Now that we are moved in and have gotten used to how things are working on our slice of ranch, we are ready to think about some construction updates. We have installed the round pens for horse training sessions and beginning horseback riding lessons and want to finish them off by tilling up the ground and adding sand to improve the footing. This will keep the ground from being too hard in the summer when it completely dries out and in the winter when the ground will be frozen.
In addition to the round pens, we have room for a riding arena. We are still deciding if we want to put a fence around it or if we just want to put sand down and leave it open. There are pros and cons to both and we are still working through all the ideas there.
Pros to a fence:
- If a horse gets loose, they will still be contained.
- It will be a defined space for riding.
- Sand footing will stay in place better.
- It can be strung with lights for a beautiful night ride.
Cons to a fence:
- It will restrict the wagon trail to a specific size and there will be no way to turn the wagon in a circle if necessary.
- Arena will be smaller to allow room for the fence, round pens, wagon trail, etc that all share space in the field.
- View of the field and people riding will be somewhat obstructed by the fence.
We will be putting in a wagon trail around the outer rim of the property. It will be wide enough for the horse-drawn wagon with a bit of space on either ride. The trail will have nice wide curves at the corners so the wagon doesn't have a tendency to run off the edge during a turn. Once the wagon trail is in place we will think about details to make it extra special like lining the trail with rocks and string lighting or maybe lanterns.
Whether or not we install arena fencing, we definitely want to get some arena lights. Probably these lights will be up on poles so they can more effectively light the large area. We have neighbors on either side so we want to position the lights so they don't shine in any windows. It is really nice that our neighbors' homes are on the other end of their properties so placement of the arena lights should be pretty simple.
Before too much longer, we want to install hitching posts for our horses. Right now we are tacking them up in their stalls, which works just fine for now. It will be good to have a place to take them to put on their tack so they get used to standing still outside their stalls. This will be especially nice once we are transporting them to trail rides off our property.
The most important construction project right now is replacing one of the fences in the field. This post and wire fence runs between our property and one of our neighbors' property. Unfortunately the wire is too small for the horses to see, so if one of the horses got loose they could run through it without realizing it is there. We always plan that the horses won't get loose, but its important to do what we can to keep them safe in the event that they get away from us.
What construction projects are you working on, or planning, for your slice of ranch? We'd love to hear what you are doing!!!
