What to use to "fence"off a dressage arena?
ellie clemens
trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena. Plastic
chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any ideas?
-ellie
Snezewort
Back when my dressage club started, we used the little plastic pickets that
they sell for edging gardens. Don't know if that's more or less expensive
than plastic chain, but it was a pain squaring the corners. ;-)
The club uses PVC pipe now. Very attractive, and you don't have to square
the corners, but expensive.
Don't the home improvement places sell heavy white nylon rope? Or for the
small arena, it can be sufficient to mark the corners and place a small
barrier in the middle of each long side. It's just a bit harder to get your
sides straight when you do it that way. Ground poles can be used if you
have any laying around, or jump poles.
Sneze
Imonics Corporation
ellie clemens <cle...@ccs.tiac.net> wrote:
>We've decided to run a small dressage show in our back field, and are
>trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena. Plastic
>chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any ideas?
>
dressage associate rents out rings for a nominal fee. You should
check in your area and see what is available.
--
Michael Czeiszperger| Beginners aren't bad riders, they merely lack
Imonics Corporation | experience. The only truly bad riders are 'experienced'
Raleigh, NC | in the poorest sense of that word- those who blatantly
cz...@imonics.com | and ignorantly bully their horses. --Herbermann
Teresa Plymate
>>We've decided to run a small dressage show in our back field, and are
>>trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena. Plastic
>>chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any ideas?
What I've seen used a lot, and probably what I'll use if I ever get an
arena big enough for a full-size dressage arena, is to use concrete
block as holders, and run white plastic pipe through the top holes for
the poles. The larger diameter pipe looks best and doesn't sag if you
can afford it, but I have seen small diameter pipe used and it looks
OK. Some folks also buy stick-on vinyl ring letters and paste them on
the appropriate blocks. (Or paint the blocks).
Teresa and the Andalusians
John T. Klausner
In <4lmheu$6...@news.tiac.net> cle...@ccs.tiac.net (ellie clemens)
writes:
>We've decided to run a small dressage show in our back field, and are
>trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena.
Plastic
>chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any
ideas?
>
I have a friend who is using up-side-down paint buckets with 4inch PVC
pipe resting on top. Appropriate buckets are painted with letters.
SueK
jaz
cle...@ccs.tiac.net (ellie clemens) wrote:
>We've decided to run a small dressage show in our back field, and are
>trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena. Plastic
>chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any ideas?
>
>-ellie
do you want cheap, really cheap? Okay, make some wooden stakes around a foot
long (out of anything, good wood, big sticks, tree limbs, you choose). buy some
bright yellow or orange nylon rope at the Home depot. Measure you arena and
put the stakes at the letters and corners, then surround the edges with the rope
lying on the ground but tauntly wound around each stake. this outlines the
arena and marks the letters easily. the bright colored rope can be seen by the
horse and you even if the grass grows up through it(yes, I've used it for years
this way). the biggest problem is mowing the grass. If you go around the edge
of the rope and leave a small four inche growth of grass the edge of your arena
becomes even clearer to see. It becomes a row of grass with a bright colored
rope lying in it. Horses will even jump it when they pass it on their own (but,
that is another thread!).
to make *real* letters you can use old plastic planting buckets, go to a garden
store and ask for some old ones. I had six black tree buckets I painted bright
yellow letters on and put them at the side letters upside down over the stakes.
Now I have road cones that are orange and I remember my letters so I never
even painted the letters on this time.
this is ultra cheap and works, so the white chain is nice but why bother in a
field at home?
jaz
Hey, my shift key on the right is stuck!! No capitals if I use my right hand,
bummber <G>
ellie clemens
In article <4lomil$r...@noao.edu>, ter...@noao.edu (Teresa Plymate) says:
>
>Thanks, everyone for the suggestions, both in here and that
you sent by e-mail. I think we'll probably try the plastic
pipe in cinder blocks. I already have a bunch of cinder blocks
sitting around. We already have letters -- a set of those
metal poke-into-the-ground ones.
-ellie
Linda Laing
About 15 years ago, I put together an inexpensive dressage court by
visiting a manufacturer of white PVC pipe. I told them I wanted some of
ther reject pipe and that I would be using it for decoration - not for
piping. They had lots of pipe they called spider webbed. It had hairline
cracks that looked like a spider web pattern. This made it unusable for
piping but was terrific for my arena.
If you don't have a manufacturer in your area, try visiting a large home
builder store and ask them if they will sell you some of their reject
pipe. It may be easier for them to get rid of it than to send it back to
the manufacturer.
Jane Kilberg
In article <4ltaob$7...@cocoa.brown.edu> jaz, Jaz...@aol.com writes:
>Hey, my shift key on the right is stuck!! No capitals if I use my right hand,
>bummber <G>
Keep those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches away from your keyboard! <g>
Teka: Just send them over to me. I love them, particularly when the
peanut butter sticks to the roof of my mouth.
down the sunny trails . . .
jane kilberg and her gang of spotted 4 legged critters at the
rocking double j ranch in the great nation of Tejas
member of ApHC, Sundance '500' Int'l (Appaloosa appreciation society)
Montgomery County Adult Horse Committee
Gala Argent
In article <Linda.Laing-29...@laing.sedd.trw.com>,
Linda...@qmgate.trw.com (Linda Laing) wrote:
> About 15 years ago, I put together an inexpensive dressage court by
> visiting a manufacturer of white PVC pipe. I told them I wanted some of
> ther reject pipe and that I would be using it for decoration - not for
> piping. They had lots of pipe they called spider webbed. It had hairline
> cracks that looked like a spider web pattern. This made it unusable for
> piping but was terrific for my arena.
A friend used PVC pipe for her dressage court. Came up out of the ground
with pipe about a foot high, then teed off and ran the pipe through the
tees. It looked good last year, but this year the horizontal pipe has
sagged. I suppose if you put the supports closer together it might work.
Linda, how big was your pipe and how far apart were supports?
Gala Argent
arge...@foothill.net
Linda Laing
I ran the pipe through some cement blocks (those big grey cement blocks).
The pipe I used was a standard size - I thnk it was about 2 inches across
(??) I had a brick on each end and one in the middle of each pipe. It
worked well and was easy to move around - plus it was cheap!
sydne...@hotmail.com
> We've decided to run a small dressage show in our back field, and are
> trying to figure out what to use to mark off the dressage arena. Plastic
> chain is one option, but we're not sure we can afford that. Any ideas?
>
> -ellie