I have 42 panels coming 12' long. I'm trying to decide how is best to set them up.
What are your opinions on: Square vs. round corners in an arena? Square arena vs. oblong?
The area will be used for working on starting young horses and exercising - no jumping of anything like that. I ride primarily Western but hope to learn English one day.
One of the panels is crunch pretty good from a falling tree - so really is only useful as a gate - so figure I've got 41 good 12' panels and a bow gate.
I could make the arena 10 panels each side, or I could make it oblong with 9 on each end and 12 per side.
Any suggestions on a good size? Either way I've got room for a barrel pattern of standard size per AQHA regulation....
Too excited - too much to think of.
Anonymous2009-02-18T19:54:03Z
Favorite Answer
If you're going to use it for starting young horses, do you have a round pen? If you don't have a round pen, I'd use about 11 of those panels to make a decent sized round pen then you'd still have enough panels left over for a small size arena of about 72' x 108' plus the one panel that is bent which you could either use as part of the round pen or part of the arena.
If you don't want a round pen or already have one, then I'd probably do a rectangular arena as tends to be the standard at any show...which might come in handy if you are planning on doing any competing or showing.
I prefer oblong arena's, because I compete in more then just barrel racing (other speed events).
I would do 9 and 12 - the arena's at the barn I ride at have square corners, but my aunt's arena has rounded corners. I like them both, but am used to the square corners and have grown to like them for some of the exercises I do with my barrel horse.
Have fun with your arena! I wish I had one that big!
defiantly an informative website that you need to check out- http://www.iedsopra.com/pdf/yankeepedlar.pdf the ring i ride in every day is 130x270 feet. (but i ride hunter/jumpers) i prefer square rings. no real reason why except then you get to pick how you make your turns though the corners. (easier when your jumping, sometimes you have to ride deep into the turns while other times you don't) i also like oblong arenas for this matter too(also you can school dressage in them), but square are nice sometimes and i think they would be better fitted for western riding? (correct me if i'm wrong here, i ride western in the same ring i jump in so i don't really know)
You will have 504 feet with a 12 foot gate section..... I would do 100 x 150... you can angle the corner ones to make it not so rectangle-square onb the corners.. and put the gate in the center of one of the 100 foot ends. This would be plenty wide and long for barrels.