[Serigraph]

I planted Cryptomeria trees a few years ago but they are not growing as much as I hoped for privacy.

My arena is close to a road has some traffic. I would love to block out the sound and sights, but wondering how it effects the horses?

Mine are OK with the traffic for the most part, but it really bothers me (and sometimes them). Plus all the miscellaneous farm equipment that goes on across the street gets old.

Have you ridden with some type of privacy screen? Did it work out? What was used for the privacy screen? Anyone use a solid border?

[Alagirl]

well, if it is a regular occurance...you and the horses should be used to it by now.

From what I understand sounds whos origin can't be seen are more startling than anything.
How much space do you have between road and arena?

[rmh_rider]

Cryptomeria's take forever to grow.

Should have planted Leland's, or Iliagnas(sp)bushes.

Or better yet a solid fence. Which is instant.

My friend got the crypto's. Slow slow slow. She got them to screen the neighbor's, but that will take 10 years I would think. Also I would think you would want something MUCH taller to grow.

My dream fence would be 10' solid stone walls, about 2-3' thick. All around my entire property. I have too much property to do that. I do ride in the pasture alot. But have my arena where nobody can see. Lelands I used.

[Guilherme]

Cryptomeria's take forever to grow.

Should have planted Leland's, or Iliagnas(sp)bushes.

Or better yet a solid fence. Which is instant.

My friend got the crypto's. Slow slow slow. She got them to screen the neighbor's, but that will take 10 years I would think. Also I would think you would want something MUCH taller to grow.

My dream fence would be 10' solid stone walls, about 2-3' thick. All around my entire property. I have too much property to do that. I do ride in the pasture alot. But have my arena where nobody can see. Lelands I used.

Gonna crenelate that wall and add a firing step?!?!

G.

[Serigraph]

The nursery told me Lelands are susceptible to disease easily. My soil is also questionable. I thought about a solid fence/wall but I have not seen this scenario in person and wondered how it work work.

[goodhors]

I would take the visible issues, use it as a training opportunity! You really don't want to make things "perfect" for working your horse at home. They need things happening around them, STILL have to work and behave for you. You will NEVER have a perfect setting at a competition, stuff just happens! You can be angry or not upset, horse is not upset, because the distraction is "no big deal" after his home setting! Weird vehicles, odd sounds, moving when not expected, it happens regardless of your best efforts!

I want a horse who looks at that and goes back to work for me while giving a good effort to my requests. Our round pen has rails, not solid walls, for this reason. He sees things, no excuse to stop and gawk or spook wildly. He gets to play those games on HIS time, not mine! I want him looking at whatever, looking hard, then working again. Can't do that with a protective hedge. My horses are MUCH sillier if they HEAR but can't see things. The attempt to look doesn't quit, so they can settle their mind about the noise with an ID on it.

Sorry you picked the wrong screen shrubs for fast growth. I just think you will be sorry if you try to "protect" your riding sessions and horse from real life arouind the arena or in competition. Better to let them learn to deal with it, so they are less surprised at new things.

[Serigraph]

Good to know if we sell this place, someone like you wouldn't mind an arena close to the road.

The really don't care much about the car/truck sounds, flapping tarps, tractors with round bales etc. The donkey carriage show that goes by though does disturb them :-)

It is me who wants some tranquil rides w/o commotion.

[katarine]

Iliagnus or leland cypress.

[goodhors]

Our arena is right beside the road, was the only reasonable location when we built it. Now we appreciate the location a lot more! We get quite a bit of traffic on our road which isn't automobiles. Best to get them seeing roller skaters, recumbent bikes, various (illegal) ATV vehicles, walkers with strollers and pet dogs, farm machinery going by so it is nothing when they MEET them on the road or at a show. You know there is just NO PLACE to go off the road when you see the big treaded MONSTER size tractor with field equipment coming at you!! They make the oddest sound with treads on pavement.

Mine do tranquil, since they are seeing so much oddness on the road all the time. It is their "normal" now.

Sell your place to a Western person, we all love it when we can do a double training session in one ride. I will give you carriages as being spooky, and donkeys smell different. Maybe you could ride out and follow them a little distance to get horse acclimated. Horses LOVE to CHASE carriages, makes them feel like they won and are BRAVE. The carrriage ran off didn't it?

[susanne]

Don't take out the cryptomeria -- plant a row (or circle?) of arbor vitae about 3 ft outside of them, offseting them from the cryptos. This will create essentially a solid wall but with space between the two rows (or circles?), so as not to crowd either type tree too much and give more sound insulation.

You could also create a berm between your arena and the road to block both sound and sightlines -- and you could even plant arbor vitae on top of that.

Of course, if it were me -- the crazed gardener -- I would turn the berm into an entire raised garden bed with trees, shrubs, perennials, etc., and that road wouldn't stand a chance at being heard!

[Alagirl]

Don't take out the cryptomeria -- plant a row (or circle?) of arbor vitae about 3 ft outside of them, offseting them from the cryptos. This will create essentially a solid wall but with space between the two rows (or circles?), so as not to crowd either type tree too much and give more sound insulation.

You could also create a berm between your arena and the road to block both sound and sightlines -- and you could even plant arbor vitae on top of that.

Of course, if it were me -- the crazed gardener -- I would turn the berm into an entire raised garden bed with trees, shrubs, perennials, etc., and that road wouldn't stand a chance at being heard!

won't the horse eating squirrels move in?

[SMF11]

My trainer built a berm between the road and the ring as when trucks went by we couldn't hear her instruction. I'd say it may be about 15' high. It does help.

[grayarabpony]

OP what part of the country do you live in? Or, how cold does it get?

[Serigraph]

Thanks for the good suggestions everyone.

I live in NC. My soil is red clay. The arena is actually up on a hill so a bit higher than the road. Anything that is planted would need to go on that hill. It's not a big hill but a hill none the less. I was thinking about a row of Leyland or Green Giants along with the Cryptomeria, but I'm not sure about the space or hill. I will try to get a pic.

As for the donkeys and carriage. It's a full blown family ride with multiple horses and donkeys caravan style

[nls]

I planted southern magnolia on the end of ours that I want to screen for aesthetic purposes. I started with fairly large ones but I know I have several years to go. The idea of offsetting what you have already planted is a great one. Mixed screens are much prettier to look at and then you don't have such a risk of losing one plant type and your whole screen at once to disease.

[rmh_rider]

Gonna crenelate that wall and add a firing step?!?!

G.

I want it ALL. Great suggestion. Oh yes, I want mounted lazers also so I can shoot all the rabbits, skunks, and possums ha ha. No more little bunny foo foo's hoping through my garden! No neighbor dogs getting on my property.

I will definitely take your decorative suggestion under consideration. When I looked up what crenelated walls were, I knew right then I was under informed about architecture. How lovely those are.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlement

I have had no issues with disease with my lelands. We have wicked red clay soil, horrible heat and humidity of da south. I have seen many which were sprayed, and were killed/burned. Such as the city of county spraying round up.

[WoofNWhinny*]

Leland have a tendency to get destroyed in a fairly moderate snowfall or ice storm. Maybe it's a shallow root system or maybe they simply don't have strong trunks, but over they go, particularly once they've grown up tall enough to be a nice screen. If you don't have to worry about about snow/ice/flooding/wind, you might be okay with Lelands.

You could try camellias, there are a few varieties that grow up to 15 feet tall and they're evergreen. Plus, nice flowers.

[Serigraph]

You could try camellias, there are a few varieties that grow up to 15 feet tall and they're evergreen. Plus, nice flowers.

Oh those are pretty. We don't have much snow/ice but definitely wind.

How about those who have ridden with a privacy screen, are the horses spookier with hearing but not seeing all?

[Alagirl]

Oh those are pretty. We don't have much snow/ice but definitely wind.

How about those who have ridden with a privacy screen, are the horses spookier with hearing but not seeing all?

contact the county extension/master gardener.
Then a local nursery!


Personally I do believe the sounds without visual are more spooky to the horse.

[dressagegirl123]

If your climate will support it, bamboo is da bomb! Expensive initially, but grows like stink! I blocked out a neighbors barking Rotweilers and ugly two story house instantly. The dogs are still within 30' of the arena, but they can't see us! They need watering for the first month, then nothing. Ever!
It does wave in the breeze, and new horses look askance at it. Good practice for concentration. Mine are very close to the arena--about 15'.
Good luck!