What is the best base for a horse arena?

What is the best material for a horse arena footing?

The top layer of footing in a riding arena can be a mixture of sand, soil, rubber, textiles, shredded wood, or synthetic materials. There are so many choices that it’s easy to make a wrong decision, even after doing some research.

What is a horse’s base made of?

Without a solid base, horses will not have the support they need to avoid injury. The Subsurface: This layer is usually made of or mixed with sand or some type of manufactured material. Oftentimes, the subsurface is just an extension of the top dressing.

What kind of sand do I need for a riding arena?

Certain specifications of sand are required for good footing material. Riding arena surfaces should contain cleaned and screened, medium to coarse, hard, sharp sand. Fine sand will break down more readily into small enough particles to be lofted as dust.

What is the best material for an arena footing?

Sand: Sand footing is probably the most common and diverse of these materials. Most arenas are going to have some sand included in their footing composition. For sand-heavy arenas, intense maintenance and watering is required. It is also important to consider that there are different types of sand.

Why choose our premium arena horse footing products?

Our Premium Arena Horse Footing Products. Premier footing products combined with new or existing sand can improve your surface tremendously. A unique formula of nylon and polyester fibers used to stabilize a wide variety of sands by trapping loose, rolling particles. As an added benefit, the nylon fibers hold moisture in your arena surface.

What are the most important parts of building a horse arena?

The most important pieces include your base, understanding your sand, incorporating the right footing product, and maintenance. As the top horse arena construction supplier our premier footing specialists will walk you through the steps to improve an existing surface or build new.

What is the hoof wall made of on a horse?

The hoof wall is made of layered keratin and provides a protective layer in order to safeguard the inner structures of the hoof. The layered keratin is important as it helps the hoof from cracking irreparably, which could compromise the internal structures and result in detrimental lameness to the horse.

What kind of sand do you use for horse hooves?

Conversely, sand, stonedust, and other sharply angular, aggregate materials can be abrasive to the hoof wall. Is the common ingredient in many arena surfaces and ranges from fine sand at 0.05 mm diameter to coarse sand at 2.00 mm diameter.

What size sand do you use for horse arena?

Particle Size The size of your sand particles will depend on what type of horse riding is happening at your arena and where it is. You may choose to use fine sand, where each particle is about 0.05 mm in diameter. On the other hand, you can use coarse sand where each particle can have a diameter as large as 2.0 mm.

What is the best material for horse arena footing?

Angular sand provides better stability than rounded sand particles, which behave similar to millions of ball bearings underfoot. Sand is often one of the cheapest materials to use for arena footing material, yet the hard, angular, washed sand that is most suitable as a riding surface is among the most expensive sands.

How much sand do you put on a horse stall?

Be careful to apply the proper depth of sand. With its deep, loose traction, sand deeper than 6 inches is stressful to horse tendons. Start with about 2 inches and add a ½ inch at a time as necessary. (Start with only 1½ inches for arenas used primarily for driving horses.)

How much footing does my horse arena need?

Calculating how much footing your horse arena needs will depend on whether you want a sand-only arena or an arena with sand and a footing product. Factors such as your riding discipline, regional climate, and the amount of traffic in your arena are also important to consider.

What is the best sand for horse arena footing?

Unlike ‘river sand’ that has rounded particles, the sand you want for your horse arena footing will be durable (silica/quartz last a very, very long time) and angular for better traction. The particle size distribution of the sand plays an important role in the selection of the right horse arena sand.

Why is the base of a horse arena so expensive?

The base is an expensive part of the arena construction and costly to repair if it is accidentally dredged up into the footing material. Heavier harrows benefit from a three- point tractor hitch arrangement to raise and lower the device for entry and exit from the arena.

Why choose premier equestrian for your horse arena?

Premier Equestrian will create a custom blend of material for your riding arena needs, discipline, and traffic. The base and sub-base materials provide drainage and create a consistent, solid foundation for your footing layer. Premier Equestrian offers four footing base construction techniques, depending on your needs and budget.

What is the best footing for a horse arena?

The best footing for your horse arena will be a product that provides the correct amount of firmness, cushion, rebound, and grip for your discipline. Textiles and fibers stabilize sand and help retain water.

What are the raw materials used to build an arena?

The raw ingredients for any arena — be they clay, shingle, sand, or limestone — vary from district to district. Lime from one quarry that performs superbly in one arena construction may have different qualities to that taken from a quarry 30km down the road.

What is the most important part of building an arena?

The base is unquestionably the most important aspect of an arena build. If it isn’t constructed properly, the arena surface will never perform as intended and pooling water and soft spots will result.

What is a horse’s hoof made of?

The hoof wall is made of a tough material called keratin that has a low moisture content (approximately 25% water), making it very hard and rough. The wall has three layers: the outer periople, a middle layer, and an inner layer.

What is a groove in a horse’s hoof?

This is the groove that runs along either side of the frog. The outer wall of the groove is made up of the wall of the bar and sole and the wall on the other side comprises the wall of the frog. One of the most important, but often neglected structures of the horse’s hoof. It should be wide and substantial and made up of thick, leathery material.

What kind of sand do you use for hooves?

The yard is roughly half concrete, half river pebble which has been great for hooves and ok for picking up droppings. Good to know that your sharp sand was a success Ruthp. As far as I know sharp sand is defined by its particle size/shape being angular and free draining while soft sand has rounded particles and tends to hold water.

Can I use hoof black to sand my horse’s feet?

Some breeds are not allowed to use hoof black for certain events. It is important that before you start the actual sanding process, all excess dirt and grime be scrubbed from the feet. First you will need to spray all of the excess dirt off of your horses feet with your spray nozzle.

Is sand bad for horse hooves?

Sand may have a drying effect on horse hooves with more hoof wall cracks and splits. This mix is known by many names depending on the region of the country. It has been called limestone dust, washed sand, quarry waste, and stone dust just to name a few.

How important is the sand depth in a horse arena?

All of these considerations are important in the planning process, but one of the most important, yet often under considered factors, is the horse arena sand depth. We know that this process can be difficult. We also know that maintaining the correct footing depth is essential for ensuring your horse’s comfort and health.

What type of sand is used in a horse arena?

Is the common ingredient in many arena surfaces and ranges from fine sand at 0.05 mm diameter to coarse sand at 2.00 mm diameter. Sand alone may be used but it is often combined with other particle sizes or other materials.

What kind of sand do you use for a horse arena?

When choosing the footing for your arena, use a form of sub-angular sand, such as masonry sand, rather than concrete sand. Then add fiber or felt to the sand.