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Arena Footing Choices

By Helen Peppe
Reprinted with permission - Salt Block Gazette April 2009

Footing is a subject that is close to my heart or should I say, close to my feet. I am a runner and a horse photographer, which means that I chase horses on all types of footing in both indoor and outdoor arenas and on trails and roads. From the ground perspective, I think most photographers will agree when I say it is most unsettling to stand in an outdoor arena trying to get a shot of a horse executing an upper level dressage move or a jump when the footing is poor. When a horse is struggling in the deep sand, tripping in holes, and slipping in a careening tangle of hooves in muddy puddles, staying out of the way, yet being in the way to get the great shots is a dangerous balance. I can’t think of anyone who wants to be run over by a slipping or stumbling horse and I can only think of a few who want the excitement of capturing a fall on fi lm (or disc).

I am one of the photographers who likes to know the horse can stop comfortably without sliding (and not the fancy western kind) or losing the rider so that emergency procedures are required. I also like to be able to run comfortably in these same arenas. Admittedly, I am at more of a disadvantage with just the two legs, but deep arena footing is almost impossible to run in without straining calves and ankles. I highly recommend all horse owners get out of the saddle and walk, jog, and run for thirty minutes without pause the same track they are asking their horses to navigate. This perspective may encourage people to request proper maintenance of arenas at the places they train and board as well as encourage riders to consider compassionate and intelligent footing for their personal rings.

If I am running on an icy road or a muddy rooted trail, I tighten up. My stride shortens, my arms pump closer to my sides, and I feel tension in both my lower back and neck. I am frustrated and, yes, I admit it, if I were a horse, I’d whip my tail in angry circles, buck or I’d raise my head clamping down on the bit and fi ght. The tendons, ligaments, and muscles in my calves ache from tension in these situations, and the next day there is defi nite lameness. I am always evaluating footing, wrapping my ankles and contemplating the weather’s effect on the ground. Horses would be too if they could reason. They rely on their owners and handlers to protect them.

The shallowness of the footing minimizes the strain on tendons and ligaments, yet, if too shallow, maximizes impact. Impact is just as signifi cant a concern. When a horse moves, depending on the chosen gait and speed, joints, tissues, and bones withstand a pounding repetitive stress. Humans wear specially designed sneakers to absorb some of this shock, but horses don’t have as many shoe absorption options from their local farrier. Even with the best shoes and hoof trim money can buy, the repetitive impact is more advantageously addressed with attention to footing. Different disciplines require different depths and types of arena footing to enhance performance, two to fi ve inches, and in some western disciplines, six. That said, footing isn’t only about the hooves and legs. It is also about sinuses and lungs. A horse and rider breathes more air into the lungs during exertion because muscles require oxygen to perform. Getting back to the photographer aspect, after shooting in either an indoor or an outdoor arena, I am blowing dirt out of my nose, and if my exposure is prolonged, my sinuses and lungs ache. The horse’s nose is even closer to the blowing dust, particularly if collected or loping. Excessive dust is unhealthy for both horse and rider and long-term exposure has been linked with silicosis – damage to the lung tissue caused by dust particles. Fumes from recycled tires and chemically treated wood can also carry toxins and carcinogens.

Sand
A quality base is important for drainage in all footing. A mixture of sand and crushed stone is a good choice for a strong foundation that offers drainage. The actual footing will not hold up without a solid base for it to root in. many people have learned this the hard way, having to redo their entire arena at considerable expense. Sand, relatively inexpensive when compared with the alternatives, is one of the most common arena footings, but there is the dust issue, particularly with the less coarse options. Watering the arena can reduce dust signifi cantly, but consistent watering in the dryer regions of the United States is not realistic. More common is sand mixed with topsoil, which stabilizes the footing.

Sand and Additives
Mixing sand with other materials such as dirt, sawdust, stonedust, shredded bark, wood chips, and peat moss helps to increase the cushion without increasing the depth, thereby reducing impact. Fiberglass additives are now known to be impractical for abrasion and carcinogenic issues. Wood products retain moisture and add padding, which helps signifi cantly with dust. Wood also reduces the abrasion of the sand which makes the footing last longer and breakdown slower. Conversely, wood additives are infl exible when they become too dry, which compromises impact value. Avoid wood additives that are toxic to horses such as black walnut or chemically treated wood. Over time, however, all of these additives do eventually wear away depending on use and weather, leaving dusty remains. Watering is imperative especially during the dry months, and regular raking or dragging is essential to fi ll in holes and high traffi c area ruts.

Dirt is a combination of clay and fine sand (silt). Dirt is a traditional and common footing choice still used in many parts of the United States, particularly for western disciplines. This type of footing allows for various ratios of clay and sand, which affect traction. The barrel horse needs to be able to move athletically around barrels and cones without ground shifting under foot. The cutting horse, in contrast, requires some shift. The fi ner the sand particles, the more shift. The coarser the particles, the less shift. Additional clay and silt needs to be added as the footing breaks down through excessive use. When wet, dirt and sand can be compacted for fi rmer traction and raked for cushion.

Rubber
Rubber, which is actually hundreds of pieces of shredded tires also called rubber crumbs, is an effective way to eliminate dust if used alone. Rubber provides more cushion than sand, which benefi ts the horse’s performance. There is an unpleasant odor associated with rubber footing, but it is springy, and it takes a long time to break down. It does shift underfoot if not mixed with sand. Once the sand is added, the dust factor returns. Rubber retains moisture which makes watering the arena more effi cient than watering its pure sand counterpart. Rubber also retains heat. Uncovered outdoor arenas with black rubber footing can be hot for horses to work in on sunny warm days. Environment and Human Health Inc., warns against repeated and long-term exposure to some types of recycled tire rubber dust as it contains carcinogens.

German Geo Textile (GGT)
There are several new types of additives to mix with sand that are popular in the European horse community and are just becoming known here in the United States. Felt and elastic polyester fi bers mixed with sand in different ratios for different disciplines, reduces dust, aids performance by offering traction, stability, and bounce, and it is non-toxic and odor free. GGT offers three different mixtures from soft to optimal impact for jumping. The fi bers retain moisture, reducing water requirements and are great for the dryer states. I spoke to Michaela Alger, a U.S. sales manager for GGT-footing, and she says that one of their customers, Otto Sport, will be installing it for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Michaela, owner of two horses, says, “I love the feeling itgives the horses. They have so much more confi dence and energy.

Horses tense up on deep footing. On GGT-footing they can concentrate on moving forward and give a better performance.” GGT-footing offers several different footing options for dressage arenas, jumping stadiums and racetracks, but the principle is the same. The fi ber creates a rooting system, giving strength, stability, and longevity to the footing. The polyester is indestructible, UV resistant, and the fi bers absorb water that is released slowly as a horse is worked. The felt signifi cantly reduces impact for horses on landing in jumping arenas and is, at the same time springy and fi rm enough for take off. Where, in sand and or dirt arenas, deep footing is needed to reduce impact but this same depth inhibits effortless take off.

Proper arena footing is not something that can be considered as an afterthought. What is on the ground is far more important than the fencing that encloses that ground. Runners always consider the conditions before going out on the roads just as riders should before entering a ring. Traction, stability, give, slippage, impact, cushion are all words to keep in mind to prolong the health of tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles. Injury means time off whether you are a runner or a horse, which is inconvenient and frustrating particularly if you are in training for an event or show. There are many footing materials to choose from and different disciplines call for different materials and depths. The choices improve as the industry learns more about the hazards of dust and fumes to horses and humans and experiments creatively with additives such as felt and synthetic fi bers. Working in all types of footing on and off your horse before you order your own arena footing is a step in the right direction.

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