Equestrian Arena Sand Types

Glendore Sand and Stone provide a range of products which can be used in equestrian centres, and dressage arena's. The Sardinia Bay Road Quarry is situated in Lovemore Park, and is also nearby Theesecombe. Both being popular horse breeding and training areas. The most popular product is the Glendore Equestrian Sand & Grit Mix. This is a blend of the Dune Concrete Sand and the Coarse Grit. This can be used for Dressage Arena's and due to the blend of the two products, it does not blow away as easily as a plain sand would.

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Equestrian professionals love our sand for show jumping and practising arenas - easy on horses and riders.

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We also hire out Front End Loaders and Bulldozers to enable a client to level an area prior to putting down the top layers. Please contact our sales staff for more information. Tel: 041 366 1917

Further Reading on Show jumping and practice Arena's for Horses

An arena should have a good footing to be safe and to encourage a horse to move forward with energy and elasticity. Poor footing is dangerous and can cause a horse to move timidly or with resistance.

There is no substitute for proper arena design and management, be sure you have considered all of the following design and management factors, if you have already built an arena, or are still in the planning stages.

Location

An arena should be located on dry, well-draining ground. To improve drainage, a shallow ditch can be cut around the perimeter of the arena. Depending on the terrain, the rainwater collected in the ditch can flow directly onto lower ground or can be drained via an underground tile system. Arena Levelness The arena site should be level with a slight (1 to 2 degree) grade to allow rain water to pass through the surface soil and flow off the base. The slight slope discourages puddling. Be aware that a steeper grade could lead to erosion of the surface soil during downpours.

Arena Base

The layer of material between the "earth" and the surface material is called the base. The functions of the base include acting as a protective layer between the earth and the surface material, giving stability to the arena floor, and carrying rainwater off the arena. The base might be naturally occurring material (such as decomposed granite) or added material such as road base or fine gravel topped with stone dust and clay. Glendore Sand and Stone is able to supply a G5 Crushed Sub Base gravel which is suitable for an Arena Base. The base needs to be packed or compacted as hard as concrete. To accomplish this, a contractor that has a 10 or 20 ton roller (such as seen on road crews) will have to be hired. Some feel the surface of the base should be left absolutely flat while some say that after the base is set, narrow grooves or rills should be cut into the base to help hold the surface material in place. The base must be a thick enough layer to prevent material from the "earth" layer (such as clay or stones) from working up through the base into the surface soil. A base thickness of 10 to 20 cm is usually sufficient for an arena that is used primarily for flatwork. However, the base layer might need to be as deep as 25cm if an arena would be used primarily for jumping. Some farms have experimented with laying special tough, non-biodegradable cloths between the earth and the base and even between the base and the surface footing to keep the layers from mixing. The base must be protected from damage by erosion, deep discing, and penetration from hooves. Regular maintenance should eliminate the potential for ruts forming along the rail.

Surface Material

The layer over the base is called the cushion or the surface. Often it is a mixture of materials. Depending on the base and use of the arena, the surface layer could be from 5 cm to 15 cm thick. The function of the surface material is to provide a cushioning effect. 7 cm of surface footing seems to work well in many arenas. We recommend that the Glendore Equestrian Sand & Grit Mix be used for the surface material. This is a mixture of sieved Dune Sand and Coarse Grit, specially blended so as to suit horse and rider, and so as to suit the windy city! The grit prevents the material being blown away!