Posted: 8th July 2025 | Back to news feed
For many equestrians, the construction of a high-quality arena is among the most significant investments made in their facility, often running into the tens of thousands of pounds. Yet, too often, ongoing maintenance, particularly irrigation, is neglected or treated as an afterthought. This oversight doesn’t just shorten the life of the arena; it compromises horse performance, rider safety, and ultimately, return on investment. As climate patterns shift and summers become increasingly hot and dry, the case for smart, sustainable arena irrigation systems is stronger than ever.
Why Irrigation Matters: Beyond Dust Control
Maintaining the correct moisture levels in your arena surface is about far more than aesthetics or preventing dust clouds. The impact on equine biomechanics, rider safety, and arena longevity is profound. A dry, inconsistently watered surface becomes unstable, increasing the risk of injury to both horse and rider. Moreover, arenas that dry out repeatedly can suffer structural degradation, leading to costly repairs and even full resurfacing down the line.
Water is the key ingredient in preserving surface consistency, cushioning, and grip. Whether you have a fibre-sand arena or a waxed surface, moisture ensures optimal performance for schooling, competing, and everything in between. Crucially, in summer months when UV exposure and evaporation rates soar, a lack of proper irrigation can mean riding on sub-par footing more often than not. For facilities that host clinics, events, or maintain a busy training schedule, this is a non-starter.
Irrigation Options: Overland vs Underground
Traditionally, most equestrian properties have relied on overland sprinkler systems to keep their surfaces hydrated. While functional, they come with several drawbacks. Sprinklers can lead to uneven watering patterns, creating patchy conditions across the arena. They also typically require the arena to be cleared during operation, interrupting training schedules and limiting flexibility. Additionally, water usage can soar when using a sprinkling system, with competition venues reporting the need for them to be running for 6-8 hours to create an optimal surface.
This is where HIT Active Aqua stands out. As a fully underground drip irrigation system, it delivers water directly to the subbase through a network of precision-aligned pipes. This ensures even, consistent hydration across the entire surface, eliminating wet or dry spots and maintaining a uniform riding arena. Not only that, but riders can continue using the arena while it's being irrigated, maximising arena uptime and operational efficiency.
Water Use Efficiency: Why a Borehole is Essential
One of the most common concerns surrounding arena irrigation is water usage, and rightly so. An average arena can require anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 litres of water per day, particularly during the peak of summer. Without a borehole, this level of usage can quickly become unsustainable both environmentally and financially. Regardless of whether you opt for an overland or underground system, installing a borehole is a non-negotiable for any long-term irrigation solution.
With a borehole in place, you dramatically reduce the operational costs and environmental impact of your arena. When paired with a system as efficient as HIT Active Aqua, the sustainability case becomes even stronger.
Cost Analysis: Smart Investment, Long-Term Savings
At first glance, the initial outlay for an Active Aqua-equipped sand arena may seem steep, approximately £85,000, compared to an average £70,000 for a high-quality waxed surface (both excluding ground works for a 60x40m arena). However, that comparison doesn’t tell the full story.
While waxed arenas require less frequent watering, their upfront and long-term costs can still accumulate, particularly when factoring in specialist surface maintenance (power harrowing), degradation (top ups), and the limitations of surface consistency. In contrast, a sand arena fitted with HIT Active Aqua represents a more viable, sustainable, and cost-effective long-term choice.
Because the irrigation system runs autonomously and only when necessary, thanks to built-in smart sensors that adapt to weather and moisture levels, operating costs and daily labour are significantly reduced. There’s no need for manual checks, hose dragging, or adjusting sprinkler heads. Once installed, the system simply works.
Case Study: Bow House Equestrian
The real-world benefits of the HIT Active Aqua system are perhaps best illustrated by Bow House Equestrian, who installed the system back in 2022. Prior to its implementation, the facility had to dedicate considerable time and effort to water their arena adequately, requiring a whopping 6-8 hours a day of dedicated watering to maintain ideal footing for competitions and training.
Today, with HIT Active Aqua, that effort has been reduced to a daily runtime of just 1 to 1.5 hours, thanks to the system’s adaptive technology and underground drip irrigation design. This has not only decreased their labour costs and water usage but also allowed them to make full use of the arena during watering, a game-changer for any busy yard.
Perhaps most significantly, the arena now retains a consistent, high-performance surface day in and day out. This means safer conditions for horses and riders, fewer interruptions to the training calendar, and an overall better standard of equestrian care.
A Smarter Future for Arenas
Investing in a high-quality arena is only the beginning. How you maintain that arena, particularly when it comes to irrigation, can dramatically influence its performance, longevity, and cost-efficiency.
The HIT Active Aqua isn’t just a watering system; it’s a future-ready solution that aligns with modern sustainability values and the increasing demands placed on equestrian facilities. It offers a level of automation, efficiency, and consistency that traditional methods simply can’t match.
For those serious about protecting their investment, optimising horse welfare, and reducing their environmental footprint, ArenaMate’s HIT Active Aqua is the intelligent choice. It’s not just about water, it's about delivering the right surface, every ride, every season.
For more information or to request a consultation, visit arenamate.co.uk
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