Footing the Riding Arena

Time was people dumped sand or hog fuel in a contained area spread it out and an arena was made. Today the rollout arena is long gone. Riding arenas are now construction projects based on sound engineering stateoftheart materials set down in critical layers and building protocols all with the horses safety and soundness uppermost in mind.
Years ago the options for footing were limited in what was available on the marketplace says Cynthia BrewsterKeating with GGT Footing the equestrian division of Polysols Inc. These included stone dust which is very abrasive to the hoof and wood chips which are dusty and do not last very long. She adds that over time more clients have become educated on using additives that last longer and support the horse on the sand better than previous products. 

Today riding disciplines are extremely diverse from hunterjumper dressage and gymkhana games to reining cutting roping barrel racing and team penning as well as equitation and horsemanship. To say we are disciplinecentric is an understatement. Yet in so many barns and riding facilities arenas are expected to provide optimum conditions for grip cushioning and safety for the horse and rider regardless of the relentless daytoday use not to mention weekend schooling shows and clinics. Add to that the assault that arenas receive from extreme weather and a changing climate rain snow ice heat and drought and it is no wonder that surfaces are constantly under threat of breakdown. Getting ahead of the curve comes down to understanding how the surface changes with use and how maintenance is critical to mitigating all the stresses placed upon it.
Arena surfaces are a major investment and it is crucial to understand how the surface properties will affect the horse says Carolyne Tranquille equine orthopaedic research assistant with Animal Health Trust Newmarket Suffolk UK. Different materials can provide similar surface properties firmness grip cushioning and responsiveness and it is essential to understand how surface properties can change with use and maintenance. With this knowledge the properties of a surface of a given arena can be customized with different maintenance techniques to meet the varying expectations of the different disciplines. For example a surface used for dressage needs to be stable a surface used for jumping needs to be stable for the takeoff but needs to allow the hoof to slide on landing and for Western reining the surface needs to allow a