Archive for October, 2012

Horse Stalls Can “Go Green” Too!

October 26, 2012

Horse Stalls Going GreenThe popularity of “going green” has been ingrained into our everyday lives. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn you can make environmentally-friendly choices when it comes to your horse’s bedding, too. Just follow the three R’s: Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

Reduce: Stalls bedded with wood shavings, straw, sawdust and shredded newspapers absorb a lot of moisture. These materials need to be constantly changed and disposed of to ensure dryness. Reducing the amount of bedding you use reduces the amount going into your local landfill.

Recycle:  Although you shouldn’t “recycle” bedding for obvious hygienic reasons consider using bedding materials that are themselves recycled, such as newspaper or sawdust. And consider the actual stall comfort product that contains recycled shoe soles or tire rubber, even recycled memory foam!

Reuse:  Choose mattresses designed to last horse after horse, year after year. Unsure about the lifespan of your mattress? Ask about the warranty!

Going green is easier with SuperStall®, a foam mattress manufactured by IGK Equestrian. This bedding option reduces wasted materials, eliminates potential hygienic problems caused by “recycled” bedding, and lastly ensures durability and comfort for years to come.

“How do you practice “going green” when it comes to bedding?

Posted in Bedding, IGK Equestrian, Memory Foam, Shavings, Stall Hygiene, Stall mats, SuperStall | 3 Comments »

The Link Between Sand Footing and Lameness

October 10, 2012

Sand Footing and LamenessNeed another reason to avoid sand arena footing? How about lameness?

A recent study by the University of Glasgow showed the type of arena footing can be a risk factor for lameness in dressage horses. Researchers surveyed registered members of British Dressage to investigate relationships between surface footing characteristics and the likelihood of lameness. They found that woodchips were strongly associated with slipping and sand with tripping. The least problematic surfaces were those that were wax coated and those that were a combination of sand and rubber.

In a recent article on this study, The Horse suggested one explanation for the results is the unevenness of sand and woodchip surfaces, in both wet and dry conditions.

Horses are more likely to trip on coarse sand because it is easier to lose balance and they are nearly 13 times more likely to slip on woodchips than any other surface, according to the article.

To minimize slipping, tripping and lameness, be sure to train on a wax-coated footing surface like TruStride® or LiteStride® by IGK Equestrian. In addition to providing a stable, flexible and resilient riding surface, both footings eliminate dust and the need to water—yet another advantage over sand arenas.

How do you reduce trips and slips in ­your arena?

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Posted in Arena footing, IGK Equestrian, Lameness, LiteStride, Sand arena, TruStride | 2 Comments »