The horse arena does not stay in good condition without proper maintenance. Proper maintenance on the horse riding area is the best thing you can do for your horses. Arena maintenance keeps the surface consistent and level by ensuring adequate drainage, combining sand when necessary, and using arena drag with water tank. Arena maintenance increases the horse’s performance and helps the riders to learn faster.Â
Here are tips on horse arena maintenance.
- Keep additives and sand mixed
Particles can separate from layers due to continuous vibrations and movements. When the particles detach, the top layer becomes unbalanced, and the soft layer may compress. Footing additives have some unique qualities to enhance sand quality, and you should mix them with sand. If you keep them separate, the additives cannot do their job anymore. Regular dragging will combat the separated layers and keep the additives and sand particles well mixed.
- Watering
Water is essential to maintaining a good riding surface. It helps in keeping stabilization and grip, bind materials, and keep dust away. Sand particles mix well when the cover is damp during dragging. Sand arenas do even without additives when you water them. Your watering routine might depend on your watering system, climate, traffic, rainfall/humidity, and indoor/ outdoor.
You can use watering methods such as water tanks in the dragging equipment, garden hose, and sprinkler systems. Regardless of the watering procedure you use, the goal is to add water to the riding surface and keep away dust. The amount of water you add can depend on the environment. An outdoor arena will need less water after rain or in a wet climate. An indoor arena will need constant watering.
Ensure you take your time to modify your watering routine. If you allow your arena to dry too much, it can cause some issues. The main issue is that the fiber might separate from the sand, then you will start to see them on top of the sand instead of being mixed with it. However, you can fix the problem quickly by watering and dragging. If your footing is too wet, you should avoid watering to allow it to dry a bit. If it does not dry appropriately after the rain, you need to investigate it.
Different types of footings will need different quantities of watering. A wood piece or messy arena can be very dusty, especially as particles break down as it ages. It will require more watering than a crushed rock or rubber arena. A Synthetic mixture with sand and additives requires water to keep them joined to reduce dust. Although, it can need less water in the presence of waxing. You should add enough water so that you can press the surface like a ball holding it between your hands and maintain its shape.
- Dragging
Horse arena maintenance requires more than just flattening the surface. Simply leveling the surface is not enough to keep the arena in good condition for a long time. The base will start to wear with continuous use, especially in high traffic areas. If the base layer of the arena is damaged, its top layer will not be in good condition. You should pay regular attention to the base to ensure it is smooth.
Before you begin working on your arena, ensure the drag is correctly attached to the drive unit, such as a tractor, and it is level to it. To confirm that you are reaching the arena’s base, use a ruler to conduct a depth-check. Adjust the drag settings properly when digging to get to the base layer of the horse arena. You should not be concerned a lot about digging the base layer, but your goal should be to slide along the base to ensure it is smooth without destroying its structure.
Evaluate your horse arena numerous times in a year to find out any problems such as low and high spots in the arena and movement of footing around the edges. Conducting depth checks will help you identify irregularities. You can check for depths depending on the riding type of your horses.
 If you ride your horse close to the wall, you should conduct a depth check around that place. Move all arena equipment before you start working on it. Barriers that are constantly used in the same site can compromise the arena footing leveling.Â
- Dragging patterns
Using the same dragging pattern can cause wear and will not solve issues as they come. It is essential to change drag patterns regularly. Drag the arena surface deeply to maintain the level and expand the surface life once per month. You should consider the arena’s initial construction, the base level of the footing, and the top in an outdoor arena to ensure the dragging pattern you choose does not negatively affectÂ
- Oils and waxes
You can add a mineral coating to your horse arena surface to reduce dust and the need for watering. Mineral oils can be messy and can cause the arena footing to stick to vehicles, walls, people, or horses. Oil from plants can be stinking. Applying motor oil can be dangerous to people and horses as they are carcinogenic. It is an outdated method used to remove dust on the horse arena, but it is no longer safe. You should avoid using motors oil to reduce dust in the horse arena.
You can add a polymer coating to your horse arena floor to remove dust and the need for water. You can use wax to maintain the unity between footing components and additives which are sand and fiber. Wax is generally added during the making of synthetic fiber and sand mixtures.
Bottom line
Maintaining your horse arena is vital to extend its lifespan and for the riders and the horses who use the surface. Taking care of the arena surface increases the performance of your horses. Horse arena is a substantial investment; hence by maintaining it, you are also protecting your investment. Watering the arena and dragging help in maintaining your horse arena.
