Building our DIY Horse Arena at the Ranch, From Scratch

I moved a lot of dirt using just a Kubota utility tractor (L4701) to dig out a 70' x 140' outdoor horse riding/jumping arena just outside our Barndominium. After moving more earth than I thought possible with my tractor, we compacted 60 yards of crushed limestone grit with a ride on roller and then spread 108 tons of river sand mined from the Arkansas River down in Ozark Arkansas. Makayla now has a safer place to train at home.
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mailing address: 1722 N College Ave. Ste. C #293. Fayetteville Arkansas 72703

[@thegirlthatsings3832]

Just graduated and bought my first equine property, rn it’s just a big fenced field with a stable my goal is to build a fenced arena and renovate my stable, you guys are such an inspiration thank you

[@CInzerillo]

Whatever job ya'll have to afford all that, are they hiring? I love seeing the progress on your ranch. What a dream!

[@jarrettkessler6872]

Well done!! Great job! I’ll be doing the same on our 10 acres in SoCal with my JD 5205.

[@hassanzaazouz8947]

RESPECT !!!

[@alexandercafovski5468]

That’s great work! I’m going to use some of your techniques to rehab our old riding arena

[@dalereid1236]

Awesome footage and description.....

[@hntfsh_liebchen373]

Nice build it looks good. I want to build the same thing, still have to build my fencing for my pasture and horse shed.

[@jamesskahill323]

great vid, thanks

[@alancummings5651]

Excellent job on the entire farm.

[@FromScratchRanch]

Thank you.

[@galehess6676]

Super slick edit. Beautiful space and videography and result. All I have to say is "dirt tooth bucket" and rent a "skids steer. " Most farms that size need the tractor and the skid... high hour used skid will be reliable and cheap and will do what you need and not take up overhead better invested in land or paying down a loan. Save your time unless you're wealthy and don't care.

[@MsGroovalicious]

No barrier or landscape fabric? Please let us know how this is going now. I guess if you keep it groomed nothing will grow. Way to go!

[@DenverRoyer]

Hey looks awesome! I'm looking to build a base for my arena, and just curious how yours is holding up?

[@TK-KingRanch]

Thank you for sharing:) Is it good for rain?

[@NoobomgWhy]

We are building a riding ring, how did you evenout the dirt layer before you put the gravel? We used a wheel loader to shape the dirt, but it is difficult to get a flat area that has less than +/-15 cm (approx. 6") variation. It looks like you used this tool on the back of your machine, how is this called (it looks like you also used it to rip out the grass). Any tipps would be appreciated. Thanks a lot for the video 😊

[@GRANT-W-NEALE]

What dad’s do for their children hey 😂

[@cherylcuddy5966]

What did you use as your base layer? Not sure what grit is.

[@katherinecervantes3997]

Looking to do this at our new property. Is there anything else you reccommend for a base layer besides limestone grit? I am not sure that's available in my area. Also is coarse river sand the go to? Thanks!! Loved the video! It looks amazing.

[@oshen0]

It kinda' varies by region/where you're at. If you have any local arenas in your area...its worth paying them a visit. Check out the arena, ask questions, etc. They'll be able to tell you exactly what they used/what they want to do in the future to improve the facility/make suggestions, etc. We went to a number of different arenas within a 200 mile radius of our place. We were able to see a bunch of different "set-ups" and we got all kinds of great info. Some of the info was the same, some of it was different...we learned a lot & got a lot of great ideas.

[@mookfaru835]

How did it turn out?

[@cmiller6352]

Is the interior of the barndominium completed? There hasn't been a video about that in 5 months.

[@FromScratchRanch]

Almost. I have two more interior projects to complete and then I will do a Barndominium tour video and cost break down videos. I have not been able to wrap up the interior since we are comfortably living in it now and other major out door projects have bumped up in priority, I also have been waiting for a piece of equipment to come in that has been on a long term back order that I need to finish one of the projects. I now have it, so I will be completing the interior very soon.

[@dudewheresmyhorse625]

Great video. I started with my 60' round pen this summer here in Montana. Got the top soil out and hand picked rocks for two days, lol. Than had two truck loads of "sandy loam" brought in. Rainy season came and now I have decided that I need to redo the whole dang thing. The water just makes it a big loam puddle. I know now that I need to account for drainage. Plan is to elevate the grade of the entire round pen and add some drain pipes underneath of it. I have watched a lot of other videos about this and they also mention textile fabric between the different layers of material. Glad I did not start with my arena.. :) How is your arena holding up to date?

[@galehess6676]

don't cheap on the fabric, it's gotta be cushioned too, and will likely wear out in a few years and result in losing aggregate slowly, maybe double layer the fabric... I am on the same problems, but solving them prior to build out.. have some experience and 2 skiddies, one with an 84" dirt tooth bucket... went to horse world expo and spoke with a PSU rep knowledgeable regarding such things, so that was helpful too. would not use soil unless roofed and dry. Sounds like a sweet place. Good luck

[@jwyeager2261]

How big is the arena

[@ctowen5222]

What size is the limestone grit?

[@cadenpugh5222]

What song is playing while you were spreading the sand?

[@FromScratchRanch]

By the Trainyard is the name of the first song played when I was spreading the sand, which is by Tigerblood Jewel. The second song playing is called Morning Hike by Lindsey Abraham. I use Epidemic Sound for all my music. If you are looking for a music provider for video production I highly recommend Epidemic Sound. Click this link to learn more: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

[@kerrytodd3753]

That top coat of sand looks a little too loose? Nice job with the arena….

[@FromScratchRanch]

Yes, a little. It works okay for now when watered real well and packed. It was all I could get at the time with all the shortages of everything. I even had to have this brought in from a couple hours south of here so even cost me more. I am planning on adding a couple truck loads of some better river sand with more fines and irregulars it when it becomes available up here again. That should help stiffen it up and pack just a little bit more. Thanks for watching.

[@robertbutler8004]

@kerrytodd3753 agreed this is how it should be done kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHnWmGlnlp54o9E

[@huntemall219]

How much did it end up costing?

[@galehess6676]

cheap if you do the excavating, rock is cheap, find the right source. guessing $3k without any figuring whatsoever, since no one will reply to you

[@robertbutler8004]

@huntemall219 that is a very rude question to ask period.

[@dalenderocha2561]

@@robertbutler8004how is that rude?