The Basics of Good Arena Footing

The ideal footing needs to:

• Have traction
• Have no dust
• Have cushioning
• Deter injuries
• Boost performance
• Provide stability
• Provide rebound energy (the responsiveness and resiliency of the footing surface to return it its original form by returning energy back to the horse)

Factors that make footing poor quality include:

• Too deep
• Too hard
• Too uneven
• Too loose
• Too dusty
• Non-draining
• Slippery

There are three primary layers to arenas: the top footing, the sub-surface, and the base.

Sand is the most popular surface used across the world, both with and without synthetic fibers added. Others include wood chips/sawdust, rubber chips, grass, and dirt. The sub-surface has many options: a drainage layer, grid-mats, compacted stone, sand, or another manufactured material. Most bases are made out of clay, stone dust, and the natural native soil of the property.

What the arena is made of, how much traffic goes through it, precipitation and temperature all play a part in keeping an arena safe.

Different arenas have different requirements to keep them in peak performance, but most require the following:

• Watering regularly
• Regular dragging and grooming
• Removal of manure, urine and other organic material
• Adding new sand
• Raking upkeep
• Picking out weeds, rocks and other debris

Sand and Fiber Footing

Cynthia Brewster Keating is the national director of sales and marketing director for GGT-Footing. For more than 25 years, Polysols, the parent company of GGT-Footing, has been producing innovative equestrian footing products for riding arenas.

“The arena footing products are repurposed remnant virgin material that’s used to make various fibers and textile blends,” says Keating. “The focus is on developing the best combination of synthetic chopped non-woven material and combining it with the highest-quality sands from quarries across the county.

“The different disciplines require a different amount of tightness in the sand,” she adds. “The pleasure blend has minimal fiber and is designed to keep the sand fluffy. The dressage blend has 15 percent fiber and is designed to provide variations according to how it is groomed and maintained. The jumper blend has 30 percent fiber, designed to offer concussion, relief, and stability as well as rebound energy.”

Keating has found that the quality of the sand is not as good as it used to be in the United States due to amount of fracking and the oil industry.

“Because of this, we have found that it’s important to use more fiber, regardless of what your discipline is,” says Keating. “Ninety percent of our sales are blend. We use our competition blend at high-end horse shows, which is 50 percent geotextile and 50 percent fiber. [These shows] require the most support and concussion relief, especially in the Grand Prix dressage and jumper arenas.

“Nowadays, it’s recommended that you hire a consultant that can test the sand that you are thinking of using,” she adds. “Many professional arena builders are now using mixtures of variable grades of sand to achieve the best results.”

Keating says anyone building arenas should assess the level of riding and how many horses go through their arena each day.

“Across the country, there are a varying products available for base, so it’s best to work with a contractor who is familiar with your specific property and ground,” she says.

A Vet’s View

Poor footing can be a big contributor to lameness, according to Rob van Wessum, DVM, M.S., who practices at Equine All-Sports Medicine Center in Mason, Mich. He’s also a Grand Prix dressage rider who holds a diplomate from the American College of Equine Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR).

He says that close to 50 percent of his case load of lame horses is due to improper footing and improper training techniques in inadequate footing. He mostly sees tendon or ligament injuries related to both these factors.

“In deep footing with lack of stability, the horse moves the footing material too much, which means less rebound of ground-reaction forces into the horse, causing tendon injuries, especially suspensory ligament injuries,” says van Wessum. “The horse loses energy with every stride, moving footing instead of himself. That puts a lot of strain on muscles to deliver more energy. A horse is built for rebound energy stored in tendons, so a lot of kinetic energy is stored as elastic energy during the air phase and then used in the next stance phase. With deep footing, there is far less rebound energy.

“When muscles get fatigued due to excess work in deep footing for too long in the same kind of work, a horse can’t stabilize his core anymore, which will cause damage to the connective tissue as result,” he continues. “Connective tissue is often ligament, fascia or tendon. You can find it in the limbs but also in the back, neck, and pelvis region. Damage to all those regions is diagnosed daily in our practice.”

Consequences of Poor Arena Footing

Footing that is so deep the coronary band disappears is one of the most common kinds of bad footing.

“The opposite of too deep is too hard, which can damage to the bone structures due to concussive forces,” says van Wessum.

He explains that footing that has too much grip, like when too much fiber is added, can cause damage to the collateral ligaments of the coffin, pastern, and fetlock joint. This is due to rotational forces when riding in small circles, lateral gaits, or landing and turning after jumps—any time the foot gets stuck on the footing while the upper part of the limb turns. He also sees this with too-deep footing when it is muddy or clay-like and sucks the hooves in.

“Footing that is too slippery due to rain or over-watering causes many injuries, such as ligament and tendon injuries in the lower limb, but also spinal ligament injuries in the neck, back and pelvis,” says van Wessum.

One of the worst kinds of footings van Wessum sees is when the same arena has different areas within it, like harder, softer and then deeper areas.

“When the quality of the footing suddenly changes, a misstep and strain or distortion of joint or ligament is the result,” he says.

Van Wessum stresses that there is no general rule for quality footing materials.

“It depends on what the arena is used for, where it’s located geographically, the traffic through the arena (one or two horses a day versus 60), and the quality of the maintenance,” he explains.

The Best Prevention

What are the best steps a rider can take to protect their horse? Incorporate proper training and exercise to adapt to the quality of footing, according to van Wessum.

“When the footing is deeper, shorter bouts of more intense work, alternating with walking, helps the horse recover and avoid fatigue,” he says. “Proper shoeing and timely reshoeing so the angles don’t change too much is extremely important.”

Van Wessum does not see any advantage to boots or leg protection when it comes to preventing injury due to bad footing.

His client horses receive regular soundness exams (approximately every six months) to monitor any small changes in performance and sensitivity of tendons and ligaments before they become a bigger issue.

“We saw horses from the same facility showing tenderness in the suspensory ligament,” says van Wessum. “After looking at the footing, we could see that it was getting too deep because of less watering in dry times.”

It’s smart to take a walk in any new footing with your horse before riding, exercising or competing. Pay attention to the depth, consistency and condition of the arena.

What’s under your horse’s feet will affect his overall soundness, confidence and performance. Knowing how horses react to different surfaces will help you determine the best type of footing to ride in.

With patience and proper training, you can help your horse travel on many surfaces safely and without injury.

This article about arena footing appeared in the September 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Arena Footing 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The job of the base is to make a level surface to support the footing above. If the base is properly installed, there will never be low spots, deep spots or areas that collect water in your arena. The ideal footing helps cushion your horse’s every stride by allowing his hooves to slide just a little bit as he sets them down and provides a firm surface for his hooves to dig into as he pushes off. Leaving your ground as is will never provide these benefits, so as a result your horse’s performance will suffer because he won’t be able to trust the footing, and he will remember, perhaps spook, at uneven spots. Without proper drainage, you may also find your home riding arena under water and unusable most of the time.

Robert Malmgren, author of The Equine Arena Handbook: Developing a User-Friendly Facility, is considered the foremost authority on horse arenas. He says creating a riding arena at home on your own is very hard if not impossible because you need several players to help you avoid pitfalls.

“Making an arena seems like a lot of complications, but you’ll avoid mistakes if you plan right and employ the right people,” explains Malmgren, who is from Colorado Springs, Colo. “Mistakes are very costly to correct after the arena is installed.”

Proper Planning Prevents Problems

Before you put a shovel in the ground, sit down and get organized. Think about where you want to put the horse riding arena at home. Right next to the barn may seem convenient, but if that area collects water, think again. Drainage is an issue in every arena, so you’ll want to avoid land that’s a perpetual pond, if possible.

“As we get into global warming and climate change, we are going to have some extremes in moisture,” Malmgren adds. “This year in Colorado we’ve had some very extreme rains with a long duration of storms. That kind of rain would inundate an arena with drainage problems.”

Next, you need to determine the soil type in the site. Malmgren says to seek free assistance through people at your local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Services.

“They are the government’s soil people for the entire country,” he says. “Every county should have an office. Go in and tell them what you’re building and ask about what kind of soil you have. They usually have the information at hand, and can tell you whether it’s possible to create an arena in that area. They also provide good information, such as the percentage of sand, silt, clay and gravel in your soil. They will often come out to your site.”

Make sure to have a plat map of your property with you so the NRCS officials can pinpoint the location. They might not be familiar with the arena characteristics you require, so tell them what you need to know: type of soil, three feet in depth. Also, ask if the soil is high in clay, which is important regarding water absorption and base stability.

The next step is to obtain a permit. Getting a permit for a home riding arena might sound like overkill, but most counties require at least a grading permit if a certain amount of land is disturbed. You may also need an erosion and sediment control permit. You may not think you are disturbing that much land, but you will disturb twice as much earth as the size of your horse arena.

Even if you don’t think you need a permit, double check with your local government about its building inspection procedures because rules do change. If you begin building before proper approvals or inspections take place, your local government’s building inspection department has the right to stop the construction until proper permits and procedures are met. Sometimes this includes paying fines and penalties.

You’ll need to get yet another expert on your side—a soil consultant. Soil consultants are engineers who understand all the ins and outs of working with soil. They are the ones called in to advise facilities such as baseball fields, golf courses and parking lots. Look for a soil consultant under listings for engineering consultants.

The NRCS office may also recommend someone in your area. “A soil consultant is important because you’ll be moving soil and he’ll know how to help you do that correctly,” Malmgren says. “He can look at the NRCS’s information and tell you what you need to do to make the arena work for your situation.”

Starting at the Bottom: The Base

The base is important for a successful horse riding arena. Bottom line: You will never have a good arena without an adequate base. Your soil consultant will help determine your base requirements and if the soil will form a stable base. The base should be about six inches below the surface, if it’s a stable base. “If it isn’t stable, you might have to bring in some crushed stone to create a firm base,” Malmgren says. “You want the base to be firm because it will create a level surface for the footing above. The stone will have to be rolled when installed to create maximum hardness and evenness, and so it stays in place.”

Your topsoil might make a good base and you can put your footing right on top of it, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. Soil situations are different for everyone. It can even be vastly different within the same locale. One neighbor might have clay soil while another has sand.

Some areas of the country are subject to “frost heave” where the ground expands in the winter, causing rocks to come up to the surface. In the spring you’ll find rocks on the surface, and you’ll have to pick them up every year. The soil consultant will tell you if frost heave might occur in your area. If you have frost heave, extra heavy rolling at the time of construction will help keep your base in place. The NRCS may also give you this information at no charge.

Creating a Drain for a Riding Arena

Anyone who has had training interrupted because of a flooded arena knows how frustrating it is. Sinking money into a horse arena that sits underwater part of the year is a waste. Your soil consultant can help you avoid drainage issues.

He or she will first determine what your soil is like from the surface down to three feet deep. So perhaps you’ll have three feet of pure clay or maybe six inches of loam and then six inches of sand, followed by gravel.

“This is important to understand because you need to know how your soil handles water,” Malmgren says. “For instance, a gravel layer is going to hold some water where clay will not. If you have heavy rains, you’ll know how much water you’re going to be able to store before you have problems. And then during construction, you’ll know how to work with that.”

If your soil doesn’t drain well, don’t give up on your dream arena. There are ways you can limit flooding. You can install a French drain, which carries water away from the arena. There are several ways to create this type of drain for each area of the country. The NRCS and your consultant can help with water drainage issues.

You can also crown the arena, so that water drains off it. Or you can raise the whole arena above ground level.

What’s Underfoot in a Riding Arena?

Many types of footing additives are on the market, from shredded felt to crumb rubber to poly microfibers, but most footing “recipes” begin with sand. And any old sand won’t do. You want sand that will bind and hold together.

Sand comes in a variety of shapes; some is sharp and angular, and some is rounded. Sand performs in different ways depending upon its characteristics. It can be slippery if it’s round, like tiny ball bearings. The round grain will act like beach sand and be unsteady underfoot. It will be difficult to move through it, particularly if it’s dry.

Sharp sand binds together to hold better, which is the preferred footing for arenas. “Look at your sand grains with a hand magnifying glass if you want to get down to details, so you know what you’re getting,” Malmgren says.

Finding quality sand can be a challenge. If you have neighbors who have an arena, ask them if they are happy with their sand and where they got it. If your neighbor has a good riding arena and soil similar to yours, then you know that type of sand at your home will work for you. Also, ask how many inches your neighbor used. Footing depth ranges from two to six inches, depending upon your land situation and discipline. (For example, dressage riders generally prefer a shallower footing while reiners like deeper footing.) However, always use less footing than you think you will need. It’s easier to add more than to remove.

Sand by itself works well, but you need to be careful when watering. Too much water can flood the arena, making it unworkable for a long time. Wet sand is harder than dry sand, but very dry sand can be inefficient and create a dust problem.

Footing additives can help to improve cushion and improve traction. They also clump sand together better and prevent compaction. Some may help prevent freezing and cut down on trenching along the walls of the arena. Additives also create footing that requires less harrowing and watering. When choosing any additive, make sure that it’s manufactured for riding arenas.

Sometimes people use arenas as dumping grounds for horse manure and shavings. Although it can hold water well, manure creates a health issue for both humans and horses. The shavings also break down quickly and create a slippery surface.

Most arenas with heavy use will have a rut with half of the footing falling out of the arena. Pulling the footing back in the arena is a killer, Malmgren says. “Boards installed around the arena will solve the problem,” he advises.

“Untreated, unpainted lumber is best. I don’t like using any chemicals in an arena. If horses are turned out, they can gnaw on the boards. The height of the board depends upon the nature of your footing. If it’s a lot of footing, you’ll need bigger boards. It’s best to use higher boards because you may need to add more footing later on.”

Grass (turf) arenas are suitable under the right circumstances, depending on your annual rainfall and the type of grass. “Bunch grass doesn’t make good footing because soil is in between the plants, creating an uneven surface,” Malmgren says.

Key Takeaways

In this article, you’ve learned about building a horse arena and the DIY aspects of creating a home arena, including proper planning, the importance of the base and footing, drainage solutions, footing materials, maintenance, and grass arenas.

Read on for tips on arena maintenance so that you’re prepared to maintain your home riding arena.

This article about building a home riding arena originally appeared in the September 2007 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post How to Build a Riding Arena at Home appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.