Building A Riding Arena? Then take note of the following:

1. Check with your planning authority about gaining planning permission. Your authority may also specify the type of surface that you can use, including the colour! Save on time and money by talking through your ideas with your local planning officer before buying any materials or starting to build a riding arena.

2. Decide where you want the riding arena and check that the size you want will fit and that there is suitable access for large vehicles to deliver materials.

3. Understand that an arena needs to be on a level surface and so if your land needs additional excavating to level it, this will be more expensive.

4. Consider what type and how much drainage will be necessary. This will largely depend on the type of soil you have. For example, sandy soil is well draining whereas clay soil is heavy and holds water and will generally require more drainage.

5. Discuss your options with arena manufacturers and installers to assess what type of kits they have available and at what cost.

6. Some people literally do everything themselves from excavating and levelling the land, installing drains, hardcore, a membrane (to stop stones, weeds etc coming to the surface), the top surface and any necessary fencing. Other people may hire someone to dig out the area, then employ someone else to lay the drains etc. If you project manage the build, this can reduce the cost, but you have to be organised so that the jobs are done in the right order and all of the materials turn up on time!

Like everything else in life, there are few shortcuts and you really need to do your research thoroughly before building a riding arena. This includes dealing with the planners and contacting several arena suppliers to get all the available information (and samples) of materials. Also, when asking for quotes for work, always ask for a list of prices for each seperate job and all materials so that you can match different quotes, like for like.

Finally, remember that different arena surfaces suit different types of workload and so check that the type you want is suitable for you.

For further information, read the article Riding Arena Footing Material Selection And Management.