BEFORE YOU embark on building an arena, it's fairly important to establish whether you need one, whether you can afford one and what permissions you require to have one.

Arenas can, no doubt, be useful, especially if you're schooling your horse many times a week, all year round, and if you're competing.

Realistically, if you really think about how often you might use an arena and when you'd use it, you might find it makes more sense to find a local one to hire. You can box or ride there, pay your hire fee (even split this with a friend to save a few pounds) and, if you do this once a week, you'll be quids in for a good few years to come.

Equally, if you only really school during the summer months, you might find that a well draining flat part of your field can be used for day to day schooling and, again, local arenas hired for more 'serious' work. If you go to local shows, and even affiliated events, you'll see that many of the dressage and showjumping arenas are fenced off pieces of grass-

However, if you want/need an arena and you can afford it, it will add a new dimension to riding at home and, equally, if you look to sell your home/yard/land in the future, there can be no doubt that it is an equestrian property/facility, which could command a higher price tag.

There are lots of things to consider when you're looking to build an arena. Don't rush, do your research and ask advice when you need to-but only consider advice from reputable sources.

Planning permission is a great example of this. The phrase can seem daunting in itself, but seek advice early and work with your local council. Be honest, don't be smart and listen to what they have to say.

There might be certain conditions on the land you own, you might find that positioning the arena in one area is better received that another and so on. Equally, you might be able to get free advice for the company you are using to build your arena as they should, hopefully, be experienced in these cases.

Contractors are another key part of the arena building picture. There are many contractors across the UK who build arenas and it's hard to know which one to choose.

If you know someone who has had an arena built recently (or you've ridden at a venue with an arena you liked) ask them who built it and what they thought of the full service.

Even if they throw up the odd negative comment, don't be put off as you're only getting one side of the story! Speak to a few contractors, get them to come out and submit quotes.

One of the areas that a contractor should be able to advise on is location. This is important, not just from a planning point of view, but it could even save you money.

If you choose an area that is already flat, you could well save money on initial groundwork, but this is something to discuss with your contractor.

Another point that requires serious discussion is drainage. It seems obvious, but having an arena that drains properly is important- cutting corners on drainage isn't the best idea as you'll find that your investment is only usable for a very small proportion of the year.

The type of drainage (or perhaps the extent of it) will depend on many factors including soil type and location, but should take the form of perforated pipes that run underneath the arena and get water away from the surface quickly and efficiently.

Whilst this sounds like an 'easy' step, getting the angles and amount of drainage correct isn't that simple if you're a beginner, but it can make the difference between a great arena and one that is not really usable.

The drainage aspect of arenas has more to it than pipe work, with membranes, stone and other key processes playing essential roles.

With the location and drainage sorted, you can focus your attention on fencing the arena.

Some people don't have standard post and rail surrounding their schooling area, but some form of board will be required to keep the surface contained. If you are installing the fencing yourself, make sure you are installing a suitable type of fencing correctly.

For example, of you're using posts, make sure these are put on the outside of the arena and that the posts are sawn off level with the highest rail.

Last but not least, the surface-and what a choice there is! What you decide on may depend on your contractor's advice, how easy it is to obtain, cost, maintenance and the activity you are planning to do on the arena.

For example, if you jump, you might find that some surfaces reduce concussion; or you might find that other surfaces don't freeze making them ideal for those who ride all year round. Again, this is another area where research pays off.

As for the overall cost, building an arena is not cheap and shouldn't be undertaken lightly. Costs can be reduced by doing some of the work yourself and through other steps like changing the type of surface you have. However, there are aspects where cutting corners is false economy, such as drainage, and, equally, choosing a surface that will biodegrade or one that requires a high level of maintenance can be more expensive in the long run.