Arena Sand For Horses: How To Pick The Right Footing For Your Needs

When it comes to building an arena for horses, every little detail matters.

This is especially true in regards to selecting the right footing materials for your foundational needs since the safety and well-being of your horses and riders are dependent on having a high-quality arena surface.

And with countless varieties of sand available on the market, choosing the right type of sand for your space can feel like a daunting task.

Today, we’re breaking down the most popular arena sand options for horse owners, so that you can choose the right type of sand for your property.

What are the different types of horse arenas?

Before you can select a type of sand for horse arena surface, you’ll need to evaluate the usage of your space and determine which style of footing materials is best suited to your needs.

In general, there are two primary types of horse arenas:

Dressage Arenas

Dressage arenas, also known as jumpers, are arenas that have been specially designed for training horses and their riders. These spaces are often rectangularly shaped and may feature varying types of obstacles made for jumping over.

In most cases, dressage arenas will require finely graded sand that provides maximum support for your animals. If the sand you choose is too rough or coarse, it can make it difficult for your horses to land safely when performing jumps and other tricks.

Riding Arenas

On the other hand, riding arenas are spaces that have been designed with horse racing in mind, giving your animals and their riders plenty of space for achieving high speeds and taking sharp turns.

For this style of arena, you’ll want to choose a more rough, coarse sand that will give your animals plenty of traction when rounding tight corners. If the sand you choose is too loose, it can create an increased risk of injury for animals and jockeys alike.

What types of arena sand for horses are available?

While there is no one type of arena sand for horses, there are several high-quality options that you can choose from when laying the foundation for your horse arena footing.

Masonry Sand

One of the most versatile all-purpose sands is masonry sand, which is typically used in landscaping projects.

Unlike other sand varieties, masonry sand is ground to be incredibly fine and uniform in texture, making it a great choice for dressage arenas. Good quality masonry sand should have a sleek, soft appearance that comes from extensive processing and quality control procedures.

River Sand

Another popular sand used in the formation of construction materials is river sand or concrete sand, which undergoes a similar process to masonry sand, but is designed to have a more coarse texture.

River sand is made from thoroughly ground stone dust, making it a strong choice for racing or riding arenas or any other arena surface that requires extra durability.

Manufactured Sand

For cost-effective solutions, many arena owners choose to use manufactured sand, which is made using large aggregate materials that have been broken down into sand particles.

Unlike natural sand options like masonry or river sand, this type of sand is affordable to purchase in bulk and can be made in a variety of textures, which allows you to customize the density to your needs.

How can I calculate how much sand I need to buy?

Once you’ve determined which type of sand most aligns with your goals and budget needs, you’ll need to calculate exactly how much sand is needed to cover your entire arena surface.

Here’s how the Performance Footing team calculates the amount of sand needed in 4 simple steps…

Step 1) Find the area of your space

To do this, you’ll need to measure both the length and the width of your arena, then multiply them together. You can use either feet or yards for this process, depending on your preference.

Step 2) Determine the depth

Even though there is no clear standard for how deep your arena sand should be, a good rule of thumb is to start with at least 2 inches of depth, and then add more in half-inch intervals until you reach a sufficient amount of support.

Step 3) Find the volume

Next, you’ll need to multiply the area of your space by the depth, giving you a total volume of sand needed for your order. It’s important to note that for these calculations to be accurate, you should be using the same unit of measurement for all of your elements, whether that be inches or yards.

Step 4) Order based on your volume

Most material providers will be able to determine how much sand you need based on the volume alone. But if you’d like to have a better idea of what to expect before placing your order, you can use our own arena sand calculator tool here: [https://www.performancefooting.com/arena-sand-calculator/]

How to get the most out of your horse arena sand?

Of course, most footing materials don’t rely on sand alone.

At Performance Footing, we provide high-quality FoamFooting fillers that you can use to add even more support to your arena surface, while reducing the amount of sand needed to get the job done.

Our products are low maintenance, affordably priced, and can be custom-tailored to your arena needs.

If you’re wondering where I can find horse arena sand near me, give us a call at (877)-835-0878 today.