Indoor arenas: How narrow is too narrow?

[jn4jenny]

Cliff Notes Version:
If you have--or board at--a facility with a sub-60-foot-wide arena, I'd love to hear your experiences. Am I being an unnecessary priss or is a 40-foot indoor going to make life suck?

Longer version:
I'm moving to Columbus, Ohio in September to attend grad school, so I'm beginning my barn hunt. Agonizingly, another COTH'er recommended a facility that is perfect for me, except that it's $$$ for a grad student's budget. So before I give up and move to that barn anyway :lol:, I have to exhaust all other options.

I've now encountered two barns that have great horse care and nice outdoor riding areas, but both facilities have 40-foot-wide indoor arenas (That's 12 meters for you metric folks). I've used many a 60-foot-wide arena and that's plenty wide enough, but how narrow is too narrow? Especially for legging up a horse after a winter break?

[Dawnd]

My barn is narrower - if I had to guess, it's about 18m. Not quite as narrow as the ones you mention but it's definitely doable - makes for some quick turns when trying to jump a course!

And boy does it feel good to get outside after the winter!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I'd go nuts....way too narrow for much serious work and tough to leg up a horse. I was at a barn with a wider indoor but short...basically we could do slightly less than a 20m circle...and it didn't work well for me prepping for spring competitions (and a green horse learning how to canter ;))

40 feet is about 12 meters (just slightly more)....that's a pretty tight turn to be doing on a horse bringing them back into work....and pretty tight quarters to be doing any amount of serious work all winter.

I'd be considering those farms as if they didn't have an indoor or that I wouldn't be spending much time in the indoor.

[McVillesMom]

I boarded for a while at a barn that had a 50x100 foot indoor (and they stored hay in one end of it for part of the winter). Honestly, it wasn't THAT bad when there was no hay in it, but it was pretty hard to deal with more than one other horse in there. I don't think I would have wanted to go much narrower.

[Ajierene]

I would just be happy with an indoor at a reasonable price. They are few and far between around here. If they are more common in Ohio, then shop around and compare, but here - I would jump for joy to find a place with an indoor, let alone a place I could afford with an indoor.

[mjedge808]

UGH! been there done that. Of course, it's fine when the majority of the horses at the barn shuffle along in the western QH jog and apathetic four-beated lope... but if you want to really trot, canter, and *GASP* have a turn down centerline, it's rather tough. And with more than two horses, really, really tight!! I hated it and my horse hated it more. He eventually got spooky and cranky. Best advice is to ride outside whenever possible, even when it's cold, and use the indoor as the last resort.

[enjoytheride]

60 would be my minimum for jumping and dressage work.

[fordtraktor]

60 feet would be much more pleasant, but I could live with 40 if that was my best option.

But I used to prep my (fit, well-schooled) horses in my 16 ft-wide barn aisle when I needed to prep for a show and it was icy, including jumping (canter two strides, jump, canter one stride, halt. Turn on the haunches, repeat). It does make them very handy, though I can't say it was much fun, and I doubt you could get one fit that way.

[clivers]

Yikes! Too narrow for my liking for sure.

[Donkey]

I think all of those tight corners and circles would be really hard on your horses joints. Normally you would warm up significantly before asking your horse for 10M circles...

[Gry2Yng]

NO WAY! Deal killer for me. I don't even like 60'.

[TBjumper103]

my indoor is on the narrower side. I find it fine for flat work, or setting up 1 jump on both sides of it, but if I am wanting to do more than that I have to use our outside arena. I think if the facility has a large outdoor ring, then it will be fine as you can use the indoor only when you want to work on turning or things that don't require a large area. We can host beginner w/t lessons with about 3-4 horses in it, but cantering that many in such a tight spot would be a little much I think.

[nextyear]

Ou indoor was 140X75 it felt really small when you had more than 4 horses going let alone having a few jumps set up in it. Better than nothing but 40 no way.

[4Martini]

I'm pretty sure the indoor where I am is 50 X 70. It is way better than no indoor, but those 50 foot ends are tight turns (40 would be really tight.) Esp at the canter on a not super fit horse in cool weather. More than two people in there and it's hard to think about anything other than not getting run over. I've set 2 small jumps in there, but definitely not ideal. I have never done that much work in there. It's great as a back up - or to lunge in but I would go crazy with more than say 2 days a week in there. Luckily in CO most of our winters you can get outside regularly and we have a lighted outdoor.

Why don't you lay out some rails where you are now to simulate it and try riding in it? It will feel much bigger without walls - but it will give you an idea for how much the turns impact your horse.

[shawneeAcres]

I'm curious too about this. I so BADLY want an indoor but the cost when you get above 42' is ridiculous. We have pretty decent weather in NC in the winter, it is more rain and wind that is the issue. So I wouldn't need to ride in an indoor ALL winter, just on bad days AND I could keep doing lessons on bad days (biggest issue!) If I did this it would not be "solid walls" which I think would help, would do a 1/2 wall. And I could make it pretty long I think, like maybe 100 - 150' feet depending on cost and location which should help. I just need something for those spells where it is too wet to get much done in the outdoor.

[VCT]

As the owner of a 50 x 80 ft. indoor ( I did not build it, was preexisting sawmill on property which we converted to indoor arena). I would NEVER ever bother building something below 80 ft. wide. Even if it just had to be 80 x 80 in the beginning. Or whatever. You can always add more length later, you can never make it wider.

I would board at a place that had a small indoor if thats what I could afford. But IMHO 40 would be too small to be bothered with trying to ride in.

[WWGeorgeMorrisD]

60 is about the narrowest I would go

[katie+tru]

The indoor I ride in year round is a 60x40 meter. We can set up all kinds of small courses in there without getting too cramped.

[katie+tru]

The indoor I ride in year round is a 60x20 meter. We can set up all kinds of small courses in there without getting too cramped.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

The indoor I ride in year round is a 60x40 meter. We can set up all kinds of small courses in there without getting too cramped.


Folks....she said 40 FEET...that is quite a bit smaller than 40 meters (or even 20 Meters). As I mentioned 40 FEET...is just slightly over 12 METERS.



Around here....I wouldn't build an indoor less that 66' (width of a dressage ring). The one I'm building is 80'. Once you get over 80/85', it gets very expensive but moving from 65' to 80' wasn't too bad.

[jn4jenny]

Oh good, so I'm NOT a crazy prissy snob! Riding in the 60-foot arena was okay for me (that's about 18 meters across), but I'm glad the 40 is being universally decried. I have trouble imagining a riding arena where you can't even do a 15 meter circle, much less a 20 meter circle!

I guess I'll just have to spend more money. Oh well, what's a few more hundred bucks, right? :lol:

[Ajierene]

Folks....she said 40 FEET...that is quite a bit smaller than 40 meters (or even 20 Meters). As I mentioned 40 FEET...is just slightly over 12 METERS.



Around here....I wouldn't build an indoor less that 66' (width of a dressage ring). The one I'm building is 80'. Once you get over 80/85', it gets very expensive but moving from 65' to 80' wasn't too bad.

You know, I made my comment, then as I was reading I started thinking to myself...did she say 40ft or 40m? Yeah, 40ft is small, though if it was all that was available in my price range/other amenity requirements, then I would take it - so long as there was also an outdoor. I don't ride much in the winter now due to lack of an outdoor and know of only one place within a half hour drive that has an indoor and they do not board.

[merrygoround]

Think of it this way, in dressage they ask for 20m circles at Training level, at First level, they ask for 15m circles, not until 2nd level do they ask for 10m circles. So you are asking, if your horse is going at all forward for a level of engagement that you would expect of a coming 2nd level horse.

Pretty tight! :rolleyes: Add a few other horses:eek:

[bornfreenowexpensive]

You know, I made my comment, then as I was reading I started thinking to myself...did she say 40ft or 40m? Yeah, 40ft is small, though if it was all that was available in my price range/other amenity requirements, then I would take it - so long as there was also an outdoor. I don't ride much in the winter now due to lack of an outdoor and know of only one place within a half hour drive that has an indoor and they do not board.


See I would board at a place with that small of an indoor...but I would be pricing that farm as if it DIDN'T have an indoor. Because in realty...I wouldn't ride in one that small more than at a walk and even then...not very often. So to me....it would be a farm with out an indoor which is fine. But if I'm paying board for an indoor...it needs to be an indoor that I can actually accomplish work in.