Arena and paddock fencing

Why arena fencing is a different specification

Paddock fencing contains a horse that is grazing. Arena fencing is passed within inches at canter, jumped alongside and occasionally hit. The failure modes are different and so is the specification.

The things that matter are the height of the top rail relative to a rider's leg, whether rails are fixed on the inside or the outside of the posts, how the rail behaves when struck, and whether there is anything at all a stirrup or a boot can catch on. Bolt heads, protruding rail ends and sharp post tops are the details that turn a fall into an injury.

What we build

Timber post and rail is the default and it is what we would put around our own arena. Pressure treated softwood, rails fixed to the riding side so the post face cannot catch a leg, ends cut flush, tops weathered so water runs off rather than sitting and rotting them.

Where a client wants lower maintenance, recycled plastic and composite rail systems are available and are genuinely good. They cost more up front and effectively nothing thereafter, which suits some people and not others.

• Post and rail in pressure treated timber, rails to the inside face.
• Kickboards where an arena is used for jumping or by young horses.
• Gates wide enough for a tractor and harrow, hung to swing clear of the surface.
• Corner and straining posts sized for the run rather than uniform throughout.
• Paddock and field boundary fencing to the same standard, on its own or alongside an arena.

Gates, which are usually got wrong

An arena gate has to be wide enough for whatever maintains the arena. A gate sized for a horse and rider means the harrow comes in through a gap in the fence for the next twenty years, or does not come in at all.

It also has to open without dragging on the surface, which means hanging it high enough to clear a surface that will settle and be topped up. This is a five minute decision at installation and an annoyance every single week if it is made badly.

Installed with the arena or on its own

Fencing is included in our arena construction specification, because an arena without a fence is a sandpit and because it is far cheaper to do while the machinery is already on site.

We also take fencing on its own, for paddocks, boundaries and existing arenas that need replacing. There is no requirement to have bought an arena from us.

Timber, and why the treatment matters

Fence posts fail at ground level, where timber sits in wet soil with oxygen available. That is where rot starts and it is why a fence that looks sound can snap at the base under load.

The defence is properly pressure treated timber to an appropriate use class, not a dip coating. Treatment penetration is the difference between a fence that lasts fifteen years and one that needs posts replacing in seven. It is not visible at installation and it is not something you can check later, which is precisely why it is worth asking about before you buy.

We use timber treated for ground contact, and we set posts in a way that suits the ground rather than concreting everything as a matter of routine. Concrete around a timber post can hold water against it and shorten its life.

Height, spacing and what you actually ride

Arena fencing is typically three rails at around one metre four hundred to the top rail. That is high enough to be a clear boundary and low enough not to catch a rider's leg awkwardly. For arenas used by children on ponies, or for loose schooling, the answers change.

Post spacing matters more than people expect. Too wide and rails flex and eventually break when struck. We space to the rail length and the use rather than stretching the spacing to save posts, which is a saving of a few hundred pounds that costs considerably more later.

What it costs

Post and rail around a 20m by 40m arena is included in our construction specification. As a separate job, arena fencing sits in the low thousands and paddock fencing is priced by the metre run once we have seen the ground and the access.

Upgraded systems, kickboards, extra gates and mirrors are itemised on our pricing page as additions rather than being folded invisibly into a single number.