Best Outdoor Arena Surface?

Rclifford

I'm looking for suggestions as to what people consider to be the best surface for an outdoor arena.....sand? rubber chips?

Esroh

I would think everyone will have a diffrent opinion on this.
I have a washed sand surface on the arena thats now 15 years on the go and I never felt the need to change or add anyother thing to it. Its not used as much as it was but I still make a point of harrowing and leveling it every week.
Initially it was a bit deep but once it settled it offered a safe secure surface for jumping for young horses.

Visteks

That type of all-weather synthetic surfaces is mixed with sand, geotextile and something else... I know that in Russia all people like this surface for equestrian. The name is "Ra****Track".. You can read it here if needed allweatherequestriansurface.com

Ave Sodalis

It really depends on your budget. The most common is a sand mix but with sand, the size of the particles comes into consideration. A lot of people are now throwing rubber in with sand which is great if you keep it mixed. The best is waxed sand of it's an indoor but it's no good for outdoors and also quite expensive.

Whatever you chose, the most important thing is to make sure there is good drainage and that the arena is maintained on a weekly or even daily basis. There can be quite a bit of work in arenas, no matter the surface. It needs to be narrowed and levelled weekly if it's not used often, daily if it is. Be careful with harrowing and never use a chain harrow in case you cut the terrain. Some arenas get dusty and need watering. The track and edges will need to be dug up regularly as surfaces tend to compact on the track and build up around the edges. Then a yearly repaint etc to keep it tidy.

EDIT: just realised the age of this thread...