Most people find a 20 by 40 meter sandschool sufficient but only 50% more and you will have a interneational standard dressage arena of 20 x 60 meters.  We convered this one in plastic granules and shreded recycled window rubbers. You could get shredded tyres for £60/ton but we went for the better quality granualted window rubbers at £120/ton.

Level

Step one is to get the site levelled. Laser site level is the best tool for this job. If you don't get the site level and sound from subsidence and compacted foundation you will have the surface drifting and posibly puddling.

Drainage

We divided the arena into quarters and dug an 2.4 meter cub soakaway in the middle of each quarter. Filled them with hardcore then the last 100mm with crushed brick rubble. Then covered the complete arena with 50mm of type 1 MOT crushed limestone up to 50mm diameter. An alternative drainage system is the herring bone shape draining of to one end of the school and then into a ditch or soakaway. Depending on the local soil type and depths you may be able dig your soakaway down through the surface clay into shale layers giving you excellent drainage.

Membrane

The membrane came in 4 x 100 meter rolls which we layed with 500 mm overlap which we sticked with fishing line putting in a stick every 300 mm. You can glue the overlaps which is easier.  You can also stable or clout nail the membrain to the kick board. I run the membrain up the kick board 100 mm to stop the sand leaking out.

Silica Sand

Then we laid 600 tonnes of equine silica sand to a depth of 100 mm. You cannot use soft building sand or sharp sand as it puddles and sticks to hooves.

Plastic and Rubber Granules

On top of the sand we spread 80 tonne of plastic granules 150 tonnes of rubber granules.

Post and Rail Edging

Generally use two 230mm kick boards and 5x3 posts and 4x2 inch rails.

We did not install and fencing which has worked out fine accept a small problem with cutting the grass up to the edge on the sandschool. It is dificult not to let the mower drift into the softer sandschool.

Suppliers

Jackson fencing website is worth visiting for sandschool kit.

Robert Brazil arenas dressage arenas.

Local Authority Planning

You need to check with your local authority about planning permission.

Our local authority said that we would not need planning permission if we dug out and had the finished sandschool surface at ground level. We actually got planning permission for a raised sandschool but did not need it.

Maintenance

• Regular leveling
• Keep edge weed free
• Mow up to edge