Footing for a Indoor Ring - HELP!

I've been doing my research on this and can't seem to find what I'm looking for. If anyone is knowledgable about this or could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.

I've come across an indoor ring that has had concrete poured in it for alternate use. Now we're going to try to turn it back into a riding ring..... How much filler would be required to make it safe for the horses to be ridden in there occasionlly?

Thanks so much!

My guess is you would want to first fill it with gravel or crushed granite on top, then put a good 6-8 inch deep bed of river sand on top of that. Just a thought, though.
Or you could rip it up and start all over.

There is an article about arena footing materials in this month's Equus magazine that may help.

well this probly wont help...and idk how expensive it would be.probly alot.lol. but if it were me maybe like a foot of dirt padded down realllyyyy tight..bc i cut so out arena sand if like 4-5 inches deep.so then id put that on top.but idk..that might not be smart.haha i dont know i figured id try :0

Another source of information is to call large stadiums. Most all have a concrete base and when they have "horse events" (rodeos, horse shows) they bring in base/footing. Your concrete will act as your "base layer." Top will be your "footing." Your "loose footing" is normally determined be your discipline. Dressage riders like 2," Hunter jumpers like 3-4," while your western performance riders will want 6."
Just remember, You never cut into your base. So be careful who you let "run your tractor!" Indoor's are easier than outdoor arenas. Base is so important in your outdoor arenas.
Figure your costs. You might be able to bust up the concrete, compact it, and let it stay as your base, and reduce the amount of "dirt" loads for your top layer. You will be amazed at the cost of "dirt!"
Good luck!

Here's a page from one of the companies we're looking at for our arena:

Southern Classic Arenas - GeorgiaHorseArenas.com

From reading that page, it sounds to me like you should probably be able to put 3 to 6 inches of either crushed rock or compacted dirt down, with whatever topping suits the riding style you're going to be doing. For us, that would be 3 inches of M10. Also, being that it's an indoor arena, I'd probably mix in some rubber footing as well to keep the dust down. Breathing dust that's floating in the air being kicked up by horse hooves and a tractor isn't healthy for you or your horses. That tends to be my major issue with most arenas.

Busting up a perfectly good concrete floor is ABSURD!!!!!!!!!! That concrete means you will always have a level arena. It means you have options if you ever wanted to sell your facility. It means you don't constantly have to add material to your floor. Don't mess with the concrete. Add 6-8" rock on top - then add dirt - equally absurd.

The depth of your footing on top of the concrete depends entirely on your riding discipline. Walk/trot is completly different that reining horses! Halter horses are completly different again.