Horse Talk

[Bunnylady]

There is also the issue of the design - I'm assuming you are looking at the metal panels that link together, since you said 2 60' pens. Part of what holds them up is the angle formed by joints where the panels come together. If you try to make a straight line rather than a curve, you may find the pen unstable on that side, which means it may lean inward or outward rather than standing up straight. Combined with unlevel ground, that may mean the panels get bent and twisted; you may need some additional means of support to keep the panels straight.

 

[PeepersMama]

There is also the issue of the design - I'm assuming you are looking at the metal panels that link together, since you said 2 60' pens. Part of what holds them up is the angle formed by joints where the panels come together. If you try to make a straight line rather than a curve, you may find the pen unstable on that side, which means it may lean inward or outward rather than standing up straight. Combined with unlevel ground, that may mean the panels get bent and twisted; you may need some additional means of support to keep the panels straight.

My dad puts t-posts in by every link. Keeps the panels up straight, and holds up against Smoke and Armira if/when they spook.

 

[abigalerose]

There is also the issue of the design - I'm assuming you are looking at the metal panels that link together, since you said 2 60' pens. Part of what holds them up is the angle formed by joints where the panels come together. If you try to make a straight line rather than a curve, you may find the pen unstable on that side, which means it may lean inward or outward rather than standing up straight. Combined with unlevel ground, that may mean the panels get bent and twisted; you may need some additional means of support to keep the panels straight.

My dad puts t-posts in by every link. Keeps the panels up straight, and holds up against Smoke and Armira if/when they spook.

I was going to ask if some t posts down the side would work, so I guess that answers that lol.
What sort of footing works good that isn't TOO expensive. I know it all is but some is cheaper than others, I just don't want to get something that's too slick

 

[abigalerose]

I was just reading a thread about "cheap" arenas, and some people have success just keeping it lightly plowed or lightly plowed with a little sand.
Would this work for me? I don't think it's going to be heavily used, it's just gonna be somewhere for me to build my confidence and tweak some little things that June does, if I'm ever serious about reining and want to start preparing to compete, I can always drive 15 minutes to the arena in the next town.
At first I'll probably just be practicing lots of trotting and loping to build up my confidence, and I really just want something that's big, flat, and has no rocks or grass, so I can focus on the riding

 

[Kusanar]

I was just reading a thread about "cheap" arenas, and some people have success just keeping it lightly plowed or lightly plowed with a little sand.
Would this work for me? I don't think it's going to be heavily used, it's just gonna be somewhere for me to build my confidence and tweak some little things that June does, if I'm ever serious about reining and want to start preparing to compete, I can always drive 15 minutes to the arena in the next town.
At first I'll probably just be practicing lots of trotting and loping to build up my confidence, and I really just want something that's big, flat, and has no rocks or grass, so I can focus on the riding

The plowed dirt and sand would work for that but remember, it will be unusable for a few days after it rains most likely. I don't know what your soil is like, but we have clay and it gets really slick and slimy when wet. If you have a loam soil, it might drain ok and be good the next day. I had a round pen for a while that I used all the time (to longe not ride) and it was just dirt and grass, when it would rain and get slick, I would muck the barn out and put a bunch of manure, hay, and sawdust on the slick areas and it firmed it up a good bit, I wouldn't suggest doing that if you are riding due to the fact that the horses still slipped and sometimes fell in those spots, but it worked for longing. I want my horses to pay attention to the ground and their feet, so giving them some iffy footing to deal with works for me. I would rather they slip and fall a few times without me on them than with me on them if I am riding them in a field and hit a slick spot.

 

[abigalerose]

The plowed dirt and sand would work for that but remember, it will be unusable for a few days after it rains most likely. I don't know what your soil is like, but we have clay and it gets really slick and slimy when wet. If you have a loam soil, it might drain ok and be good the next day. I had a round pen for a while that I used all the time (to longe not ride) and it was just dirt and grass, when it would rain and get slick, I would muck the barn out and put a bunch of manure, hay, and sawdust on the slick areas and it firmed it up a good bit, I wouldn't suggest doing that if you are riding due to the fact that the horses still slipped and sometimes fell in those spots, but it worked for longing. I want my horses to pay attention to the ground and their feet, so giving them some iffy footing to deal with works for me. I would rather they slip and fall a few times without me on them than with me on them if I am riding them in a field and hit a slick spot.

Not sure what type of soil I have.. but shouldn't be a problem, I definitely don't ride every day so it's no big deal for me to wait for it to dry up when it rains. And I guess since the ground is sloped a little it would drain

 

[res]

Doing sliding stops in the wrong footing is asking for major leg issues to develop.

You should be able to get sand locally pretty darn cheaply. Look around for a local "sand pit" and you should be able to get it delivered by the dumptruck load for VERY cheap, since it is so cheap to "process" compared to limestone, bluestone or quartz products.

We also put T-posts at every joint on long straight runs with panels. We have 10" round posts sunk at the corners with the panels chained to the post. We also end the panels at 10" round posts wheverever we have a gate. Those few posts make the arena - dry lot - pen EXTREMELY solid.

 

[res]

I forgot to add, there are A LOT of people, moreso here in the east, that totally freak out about their arena footing, and the arena being PERFECTLY laser leveled. As in, they spend 10's of thousands of $ on JUST the footing.

Personally, I find it ridiculous unless you are competing at the VERY top levels on horses worth 5-6 figures that need to be "babied". What is the point in spending so much in footing if the pasture is rolling and holey and hard, or your trails are rocky, or the outdoor arena you compete in is just "basic"???

 

[abigalerose]

I doubt I'm going to be trying sliding stops in it often, and if I do it'll be a while lol. So I'll get some sand. And if i do lots of sand like that I'll just have to keep adding more every so often right?
Oh and I found a 100x200 arena that's only a couple more than the two round pens together! So I might get that

 

[res]

Bump for abigalerose