East-West Arena Construction Blog

Dressage is a discipline of subtle movements and beauty. A dressage arena should reflect the standards stable owners hold for themselves and for their riders. Equine professionals strive to maintain an arena that looks as professional as the way they ride. Here is how they do it.

There are few factors as important to arena performance as the footing your horse performs on. If the surface is something like concrete or hard-packed clay then that will lead to unnecessary impacts on the horse's legs and joints. Just like when people run or walk on a hard-packed surface all day, this impact can quickly lead to muscle pain at best, and joint damage at worst. On the other hand footing that's too soft, like deep sand or loose soil, will lead to a loss of traction. That means the horse will have to work extra hard to get traction, and that could lead to faster exhaustion, a loss of performance, and an increased heart rate.

With summertime upon us, it's time to consider Horse Comfortable Temperature and when rising temperatures could make riding dangerous for you and your horse.

Every equestrian's goals are different. Maybe you want to trail ride, breed the next Triple Crown winner, ride for pleasure, or compete locally or even internationally. At some point during your riding career, you may ask yourself: Is My Horse Show Worthy?

Different horse sports ask horses to perform very different movements. For example, the sudden sharp movements of a cutting horse are very different from the controlled dance of a dressage horse. Not surprisingly, these different movements place different stresses on the horse's body. Arena footing that is ideal for one horse sport may not be suitable for another sport. 

An indoor horse arena has a lot of needs to meet. Is the arena large enough for a variety of events, or is it sized specifically for smaller shows? Is there adequate seating for spectators, and will there be enough space for horses and trainers on the premises? Will it be used year round, or simply during seasonal events?

Every horse-crazy schoolgirl can tell you about some of the world's most famous horses:  the Godolphin Arabian, General Lee's Traveller, Misty of Chincoteague, Man o' War, Alexander the Great's Bucephalus, Secretariat, Napoleon's Marengo.  If you're not a horse-crazy schoolgirl, how many of these famous horses do you know?

Routine horse hygiene procedures are essential to proper horse management. Good hygiene helps minimize the spread of disease and infection. Keeping yards, stables, and equipment clean are vital to maintaining the health of your horses.

Drinking enough water is important for both people and horses alike, especially in the heat of the summer months. Just like their humans, though, horses often get dehydrated. Here are some handy tips to make sure your equine charges are getting the proper amount of water.

If you are a horse enthusiast traveling with your horses can be a common occurrence. Horse transportation isn't a simple thing, there are many things to conside. You could be ferrying your horse to a horse show or to a competition, or you can simply be taking the horse to the vet or farrier. If you want to carry your horse within reasonably short distances, a large bumper (ie., tagalong or pull) trailer or a gooseneck trailer are what most people recommend.