[msj]

I'm facing the reverse problem of adding a ring to my property because I no longer use my outdoor ring as I don't ride. It takes a LOT of work trying to keep the outdoor ring free of weeds and, to be honest, the last couple of yrs I haven't even tried.

The outdoor ring is right off my indoor in that I open a door from the indoor and I'm at my outdoor. The outdoor is also fenced and the ring itself has a lovely border of grass about 3-8' wide depending on the side. The last couple of yrs I've started my horses on grass by opening the door from the indoor and letting them eat the grass border.

The outdoor was put in properly with tiles and grading is ~ 80' X 220' so it's certainly large enough for jumping etc. It also has lights for riding at night. In the 4 corners are large beds of daylilies so I didn't have to go back and weedwack where my riding mower couldn't get and along the long side of the indoor is a beautiful row of tiger lilies.

Part of me seriously wants to strip the footing, or what's left of it, bring a few loads of good topsoil and plant it for another pasture. I don't really need another pasture as I have 3 larger grass pastures as well as 2 sacrifice paddocks for winter but I really hate looking at all the weeds and basically unkept appearance of the outdoor.

If you were looking for a horse property, how important would the outdoor be if you had the indoor? Now, to be honest the indoor (60' X 120') isn't anywhere as large as the outdoor.

[Sparky Boy]

ARE YOU INSANE?

Kidding, but not really Don't do it, especially if you ever plan to board or sell the place.

[ReSomething]

^^ RLY.

Make a japanese rock garden out of it if you want to not have it be unkempt but leave the footing and the tiles alone so it can be sold as an arena that needs minor rehab. Heck it could be a dry lot or mud season turnout if you do nothing else with it.

[LordWentworth]

I'd keep it. Sounds like a lot of work to get rid of and you don't need the space. Like ReSomething said, it could still be used for turnout as is.

[Equibrit]

Go buy some Roundup.

[2ndyrgal]

as much as about what it will cost to remove it.

I'd probably leave it, because you've already paid to add an indoor, if you pay to remove an outdoor, then you can't expect to get any of your indoor money back.

That said, we built an arena, then crashed it to build the pond and the indoor.

I'll probably have to live here forever.

[msj]

Go buy some Roundup.

I have used so much Roundup and Ground Clear on it that it should NEVER EVER have another weed growing.....

[msj]

I'd keep it. Sounds like a lot of work to get rid of and you don't need the space. Like ReSomething said, it could still be used for turnout as is.

Already using it as a turnout in the spring so the horses can get started on grass and still be able to be caught with some ease.

[msj]

ARE YOU INSANE?

Kidding, but not really Don't do it, especially if you ever plan to board or sell the place.

I don't plan to board but will probably sell within the next 10 yrs.

[ShotenStar]

You drag your indoor footing regularly, right? If you continue on and drag the outdoor at least every 3rd time you do the indoor, that will help with the weed control. And really, once you are on the tractor and in dragging mode, it won't seem like that much effort.

*star*, who loves the Zen of Arena Dragging

[S1969]

ARE YOU INSANE?

Kidding, but not really Don't do it, especially if you ever plan to board or sell the place.

You drag your indoor footing regularly, right? If you continue on and drag the outdoor at least every 3rd time you do the indoor, that will help with the weed control. And really, once you are on the tractor and in dragging mode, it won't seem like that much effort.

*star*, who loves the Zen of Arena Dragging

My thoughts exactly! I love to drag.

[Pennywell Bay]

My goats keep my ring pretty clear of weeds. =)

[msj]

I do drag it regularly in the spring, summer and fall, just for that reason, to pull up the weeds. Only problem some have deep root systems that go into the base and dragging doesn't do a thing to those. That's when I used to go back by hand and dig them out by hand or use Ground Clear or Round Up. I'd do this about 3-4 times through the summer and it was a PITA.

One thought I have had was to have the guy that does ag spraying of weeds come out and spray, then I'd drag maybe a wk later and if need be have him come back out again.

Neither goats nor sheep wouldn't work as they would be able to crawl through the post and rail fencing.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I'm just so jealuos. *sigh*

I would keep it if you are looking to sell in 10 years. An outdoor off the smallish indoor would be a huge plus for some buyers. I mean it's already there anyway.

Roundup will only stay in the soil for a few days at most I believe. That's one of the good things about it, unlike R,4-D, etc. Perhaps there is a better weed control idea out there? Maybe a pre-emergent type? I'm very new to large-scale weed management, sorry.

[msj]

I'm just so jealuos. *sigh*

I would keep it if you are looking to sell in 10 years. An outdoor off the smallish indoor would be a huge plus for some buyers. I mean it's already there anyway.

Roundup will only stay in the soil for a few days at most I believe. That's one of the good things about it, unlike R,4-D, etc. Perhaps there is a better weed control idea out there? Maybe a pre-emergent type? I'm very new to large-scale weed management, sorry.

Well, I'm having a landscape company do my flower beds this spring with mulching and weeding etc. He and I talked about using a pre-emergent so I might ask him what he uses and if he wants to do the riding ring as well.

TTP, I wish you lived closer and would come use it. I know when I was still riding, I had very little problem with weeds.

[Prime Time Rider]

No way would I tear up a perfectly good outdoor arena.
Hire somebody if need be to maintain it.

[mvp]

IMO, your indoor is too small to be the only ring on the place.

If I were considering buying this farm, I'd rather see an unkempt but properly plumbed outdoor ring of good size than one that was "wrecked" and would immediately cost me more money to make back into a ring.

Maybe you could talk to your guy about that restoration cost.

[RunningwaterWBs]

Can you take in a boarder who might be willing to maintain the ring for a discount?

[msj]

Can you take in a boarder who might be willing to maintain the ring for a discount?

When people come and ask about boarding, and I get a lot/yr, I no longer say I don't do boarding, I just say board is $1000/month. Most board in my area runs about $375 to $500. When their eyes go wide open, I just say that if I have to deal with boarders, I'm going to make it worth my while.

The cost to maintain it is worth it I guess. I'll talk to my ag weed sprayer and my landscape guy.

I do know that after we get the weeds out initially, what's left will have to be scraped and new footing will be needed.

[clanter]

you might want to try a reverse method of trying to grow grass in the arena..from my experience everything will die without any additional effort on your part.

Plant seed...then it will not ever rain again... this has worked for me every time... also I have found out the more expensive the seed the longer the draught... now even the trees are dieing