Riding arena
A riding arena is a demarcated area (often part of an equestrian facility ) on which horses are ridden. A distinction is made between natural spaces and spaces specially created for riding . For the latter, a distinction is made between grass and sand pitches. Both are available in a wide variety of designs, which differ from one another in terms of structure, material used and intended use.
Use of the riding arena
In contrast to the natural arena, which can be destroyed in a very short time by horse hooves depending on the weather, a riding arena offers the opportunity to use it with many horses over a longer period of time. Unlike on a natural arena, the rider does not have to deal with bumps or even holes in a laid-out riding arena. Depending on the structure, a riding arena can be prepared all year round.
Basic requirements
The basic requirements for all types of use are the same:
- Step and slip resistance
- consistent properties over the entire space
- Flatness
- elasticity
The quality of the riding arenas available on the market varies considerably. It can be determined by the service life and the usability of the space in the most varied of weather conditions. Good places keep their properties regardless of the weather. Another prerequisite for a long service life of the riding arena and its consistently good availability is maintenance. All riding arenas must be regularly cleared of horse manure, dragged and / or rolled, and watered if necessary.
With increasing specialization of equestrian activities, specialized course types have also emerged.
A distinction is made between riding arenas for:
- Dressage riding
- Show jumping
- Recreational riding
- Western riding
- Cutting
- polo
- Drive
Arena construction
There are numerous creation options in riding arena construction that are suitable for different requirements. Sand is often used as a top layer. At best, riding arenas, regardless of their construction, are clearly delimited, but do not have edges that are prone to injury for horses and riders.
The most common structure now is the three-layer construction consisting of a substructure, separating layer and footing. The various established systems and structures are presented below.
One and two-layer construction with surface drainage
Surface-drained riding arenas work with special sands that have low water permeability. These types of places are built with a slope so that rainwater does not stay on the surface. The watering of these places is crucial for the penetration depth of the hooves and the step resistance. These places require particularly careful maintenance in order to maintain the correct gradient.
Three-layer construction
The substructure consists of a water-permeable base layer. As a rule, coarser grit is used for this. A separating layer is installed on top, which nowadays more and more often consists of perforated mats. Ideally, these perforated mats have water-draining holes and water reservoirs on the top of the mats. The separating layer should be filled with a filter material and lightly rolled on. The footing is then applied. This system gets its crush resistance from finely tuned sands or from additives such as wood chips, fibers or geotextile fleece pieces. Three-shift workstations drain vertically. Excess water is drained into the ground.
Ebb and flow construction
Ebb and flow riding arenas are based on dam systems. Therefore, with this type of construction, the riding arena must be well sealed from the natural ground below. This is usually done with heavy duty foils. The site is watered from below. Sensors permanently measure the water level. The water balance is regulated by pumping the water in and out via a pipe system running under the square. The capillary effects of the sands contribute to the evenly distributed moisture.
Lawn / artificial grass armored lawn
If a new lawn is created, a permeable drainage layer must be ensured in the substructure. The condition of lawns is very dependent on the weather and is therefore apparently disappearing more and more. The maintenance effort of a lawn can be alleviated somewhat by implementing artificial turf reinforcement in the natural turf. This makes the grass pitch more durable.
Riding arena construction
The construction of the riding arena takes place in a non-regulated area. The arena builder is not a teaching profession. As a rule, arena builders come from equestrian sports or from gardening and landscaping. There are currently no standards for the construction of riding arenas, which is not least due to the very differently functioning systems on the market. In order to be able to assess the quality of a riding arena, detailed orders with the guaranteed properties, the materials used and a description of the structure should be available. In addition, when using aggregates, the appropriate quality certificates for environmental harmlessness should be presented by the arena builder. These quality certificates are issued exclusively by the manufacturers of e.g. B. Fleece chaff are provided and must be issued by recognized certification bodies.
Approval
When building a riding arena, several different legislative areas are affected. It is about the protection of soil, water and air, but also about the health of humans and animals and about occupational safety and last but not least about regulations of landfill and waste law. Traditionally, riding arenas are often not approved at all. Not infrequently, even the approved ones violate the law, since horses are just messing around and entries cannot be completely prevented. Exemptions have not yet been formulated for the existing horse keeping, but they are used in practice and are essential to maintain them.
Several working groups are currently dealing with this complex of topics. Riding arenas are subject to approval. The lower water authorities and building authorities do not act nationwide. The aim is to achieve uniform EU requirements.
literature
- Manfred Fischer: Care and maintenance of pedal surfaces in riding arenas and outdoor arenas , in: Construction letters for agriculture, horse keeping, Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 2011.
- Cornelia Dreyer-Rendelsmann: Critical consideration of riding arena construction practice , in: Construction letters for agriculture and horse keeping, Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 2011, p. 121ff.
- Gerlinde Hoffmann: Orientation aids for riding facilities and stable construction , FN Verlag 2009, p. 128ff.