Riding arenas are a necessity for most horse farms for schooling and exercise of the horse. Even when the primary equine use is trail riding, a dedicated riding space is useful for training purposes. Options include a simple outdoor ring with minimal construction to highly designed competition-quality arenas. Horse farms may include an outdoor arena, indoor arena, or both.
Additional Resources
There are fewer resources that offer information about arena design than
those providing information about horse stables. Arena information is
included in a bulletin from Penn State University on footing materials
and in three books listed in the fact sheet of Horse Facility Resources.
Riding Arena Footing Materials
This bulletin focuses on the principles of selecting footing materials
to lessen compaction along with management for dust reduction.
Horse Facility Resources
Publications containing information on riding arena features are listed
in this concise fact sheet. Those include a U.S. Dressage Federation bulletin
on arena construction, footing material characteristics authored by a
soil scientist specializing in arena footing, and a technical book containing
both stable and arena design information. Contact information is provided
for publisher and suppliers.
Related information can be found in:
Horse Stable Flooring Materials and Drainage
Check this bulletin for information on managing drainage features around
riding arenas. Indoor riding arenas need to divert water shed from
the large roofed area via a gutter-downspout system or other
means
that divert
water away from the building foundation
and toward an appropriate location.
Horse Stable Ventilation
Although this bulletin focuses on ventilation of horse stabling the principles
and recommendations apply to riding arenas in order to maintain good air
quality. Indoor arenas need ventilation openings to reduce damp conditions
and provide fresh air.
Two projects conducted by Penn State researchers in commercial indoor arenas evaluated the indoor environment conditions:
Temperature and Humidity in Indoor Riding Arenas during Cold Weather
Improved rider, instructor, and horse comfort and health may be improved
with fresh air entry and distribution within the arena. Six indoor arenas
were monitored with electronic temperature and humidity sensors in order
to define conditions and amount of ventilation provided for air quality
and occupant comfort during winter conditions. Generally, indoor arenas
were more humid than outdoor conditions.
Horse Riding Arena Dust Measurements
Dust is the primary nuisance associated with riding arena use. In this
research project that monitored two indoor arenas, dust was associated
with the overall quality of the footing in the arena, with greater dust
detected from the footing of lower moisture-holding capacity with a greater
percentage of fine particles.
