F.I.C.S. of Maryland, Inc. & Carolina Equine Essentials

Stable & Arena Tips

Courtesy of F.I.C.S. of Maryland & Carolina Equine Essentials

• A ring's base is like the foundation of a house: it is the most crucial element of construction.  The main purpose of a ring's base is to act as a barrier between the existing earth and the surface footing.  If a ring is built without a base or if the base is not adequate, whatever footing is added on top will eventually mix in with the ground below.  Likewise, any soil, clay, stones, rocks, etc. below will eventually work their way up and into your surface footing. So, when considering building an arena, be sure to put the majority of your time, research, effort and money into constructing a proper base. 

• Ideally, your arena should be located at the highest elevation possible on your property.  This will help prevent the water of surrounding land from draining across your arena.  If this is not an option, we recommend installing swales and/or drains to help divert unwanted water. 

• Keep in mind that much of the money associated with building an arena is often the initial moving of earth.  Thus, to save costs, try to start with the flattest area possible.

• To minimize dust in your arena, pick out manure regularly and avoid adding organics (mulch, wood chips, sawdust) to your footing. 

• Try to vary your dragging pattern as often as possible.  This will help to minimize waves.

• When jumps stay in the same place for too long, your footing tends to get high and low spots.  To avoid this, try to move your jumps around as often as possible.

• Footing additives can be confusing.  The following is a brief explanation of the basic differences among our most popular additives:

Felt/Fiber - Synthetic nylon and/or polyester strands that are added to sand to help cushion, retain moisture, trap dust, and knit footing together to keep horses "up on top".

• To minimize flies and other pesky insects, locate your manure pile as far from the barn as possible.

• Improving air flow and ventilation in your barn will reduce the number of flies you have because flies prefer still air to moving air.

• If you already have one of our fly spray systems and find you need more fly control, rather than increasing the length of spray, increase the number of times you spray each day.

• Consider upgrading your matting system to reduce bedding costs.

F.I.C.S. of Maryland, Inc. & Carolina Equine Essentials