From: Andie
Dear Jessica, I hope you can help me with this question. I plan to build my indoor arena next summer and I am planning everything in advance including footing. Most of the arenas I have ridden in have sand and sawdust mix for footing, and some have just sand. Can you tell me what the advantage or disadvantage of this would be? Or, would bark footing be better? I have never seen this but I have read about it. Also, how deep should the footing be? I have ridden in some arenas with hardly any footing at all, just a few inches, and it seemed like that would be hard on the horses because of the concussion. What do you think about getting extra deep footing, maybe half a foot or more? I thought that if I put in very deep sand, then when it packed down or shifted around the footing would still be deep enough to be a cushion. My instructor says that it's better to have not enough footing than too deep footing. Is this true, and if it is, why? Don't horses like to have a soft surface to work on?
I'm sorry that my question turned into so many questions but I really need to know. I've been waiting a long time to have an arena and I don't want to make a mistake.
Thank you in advance.
Andie
Hi Andie! You're right to be concerned; this is an important subject. Sand and sawdust together can be good footing, better than sand alone, but those are just the top layer. What will make (or break) your arena is the layers underneath that. The top layer, though, can help or damage your horse...
The USDF booklet "Under Foot: The USDF Guide to Dressage Arena Construction, Maintenance and Repair" is a great source of information on arena construction.
USDFIt's also quite inexpensive. Before you put your footing material into the arena, be sure that the arena has been leveled, packed with suitable material (medium stones, small stones, rock dust, and/or whatever is appropriate for your area), and that it's been leveled again afterward. Otherwise, you'll end up with an arena that LOOKS level but has some areas with shallow and some with deep footing, and that won't be at all good for your horse's soundness. You'll need different construction if your land is mostly clay, for instance, so be sure to use what's suitable for YOU, not what someone else used successfully somewhere else on different soil.
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Don't use very deep sand, if you want to keep your horse sound. Start with two and a half inches, no more.
What do you want from your footing? Two things, really: Traction, and some cushioning and protection for your horse's legs.
Concussion IS a problem, but at least you're aware of what's going on when you ride in an arena that doesn't have very deep footing. You'll notice the concussion and ride accordingly, and take care of your horse.
In an arena with too MUCH footing -- which is usually any amount over 4 inches -- your horse will be working very hard to keep balanced over its feet, and may have problems with some lateral work, and on turns. It will also be working hard just to travel in the arena! Deep footing isn't cushiony -- think of walking on the beach barefoot, and consider how much harder it is to walk in deep, soft sand than on the hard, damp sand by the edge of the water. It's just as hard for your horse.
When you walk in deep, soft, dry sand, your legs become tired. When your horse works in that kind of footing, his legs become tired, and when his muscles are tired, they are less able to protect his bones from concussion.
So your horse's bones may experience more and worse concussion in DEEP footing than in shallow footing -- that's something to think about!
For your horse's health, build the best-draining, most level arena you can build, and top it off with a few inches of good footing. Sometimes, more is better. In the case of arena footing, more is NOT better -- more is worse.
If you want to pile something half a foot deep or deeper, make it the bedding in your horse's stall, the next time he has to spend the night in a stall. ;-)
Jessica
P.S. One of the best surfaces I've ever ridden on was a mixture of rubber and sand... I'm thinking of using it to surface my own arena, and I'll write about it when and if I do that, so you'll all know how it works out!
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