East-West Arena Construction Blog

Indoor arenas offer a covered riding area during the worst weather, but they can also become dusty health hazards. Dust, created by airborne particles of sand, pulverized wood chips and dried manure can make both humans and horses cough and wheeze by the time their training session is over. Dust isn't just an annoyance; it's a health hazard.

To blanket or not to blanket...that is the question many horse owners ask themselves as the days grow colder. 

Horses in the wild have many natural abilities to help them keep warm during harsh winter weather. Wild horses grow thick coats for warmth, and instinctively seek shelter from wind, snow, ice and cold rain.  If given plenty of hay, fresh water, and allowed to grow their own natural winter coat, many horses can spend the winter outdoors without a fancy turnout rug or blanket.

Choosing sand for your riding arena footing is an important step that goes beyond aesthetics. Riding arena footing must provide the proper stability, support and cushioning for the equine athletes traversing it daily, while at the same time, providing adequate drainage to prevent the arena from turning into a muddy swamp. Sand, a time-tested footing, offers both traction and drainage for a riding arena. When mixed with fiber-based footing materials such as GGT, it offers the best combination for durable, effective footing.

Dragging a horse arena is imperative to ensuring that your horses remain sound. The proper techniques for dragging a ring will depend on a few factors: type of footing, arena size, watering conditions, and type of work completed in the arena (i.e. jumping, flatwork, or a combination). As important as the latter factors are, the first step in properly dragging a ring is to establish the correct pattern. Once you have mastered the below patterns, you will be well on your way to having a perfectly groomed riding arena.

A number of factors come into play when planning an arena surface, including material availability, budget and arena use. The basic need is for an arena surface that is cushioned to reduce harm to horse legs, yet at the same time, the floor needs to be firm enough to allow for traction and reduce chances of unintended sliding. 

Because riding arena surfaces are frequently watered down to help control dust and provide a compact flooring surface, arena environments are typically humid. This humid environment brings with it a number of risks to both human and horse health.

Whether you have an indoor or an outdoor arena, proper maintenance ensures that the footing in your arena remains flexible and ready to absorb the impact of horses' hooves during training or events. Maintenance also keeps flies down by removing manure, and keeps dust to a minimum. Depending on whether you have an indoor or an outdoor arena, and the amount of traffic it receives, you may need to perform these tasks weekly or monthly.

If you're considering building or improving an existing jumping arena, it's important to choose high-quality footing that provides both traction and impact resistance.  The sport of show jumping poses several challenges for athletes. Good footing for jumping arenas must take into account the bio-mechanics of the sport yet provide a surface that's easy to groom and maintain, especially in professional arenas and training facilities that see plenty of use. Fortunately, newer products on the market offer horses and riders greater comfort while offering farm and facilities managers less work.