How To Refurbish An Arena Riding Surface
Looking to refurbish your riding arena? Whether it’s for improved performance, safety or simply to restore its original condition, this guide provides valuable tips and insights for riding arena surface refurbishment and equestrian surface repair & restoration. One of the first factors to consider when refurbishing an equestrian arena surface is what exactly is the current surface composed of? The reason for this being of such importance is because if it is something like bark or mulch, then you may be able to simply spread it onto a field. However, if you have a preexisting outdoor horse-riding surface of rubber or PVC granules then a cost for disposal will likely come into play, this can get very expensive very quickly. Most people will have a grab wagon collect their old surface at a general cost of £250 per 18 tons of material removed from your arena. A typical 20m x 40m arena will likely have a total of 150 to 250 tons of surface to be removed, this could cost for disposal approximately of £3500.
Once you have rectified and replaced any of the other needed parts of the arena it is now time to lay a new non-woven geotextile membrane. This membrane is an absolute must as it prevents cross contamination between the aggregate and the riding surface. Various grades of membrane are available depending on the arena use and the amount available to spend. Most membranes will come in rolls of around 450m2. We would advise that when laying you do so along the longest length of the arena and with no less than a 300mm overlap. The membrane should be stapled at one end to the kick-board and before being rolled out towards the opposite end of the arena. If you do not staple it and the wind gets under the membrane it will carry it away like a parachute and you will a very hard job trying to position and lay it without any creases. As the roll is being laid you should deposit small sacks that have some weight to hold down the membrane, whilst you lay the next section. These steps should be repeated until you have covered the whole arena and where the membrane overlaps should be glued, stabled or taped together.
Don’t Be Tempted To Skimp On Materials
Factors That Will Be Specific To Your Refurbishment Project:
- Time of year – Most works are carried out during the warmer, dryer months of the year.
- Access – How able are machines to access your arena? Can HGV’s and other delivery vehicles gain access?
- How will you dispose of your old riding surface?
- What is your budget for materials and new surface?
- What timescale do you have to complete the refurbishment?
