The Arena

As the arena had been down for a few months and had a bit of settling time, we decided that it needed to have the surface improved.

First on order was more sand, followed by a topping of shredded rubber. We took a long while deciding which sand to use. Firstly, it had to be relatively dust-free due to the proximity to the cottage and also the health hazard of breathing dust, both to people and horses. Secondly, it had to be coarser than what we previously ordered as that mostly all blew away in the strong winds we had in November. Thirdly, it had to be relatively local to cut down cartage cost. In the end we decided to go with concrete sand from Landcycle, a local supplier. We got Roger back from Onsite Development Solutions to do the levelling with his laser drag-scoop.

At the same time the sand was being delivered, Chris organised a contractor to come and drill a soak hole for the wash bay. The existing trench that Chris had dug as a temporary measure wasn't able to handle the water from washing the horses. The new soak hole was dug to 3 metres, and lined with drums. The drainage is now much improved.

Once the sand was all levelled it was time for a test ride. It was an epic failure! The sand was much too deep and the horses really struggled through it. Due to a mixup with ordering, we ended up being oversupplied with a truck and a half of sand which resulted in an extra 2.5cm-3.0cm over the whole arena. We were really unsure whether to leave it and see if it would settle, or to get Roger back to scoop some off. Chris tried harrowing it and rolling it with the roller but to no avail. In the end, we decided to get Roger back as the rubber was being delivered the following Tuesday. 

Roger brought his laser drag-scoop back out and scooped the excess sand into a pile on one side of the arena. We then ferried it around the back of the shed using a digger and the tractor and trailer. It wasn't until we'd finished that we realised just how much excess sand there was. 

difference in colour between new sand (top) and existing sand (bottom)

 The second test ride was much better.

Another problem became apparent during heavy rain: the arena turned into a swimming pool. The corner drain and soak hole simply couldn't cope with the volume of water that came off the arena during a 5-10 minute downpour. In order to fix this, Chris dug a trench out to the drain connected a pipe from the soak hole overflow to the drain.

It works!

Finally, the arena was ready for the final surface - rubber chip. It was delivered in one truck load. The idea was for the driver to do a couple of strips down the arena, but it mostly ended up in one strip right down the middle. We started spreading it by wheelbarrow/shovels/rakes but decided that a grader blade on the tractor was a better idea. Chris followed that up with harrows, and finally the gate. 

Finally, it was time for a test ride...

And the verdict??? 

AWESOME!