tile plow, if not a small backhoe or trencher would work to lay tile.
PS welcome to TBN

 

[Furu]

I want to turn a 110'x110' wet area in my field into a horse arena, sand and all. What would be a good base for starters, any ideas on how to get this done? I contacted a local guy and he quoted a price over 14,000 Really? Come on, I know I can do this cheaper for pete's sake. I may be a girl but not stupid.

From your description it is difficult to give a good answer. What type of drainage around the field? What type of existing soil? How low is it compared to the surrounding area?
At a minimum it would have to be built up above the surrounding grade so as to drain away from the arena. Is there any chance the wet area could be classified as a wetlands by the county or feds? That could open up a world of difficulty.
Without more information it is a bit a challenge to respond with anything worthwhile.

 

[WM75Guy]

The type of riding discipline makes a big difference on the footing. Dressage requires a different footing than jumping then does roping then does barrel racing. The base is different as well. How much slope is there and how much fill is needed? How will you contain the material? Does not make much sense to bring in a bunch of sand and have it migrate or blow away. How wet is wet? Too many variables for a answer to the question as posed.

 

[leonz]

I want to turn a 110'x110' wet area in my field into a horse arena, sand and all. What would be a good base for starters, any ideas on how to get this done? I contacted a local guy and he quoted a price over 14,000 Really? Come on, I know I can do this cheaper for pete's sake. I may be a girl but not stupid.

Good evening,

In order to save your self a LOT OF GRIEF AND MONEY PLEASE LISTEN:


If the area is water logged the year round you have some issues.
Not issues that will stop you from using it for a riding arena area.



YOU NEED TO DRAIN AWAY THE WATER FIRST to allow it to dry out.

If you have a highway ditch nearby you can accomplish this with a few hours work hiring a competant back hoe operator to solve the issue.

What you need to do is find the wettest area in the block of property
you desire to use for the intended purpose as the water will be drawn to this area when you start draining it.


First: purchase a precast drainage seepage pit that is about 500 gallons.
with holes in the sides of the concrete tank.


Shallow bury the one inch black plastic pipe from the tank to the ditch using screen to cover the end of the tubing to keep animals out of the pipe.


bury the pit flush with the ground or below grade being sure the pit cover cannot be walked on by the horses as most of them are made of injection molded plastic.

OR you can install a tank extension and a lockable lid to keep kids out of it.



All you need to do is purchase an upright household 110 volt drainage sump pump with a floatation ball and a check valve for the pump that controls the pumps operation-the check valve prevents the pump from operating too much by keeping water pumped out of the seepage pit from draining back.



Then if you have a lot of water as you obviously do you can start the sump pump early in the spring and install a timer to run it at night so it costs less to run at the night rate meter if you have a night rate meter.

You can always override the timer to make it run longer than the overnight period too.

 

[rambler]

Here I need to get a permit to fill in or drain or build on a wetlands. The rest is easy, getting the permits - 2 actuajlly, one state, one fedral = would be the hard part.

--->Paul

 

[MF1652]

$14,000 may not be all that far off depending on how wet the area really is. Not sure what your planned area is classified as, but if there is any standing water in my area the state classifies it as wetland. If that's the case you will need a permit to do any work. I would hate to see someone spend the money to put in an arena only to spend more money to remove it if the proper permits were not taken out. May not be a problem in your area, but something definately worth checking into before you drop a lot of money.

I spent $9,000 in material and labor for a 50x100 arena. I had the area excavated almost 2 feet to get down to solid ground. Then backfilled with 1 and 1/2 feet of gravel followed by a little over six inches of sand stone/brown stone mix to keep the footing live. My arena is in a low area which has water running onto it during heavy rain storms. The worst I have seen so far is the water may pool up in depressions in the arena, but drains out within a few hours after the rains stops. Other than routine maintenance it has held up fine.

 

[bullbreaker]

Ms.Horsechick "BIG WELCOME TO TBN"
Would you be same Horsechick as on http://www.horseforum.com/ ?

Boone (Rawhide)

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. got to dewater if first.. tile for drainage.. or.. etc..

then stabilize it with a sandy red clay ( not white ).. or limerock.. or crushed concrete.. etc.. even asphalt millings.. though crushed lime rock would be my choice.. etc..

soundguy

 

[GE222]

Welcome To TBN!!

As mentioned previously, getting the area you want to turn into an arena dry is first and foremost. Some questions immediately come to mind.
1. Why is the area wet to begin with?
2. Is is because of the natural grade causing the water to naturally flow toward that area?
3. Is there a natural spring in that area?

If it is because of grade, simply add some kind of fill.
If there is a natural spring in the proposed area, I would suggest relocating it.

Depending on where you live and how fast you want you want to get this completed will often have a big impact on the cost. Often times being at the right place at the right time, you may get lucky with someone wanting to find a home for fill, and if your lucky, lots of it!

Keeping the base slightly above the local grade will keep water flowing away and obviously keep the area dryer, but not too high as erosion issues develope. Tile may of may not be needed. The area should also have a very slight crown to facilitate drainage and hopefully prevent water from puddling up.

Have you tried local farmers for doing the grade work, with you buying the materials?

Also, have you discussed this with other arena owners to hear their good and bad points?

Your location will have a big impact on matieials based on what is available.

I know other TBN members would love some pictures of the proposed location. :thumbsup: