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 Maine-iac
Posts: 3334
   
Location: Got Lobsta? | I finally decided to put in a bigger arena as I have a younger horse to train on barrels. I usually just work in the fields but I wanted some really good footing. I don't want to break the bank and looking for opinions on arena size. I know 120x200 is great size but what is the smallest I can get away with width wise. I want it long enough to do poles but wide enough to have horse extend from first to second. Its driving me crazy! | |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Just figure out what arenas you really like to run barrels in, and copy the size to your place.
I personally went for a smaller pen; 100x200', I grew up riding in the same size, and I know I can make horses out of that size. Plus it's handy to work horses on cattle in a smaller size. A smaller pen also makes it nice to really work colts and youngsters putting a handle on them. My husband also wants to keep a few rodeo bulls around, and it's a convenient size to mess with them, you still have a pretty fair chance to make it to the fence. :)
If I want to get ready for the three times a year I get to run on a standard set, I can haul 15 minutes away to the public pen. | |
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 Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
 
Location: SW North Dakota | I had a barrel patch for a lot of years before I could afford to put up an arena, just and area of worked up ground that was about 175x250. Thankfully, the native ground at my house is about as nice as you can ask for, and because we live on a farm/ranch, we had a big tractor and disk. It wasn't perfectly manicured at that time, but between the disk, an old spring tooth harrow and a fire drag, it was pretty dang nice. And FREE! I sold a nice horse in 2004 and put up the panels for an arena. Then I held jackpots at my place and saved every penny for improvements. Fast forward 12 years and I now have power, roping boxes and return alley, a remote Tarter chute and I buy a few Tarter lead ups each fall, as I can afford them. I also bought a fabulous arena tool from arenarakes.com that is perfect for my sandy-loam ground. It's taken a long time and a lot of saving money, but I have what, in my opinion, is the perfect set-up and I never took money away from my family living expenses.
The short answer to your question though (LOL), I prefer at least 125x200, but 150x250 would be exponentially better. You could probably do just fine with 100x200, and you'd need 176 feet for poles if you were 15' off the back fence and had 35' to stop after the time line. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 276
| We do a lot of calf roping, so when we put up our arena, we wanted it as narrow as possible for roping, yet still big enough for me to work the horses on barrels. We decided on 110' wide. I felt like that was just wide enough to set a big enough pattern to be able to lope young horses through, but not have to put the barrels right on the fence. I would think you would need almost 200' long to work poles. Ours is 250' long, but I like to put the poles about 20' off one of the fences, instead of packing them all the way to the middle of the arena. | |
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Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
Location: SW North Dakota | SpaceCowboy - 2016-11-17 9:28 AM We do a lot of calf roping, so when we put up our arena, we wanted it as narrow as possible for roping, yet still big enough for me to work the horses on barrels. We decided on 110' wide. I felt like that was just wide enough to set a big enough pattern to be able to lope young horses through, but not have to put the barrels right on the fence. I would think you would need almost 200' long to work poles. Ours is 250' long, but I like to put the poles about 20' off one of the fences, instead of packing them all the way to the middle of the arena.
Our next investment is a narrower side arena for roping calves, goat tying and polebending. Trying to decide how bad it will ruin calves if I share the return alley from the big arena, then build pens on the right side of the chute and tripping chute to try to help keep them running straighter...? | |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I flagged off a 100x200 area to test out and see if it would work, and it's a decent size. It would be nicer to add 25' to the width, but the length is just right. I think I'm going to leave it that size.
I had my barrels set up in a 60 acre field last summer, and THAT was interesting. The first time I went to make a run, my horse went bucking off into the sunset at the first barrel. LOL I have more trouble getting my horses to run into fences than I do with horses bouncing off fences to turn, so I think the smaller size will work. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 276
| That's actually exactly what we are trying to do. We already use a bigger lane as our return alley and would like to cover it :).... eventually.
I don't think it would mess the calves up at all. Our return alley and their permanent pen is on the right side, but they still run to the left corner to stand in the shade haha. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Duvall, WA | Boy, you guys are lucky. We bought a new place this winter and it has an arena, it's 75 x 155, and I am thrilled to have it! Most places in the Puget Sound area are small, most indoors are about 60 x 100. Yes, I wish it were bigger and an indoor, but it works for me and is a heck of a lot better than nothing, which is what I had before. | |
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Maine-iac
Posts: 3334
Location: Got Lobsta? | NipntuckLR - 2016-11-17 1:02 PM Boy, you guys are lucky. We bought a new place this winter and it has an arena, it's 75 x 155, and I am thrilled to have it! Most places in the Puget Sound area are small, most indoors are about 60 x 100. Yes, I wish it were bigger and an indoor, but it works for me and is a heck of a lot better than nothing, which is what I had before.
are you able to gain speed between the 1st and 2nd barrel? All of the suggestions are GREAT thank you! | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 823
Location: East Texas | ND3canAddict - 2016-11-17 7:53 AM
I had a barrel patch for a lot of years before I could afford to put up an arena, just and area of worked up ground that was about 175x250. Thankfully, the native ground at my house is about as nice as you can ask for, and because we live on a farm/ranch, we had a big tractor and disk. It wasn't perfectly manicured at that time, but between the disk, an old spring tooth harrow and a fire drag, it was pretty dang nice.  And FREE! I sold a nice horse in 2004 and put up the panels for an arena. Then I held jackpots at my place and saved every penny for improvements. Fast forward 12 years and I now have power, roping boxes and return alley, a remote Tarter chute and I buy a few Tarter lead ups each fall, as I can afford them. I also bought a fabulous arena tool from arenarakes.com that is perfect for my sandy-loam ground. It's taken a long time and a lot of saving money, but I have what, in my opinion, is the perfect set-up and I never took money away from my family living expenses.
The short answer to your question though (LOL), I prefer at least 125x200, but 150x250 would be exponentially better. You could probably do just fine with 100x200, and you'd need 176 feet for poles if you were 15' off the back fence and had 35' to stop after the time line.Â
lol.... how you started sounds like where we are at now. | |
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| ND3canAddict - 2016-11-17 8:53 AM I had a barrel patch for a lot of years before I could afford to put up an arena, just and area of worked up ground that was about 175x250. Thankfully, the native ground at my house is about as nice as you can ask for, and because we live on a farm/ranch, we had a big tractor and disk. It wasn't perfectly manicured at that time, but between the disk, an old spring tooth harrow and a fire drag, it was pretty dang nice. And FREE! I sold a nice horse in 2004 and put up the panels for an arena. Then I held jackpots at my place and saved every penny for improvements. Fast forward 12 years and I now have power, roping boxes and return alley, a remote Tarter chute and I buy a few Tarter lead ups each fall, as I can afford them. I also bought a fabulous arena tool from arenarakes.com that is perfect for my sandy-loam ground. It's taken a long time and a lot of saving money, but I have what, in my opinion, is the perfect set-up and I never took money away from my family living expenses.
The short answer to your question though (LOL), I prefer at least 125x200, but 150x250 would be exponentially better. You could probably do just fine with 100x200, and you'd need 176 feet for poles if you were 15' off the back fence and had 35' to stop after the time line.
ditto this if not planing show just dirt yu can change approach with tires | |
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