“Your horse’s body adapts to the surface on which he’s being ridden. If you ride on the same surface, prepared the same way, every time, your horse’s musculoskeletal system may not be prepared for potential variations in footing out on the trail or when traveling to other arenas for competition, and it could increase his risk of injury.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
Today’s book club entry is a studious and educational read. I’m going to talk to you about Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas: How to Build and Maintain an Ideal Riding and Training Space-from the Ground Up written by Abigail Boatwright.
You can get your copy directly here at Trafalgar Square books!
I will make a note here that this is not a before-bed read. I often go the the gym at work and read while walking on the treadmill. I want myself to be mentally awake and able to digest the educational material inside these types of books.
I do not own an arena nor do I maintain one. So why did I pick this book up? Knowledge is so powerful. Knowing what to look for in arenas I use. Knowing what to look for if I do follow the dream of installing an arena at home. Knowing how to best support my horses. I love having THE BIG PICTURE.
“The properties of firmness, grippiness, and responsiveness are all tied to the amount of moisture in the surface.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
Your Complete Guide to Equine Arena is approximately 187 pages of reading material in a soft-cover book. It is segregated into nine educational chapters to cover the many aspects of arenas. Abigail Boatwright, our author, consulted with a number of the industry’s leading arena experts. To name a few, Nick Attwood of Attwood Equestrian Surfaces.. some of his well-known arenas include Fair Hill in Maryland, Morven Park in Virginia, and Stable View in South Carolina. Randy Snodgress of Snodgress Equipment (maybe better known for ArenaWerks). Danny Austin of Auston Arena Specialists who cares for Longines Los Angeles Masters. She also consults with western arena specialists Leland Smith and Randy Spraggins, and racetrack specialists like Mick Peterson, PhD. Abigail worked with even more experts to truly capture a holistic view of equine footing from building it, to maintaining it, to renewing it, to racetracks.
“Kiser’s vegetable oil-coated sand treatment gives the same effect as wax and polymer, and it is also dust-free. It helps keep sand in place and adds stability to it in a windy outdoor arena. It also doesn’t need to be watered and costs far less than wax or polymer. The blend is easy to apply and lasts for about two years before needing to be retreated.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
Before even getting started I appreciated Abigail’s introduction where she discusses ideal footing and specific considerations. It demonstrates exactly why this book is necessary. I’ve used and been to countless arenas in my lifetime…and I’m willing to say that the majority of horse people don’t realize what it takes to get “the ideal” equine arena. Nor do they know how to maintain them properly. I knew building an arena was more than throwing down a bunch of dirt but my eyes were opened to the intricacies of HOW MUCH goes into arenas.
I am also willing to believe 90% of the arenas I have ridden in were not built to and/or not maintained to these standards. But a book like this can help us obtain the knowledge to become better horsepeople.
“While you can go cheaper on fencing or a gate, it is best to avoid scrimping on the base material, footing, grading, drainage, and diverting water around your place.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
In the first four chapters, we cover Planning Your Arena, Indoor vs Outdoor considerations, Footing, and finally Building the Arena. In chapters 5-7 we focus on maintenance from Moisture Management to Arena Maintenance Equipment, and also Arena Grooming and Maintenance. Chapter 8 is dedicated to Repairing and Assessing Your Arena and we finally end on Racetracks in chapter 9.
The layout of the book was expertly planned. It flows well and each chapter leads into the next.
My initial reaction to the planning and building was slightly taken aback. These experts are accustomed to building top-level arenas around the world, the examples are 100x200ft. It’s difficult to fathom most of the details would be applied to a 60×150 foot ring. Should they? Sure. But I doubt private farms all go through the entirety of the processes described here…I could be wrong of course though I know I’ve ridden in plenty of arenas that were built well before the science was available (or at least more widely known).
The great part about these first chapters is to inform farm owners who wish to build an arena. These chapters list what is involved and why it is important. There are no biases within the pages, Abigail lists the facts and allows the reader to draw knowledge from them in order to make the right choice for themselves.
For someone who wishes to design and build an arena, this section is incredibly useful for guiding their decisions so they can make the most of it. Even if you were planning to hire a specialist these chapters give you an educated view at how the process should look…so YOU can tell if a contractor is taking the proper steps or blowing smoke. If you peruse horse Facebook groups long enough you will find horror stories about people spending tens of thousands for a contractor who improperly built their arena and they are suffering just months later for it. Having the knowledge of the process guides your choice of contractor to do the work.
As a rider and someone who appreciates a nice arena…I have a great appreciation for what goes into making an arena ideal for riding and training. People think they can buy a piece of property, through up a barn and fencing, plow a spot of dirt, and start a boarding/training business. Boarders think their prices are too high…the first 7 chapters might provide enlightenment on exactly how involved arena building can be and WHY board is so expensive at high-end barns (among a plethora of other reasons). EVEN MAINTENANCE is involved!
“Danny Austin suggests taking a sample of your footing when you first put it in your arena-even place it in a plastic bag-to compare your footing down the road.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
Chapter 8 was probably the most interesting to me. My dream of building a ring at home is a distant wish, but I regularly use arenas at the farm where I board. I don’t maintain them myself but I appreciate what goes into it. Learning what to look for in EXISTING arenas is so incredibly helpful to farm owners who may not have installed their arena but want to do their best to maintain it well.
I find it interesting how much 1% of moisture can make a difference between different disciplines. The science we have at this point in time allows us to create level surfaces where we control how much a horse’s hoof slides. The type of footing and moisture determines its suitability for specific sports to deliver the highest performance and safety.
It’s interesting to consider the fact that footing (even sand) can essentially “expire” as it breaks down into finer and finer molecules. It makes sense but I never thought about sand breaking down and smaller size particles playing a role in arena suitability and safety.
“When you have sand footing, there’s an easy way to tell when it has started to break down, Kiser syas. When you water your arena or experience rainfall, if the water stays on top of the footing for hours instead of soaking in and drying within a day or two, it may have higher levels of silt and organic matter that are slowing down the process of infiltration.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
Final Word:
Abigail Boatwright’s book “Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas” is a great informative read. She really nailed it on the feeling of a comprehensive guide to an ideal arena. I love that she consulted with such a wide variety of experts and included information on the science. From what I learned I feel there could be books to further this knowledge on every aspect of the plan and build with case studies.
I would recommend this book first to farm owners.
- Farm owners who would like to build an arena
- This book will help you make educated decisions on both where and how to make your vision come to life and make it last. Whether you DIY, partially DIY, or hire someone this book is a fantastic resource to help you understand the process. It will give you an excellent idea of how much and what type of material to buy…and how to maintain it all once it’s built.
- Farm owners that already have an arena.
- This book is going to educate you on what you currently have, how to assess its quality and some steps in maintaining it as it is. The book will help you work out whether you need to make repairs or changes and how you might go about them.
- Dreamers who are looking at farms
- This book will help you determine your budget and choices as you pursue your dream. Knowing realistic expectations is never unhelpful. If you are looking at properties, you can assess the arenas on site to see what state it is in and what needs to be done if anything to repair it
- People you use arenas
- If you don’t own or maintain an arena but pay to use one this book is going to give you insight on what you’re paying for. What goes into the arena may give you more respect for the money you contribute to it. It’s a lot of time and money!!! It might also help you evaluate whether the arena you’re riding on is safe for your discipline.
My final thoughts…this is an incredibly informative book. I don’t know that it 100% applies to every single small-time farm, but the knowledge included inside these pages can help ANYONE do better…even if it’s learning to drag differently to avoid waves and holes. Horses most certainly adapt to every terrain but when we ask them to perform at a higher level we owe it to them to give them the best we can.
“It’s a myth that dragging will make your arena dry out faster. If the top layer is a little dry but the bottom is still wet, Kiser says dragging will actually disrupt the drying-out process.”
― Abigail Boatwright: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas
I also want to add that I buy most of my horse books from Trafalgar Square Books. I’m excited to say that I am an affiliate with the publisher, and so proud to be. Trafalgar Square embodies the spirit of horse people…. they ARE horse people. The operation is based in an old barn in Vermont and run by only a few people…people you can talk to and meet in person at events. It’s not a big corporate conglomerate, and for that I am grateful. This happens to be one of such books. You can find your copy through my affiliate link here, it’ll let TSB know I sent you!
Published by Trafalgar Square books, North Pomfret, VT
If you have any questions, comments, or would like further information, please contact:
contact@trafalgarbooks.com / (802) 356 6706
The Green Horseman 
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