Maintenance: Keeping Your Arena in Good Condition

Here are a few simple rules to help you to maintain your arena at its best for years to come.

When first laid, the sand should be extensively irrigated to the point of being flooded, to consolidate it. You might need a water bowser (especially if your water is metered), as you will require up to a third of the weight of the sand in water. Although it is possible to use a hosepipe, doing so will involve many hours of hosing. Allow it to drain to a moist state before use. This should achieve a consistency comparable with the consolidated sand between tidemarks at the seaside -- the foreshore effect

The depth of the sand riding surface must be sufficient to protect the geotextile or underlying layers from damage. The depth of sand should be increased if circumstances or usage change, and replenished annually to allow for spillage and wind loss.

The arena is best levelled and consolidated by raking the sand from the edges, dragging it with a field gate, and by occasionally sprinkling it with water. In summer months the sand may require irrigating with a sprinkler approximately twice a week.