Clearing Rocks From Horse Arenas With Skid Steer Tools

Keeping a horse arena safe and level demands consistent effort, particularly for removing rocks. Stones and debris often emerge from the base material or get dragged in from outside the arena, threatening the safety of your horses.

Skid steer attachments streamline the process of leveling an arena, enabling you to clear rocks, flatten the ground, and maintain an ideal surface for riding and training. You can clear rocks from horse arenas with these skid steer tools.

Sift and Grade With a Rock Bucket

With its open-tine design, you use a rock bucket to gather unwanted materials without pulling up excess footing. The unique spacing of the tines lets you shake out sand while holding onto everything else, from medium-sized stones to sticks and chunks of hardpan. Instead of making multiple passes, you concentrate on problem areas while minimizing wear on the arena surface.

Focus on Targeted Cleanup

Loose rocks and clumps might seem to appear overnight, disrupting the surface of your arena. With the rock bucket attachment, you can address these irregularities directly, focusing only on spots where debris causes issues. That way, you keep more of the original footing intact while creating the safest possible ground for horses.

Maintain Visibility and Precision

The open framework of the rock bucket enhances your line of sight, helping you spot small hazards as you move across the arena. With better visibility, you can approach each obstacle from the best angle and avoid accidentally removing footing. You’ll leave the arena level, improving your horses’ sure-footedness and maintaining surface quality.

You can also use a rock bucket to move large rocks or other debris. For instance, use the tines to get underneath a heavy stone and pry it loose from the ground. Once it breaches the surface, you can scoop it into the bucket and transport it out of the arena.

Use a Brush Grapple for Large Rocks and Debris

While designed for clearing brush and logs, a brush grapple’s powerful clamping action works wonders on large rocks and unwanted debris that can clutter your riding surface. The dual, independent grapples allow you to grip objects of various sizes and shapes, from hefty stones to fallen tree limbs. You can remove major hazards from the arena without manual labor. It’s a win-win!

Securely Grip and Remove Heavy Objects

The design of a brush grapple allows you to pick up and transport large items. For instance, when you encounter a rock that is too big to rake or scoop, you can clamp down on it with the grapple and move it out of the arena. This secure grip prevents the rock from slipping and potentially damaging your equipment or the arena fencing.

Sort Materials

The tined bottom of a brush grapple allows you to sift materials as you work. As you gather rocks and debris, smaller, usable footing material like sand or soil can fall through the tines and remain in the arena. This feature helps you minimize the amount of good footing you remove, which saves money on replacement material. For example, if you gather a pile of rocks mixed with footing, you can gently shake the grapple to let the sand fall back to the ground before you dispose of the larger stones.

Scoop and Carry With a Smooth Bucket

Clear rocks from horse arenas with the smooth bucket skid steer tool. Its primary functions include scooping, lifting, and transporting materials. You can use it to remove piles of rocks, bring in fresh footing, or redistribute sand and soil to fill low spots.

The flat cutting edge allows you to scrape the surface cleanly, making it effective for leveling areas and creating a uniform riding plane after you remove the intrusive rocks. For more insight into these functions, let’s explore them further:

Gather and Transport Piles of Rocks

After using a rock rake or manually picking smaller stones, you’ll be left with piles of rocks around the arena. A smooth bucket makes quick work of collecting these piles. You can scoop them up and transport them to a disposal area in a single pass. This saves a considerable amount of time compared to using a wheelbarrow and shovel.

Add and Spread New Footing

Every arena eventually needs new footing material to replenish what is lost over time. A smooth bucket is the perfect skid steer attachment for this job. You can load it with sand, wood chips, or your preferred footing blend and haul it directly into the arena. Once there, you can dump the material in piles and use the bottom of the bucket to spread it evenly across the surface. This controlled application helps you achieve your desired depth for your horses.

Level Uneven Surfaces and Low Spots

Riding and dragging an arena can cause footing to accumulate in corners and along the rails, leaving low spots in the centerline or barrel patterns. You can use a smooth bucket to correct this. By scraping material from the high spots and depositing it into the low ones, you can re-level the entire surface.

Dig Out Embedded Stones With a Stump Bucket

A stump bucket supports high-power digging, and it offers unique advantages for arena maintenance. While its primary purpose involves removing tree stumps and roots, the sharp, serrated teeth and narrow profile make it great for unearthing deeply embedded rocks.

Dislodge Stubborn, Buried Rocks

Some rocks just refuse to budge. They may be part of the foundation beneath the arena or have settled deep into the compacted base over years of use. A smooth bucket might scrape over the top of them. The stump bucket, however, allows you to dig down around the rock and use its powerful prying action to pop it out of the ground. For instance, if a rock constantly reappears after you drag the arena, you can use the stump bucket to excavate it once and for all.

Break Up Compacted Soil

In some cases, the problem isn’t exclusive to rocks. Compacted ground around rocks can also become an issue. Fortunately, the serrated edges of a stump bucket can break up this material. You can use the attachment to rip through the hardpan soil, loosen it up, and remove it or blend it with softer footing. This process eliminates bone-jarring hard spots and improves the consistency of your arena.

Get the Right Tools for Your Arena

Keep your horse arena safe and rock-free with skid steer attachments from Tomahawk Attachments. Choose tools designed to handle tough jobs, such as brush grapples and smooth buckets. Visit our store today!