Part of remodeling Grandpa's old corrals was making good use of the north pen. He ran sheep and draft horses and this 3/4 acre lot was mainly used for them. Well, it didn't fit into to any of our future plans so we decided to turn it into a riding arena.
One thing about the home place is that it's hilly. The only flat ground around has come from leveling it.
About a year ago we started in. Gerry got in on the dirty work of taking down the old fences and fighting the weeds.
Then we went to moving dirt.
We took off one of the big hills and used that dirt to fill in the low spots. Some dirt had to be hauled in as well.
Eventually we had it all heading the same direction. From last summer until this spring we picked away at building the fence.
Then it was time for sand. For a task such as this, we turned to Jack Kuhbacher who lent us ol' Glory.
My brother Luke had a pile of refined sand from a gravel pit on his place. So we borrowed his feed loader and got to work. It's amazing how using the right equipment for the job makes it go smooth. Usually we move dirt with a farmhand and grain truck, which are hard on both equipment and driver.
It took awhile, but eventually I got decent at spreading the sand.
Then Dad came along and leveled it.
For a final pass we drug around an old tractor tire.
Giddy up.
Mission accomplished.
The amount of work that went into this project has been extraordinary. But it's paid off. Boys love playing in the dirt and now we have a football field sized sandbox to run around in. I'm looking forward to getting Chief out here and teaching him some new tricks. Special thanks to Dad, Gerry, Jack, Luke, and of course Mom, for all your help in bringing this project to completion. Now let's ride!
