Tips for Buying & Building a Riding Arena

Are you interested in building a riding arena for your horses or for a possible business venture?  The first point to realize about building or buying your own riding arena is that it will likely be a business venture.  It’s true that many owners want to buy a riding arena for convenience, so that they can have a property to train their horses during off-season.  However, many people who actually own riding arenas state that the upkeep of a large riding arena is at least a part time job if not a full time career.  You may have to spend more time managing a riding arena or at least hire someone to help you with such an involved project. 

Riding Arena Tips for Buyers

You may be considering buying a pre-existing riding arena, especially if it’s located in a convenient region to your regular travel.  Other horse trainers may prefer building their own riding arena.  There are a few important points to consider when planning your project.  The footing of a riding arena will determine the quality of the road, not to mention affect miscellaneous issues like dust control.  It is recommended that builders take time to improve the quality of the sub-base layer, that is the material under the footing.  (Such as packed and graded native soil)  You will also have to invest in pesticide control and plenty of equine supplies.   

When you are building a riding arena then you will want to plan for as much riding space as possible.  After all, a riding arena isn’t a storage property; it’s one where horses will run freely.  In construction, steel is the ideal method of building, since it has a high strength-to-weight ratio and dynamic engineering.  Not as many support columns are required, which means that there will be less clutter and more area for equine training?  This extra space in the riding arena can be used for additional stables, bleachers and related facilities. 

Buying or Building your Own Arena?

These issues will also concern you if you are looking for a pre-existing riding arena.  If the riding arena is too small then it will be a bad investment.  Additionally, if the quality of construction is low (not in general, but in particular to the well-being of equine life) then it may be worth it to build your own riding arena.  You may shudder at the thought of building your own riding arena, since this will involve hiring an expensive contractor.  Indeed, some indoor arenas can cost several thousand dollars to complete.

However, don’t underestimate the quality of a prefabricated steel horse arena.  A prefabricated unit does not require heavy construction effort or ability, since it is pre-cut and configured for convenient assembly.  Steel framed arenas can be practically any size, just as with traditional construction.  They are also cheaper to produce, both in the cost of materials, as well as in the cost of additional expansion and labor.  

What kind of riding arena price can you expect to pay?  Traditional construction may cost as much as $50,000, and a pre-existing barn may be comparable in price.  However, buying steel framed DIY kits for indoor horse arenas can be as low as $30,000 for a standard 70' x 130' multi-purpose arena building.  Buy a riding arena only after considering all of the expense issues, as well as the welfare of your equine population. Use our pricing tool to help deterimine the price of your riding arena.