Top 4 Signs Your Arena Footing May Need an Amendment

May 7, 2012

The ideal arena footing would be cushioned enough for horse comfort with the right amount of traction while causing minimal dust and hoof abrasion. However, ideal conditions are not attainable without proper maintenance.  Achieving appropriate conditions in your arena may require adding an amendment to improve the riding surface for your horse. Here are some signs to watch for:

4. Too Hard: Arena footing materials can compact over time.  Adding an amendment can provide cushioning necessary for good leg and tendon support.

3. Too Shifty: Footing that suddenly shifts underfoot can rattle even the most seasoned horse and rider.  An amendment can add valuable stability.

2. Poor Recovery Surface: Footing that leaves deep tracks or fails to bounce back after use could probably benefit from an amendment.

1. Horse Refusal: Any or all of the above issues can result in a balky horse.  If your horse is reluctant to enter the ring, it may be time to consider an amendment.

Common arena footing amendments materials include rubber, wood chips, or fiber materials. SoftShoe® is an ideal composition of recycled fibers and rubber that provides superior cushioning and stability which resists packing over time.  It can be easily installed with existing footing or in new arenas.  It is an optimum amendment to help keep your arena footing fresh and your horse happy.

What are some additional signs that your arena may require an amendment?

Posted in Amendment, Arena footing, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, SoftShoe | Leave a Comment »

How to Create a Safe Foaling Stall

April 26, 2012

With foaling season upon us, you may have already started preparing your mares’ stalls for the upcoming birth. Here are some important tips to consider when it comes to creating a proper foaling environment.

  1. Choose the Stall:  You will need to choose a large enough stall that can comfortably house your mare and foal, ideally 12 ft. by 12 ft.  Pick a stall secluded from neighboring horses, but with adequate ventilation and light.
  1. Prep the Stall: Thoroughly inspect the stall for any potential hazards, including large splinters, protruding nails and hooks, abrasive rough spots on walls or floors, or hoof-sized traps in the floor or corners.  Finally, remove any strings, cords, or dangling ropes that could entangle wobbly newborns.
  1. Clean the Stall: Take everything out of the stall and thoroughly clean and disinfect the walls and floors. This includes sweeping and scrubbing the walls with a detergent followed by an approved disinfectant diluted in water. Don’t forget feeding equipment, as those items may harbor bacteria harmful to a newborn foal.  Be sure to rinse well and let the stall air dry completely.
  1. Bed your Stall: After making sure the floor is level, now it is time to properly bed the stall for comfort and safety of both the mare and foal.  A foam mattress like SuperStall provides a safe, cushioned and hygienic surface ideal for the foaling environment. SuperStall comes with a waterproof top cover that allows all waste and bacteria to be remain on the surface and be removed with bedding for easier cleaning.  You should also provide a layer of foal-safe bedding materials, such as straw, wood pellets, or shredded paper, on top of the SuperStall to provide additional comfort and security for the foal.
  1. Maintain your Stall: Finally, be sure to frequently clean and muck out your stall after the birth. Maintain a safe living environment free of sharp edges and hazards and provide adequate light in the stall throughout the night in order to keep a watchful eye over mare and foal.

Have you already started preparing your stall for foaling season?  What other tips would you recommend?

Posted in Bedding, Foal, Foaling season, Horse Comfort, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, SuperStall | 1 Comment »

Cutting Back On Bedding

April 11, 2012

Cutting Back On BeddingStraw, sawdust, wood shavings, shredded paper and rubber mats are just some of the bedding materials horse owners and stable managers use to help horses stay dry and comfortable. Comfort without dryness can breed disease and odor, while dryness without comfort results in an unhappy horse.

The problem with bedding for both dryness and comfort is dealing with excess amounts of bedding, specifically removing and disposing of it,  as well as hauling out the mats, cleaning and re-leveling the stall base, and re-installing the mats.

Using a mat system with a waterproof top cover helps reduce the amount of bedding and odor, while also reducing disposal costs. A wall-to-wall top cover creates a “moisture tray” that allows for waste to be trapped on the stall surface and easily removed with the bedding.  Overall, a waterproof cover can help to reduce the amount of additional bedding materials, labor to muck out the stalls, and disposal costs.

Recycled memory foam mats like SuperStall®, and rubber-filled mattresses like Equisoft® by IGK Equestrian, include a waterproof top cover constructed of tough, woven fabric that can custom sized to fit everything from a standard 12’ x 12’ box stall to a 12’ x 24’ foaling stall. They really help to keep “stall stench” down to a minimum.

One caveat: a customer has brought to my attention that she is reluctant to install SuperStall® because it would ruin her “social life!”  She and her friends make it a point to periodically get together and work on re-leveling their stalls. The women have even designated this time as their ladies “wine night” and actually look forward to completing this task with one another. However, with the addition of SuperStall® there is no re-leveling, and mucking is much less than with other bedding techniques.

What strategies do you use for reducing the amount of bedding in your stalls?

Posted in Bedding, Horse Comfort, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, Stall mats, Stall odor, Top Cover | 4 Comments »

The Top 5 Complaints About Arena Footing

March 15, 2012

Bad arena footingOver the years, Peter and I have heard dozens of reasons why people want to upgrade their arena footing. Here are the top five, each one guaranteed to make your horse look for the fastest way out of the ring.

  • Complaint #5: Too hard. Nothing makes a horse ring-sour faster than training on a highly compacted, unyielding surface that fails to absorb the shock of concussive hoof force. Except, perhaps, a riding surface that’s…
  • Complaint #4: Too deep. How deep is too deep? Generally, anything deeper than three inches has the potential to strain tendons and ligaments or pull a shoe. Exceptions can be made for reining or cutting, where a deeper layer of footing material is desirable.
  • Complaint #3: Too cuppy. A dry, loose surface that breaks away under your horse’s hooves can make him bow a tendon, strain a suspensory or slip a stifle. At the very least, it will make him resent his job. And maybe you.
  • Complaint #2: Too much maintenance. The last thing you want is an arena that requires an hour of maintenance for every hour of riding. We hear this complaint most often with loose materials like sand and stonedust that require frequent dragging and daily watering to keep dust under control. Which naturally leads us to the #1 complaint about arena footing…
  • Comp1aint #1: Too dusty.  Airborne dust can cause eye, nose and respiratory problems (including asthma attacks) in both riders and horses, reduce the amount of available oxygen at the time the horse needs it most, impact visibility, alarm your neighbors and require up to thousands of gallons of water a day just to keep it under control. Dust is far and away the biggest headache for owners of sand and stonedust arenas.

Fortunately, a dust-free footing like TruStride®, composed of recycled rubber, fiber, sand and wax, provides a riding surface that’s 1) properly cushioned, 2) stable yet resilient, 3) supportive,  4) rarely needs raking and never needs watering because it’s 5) truly dust-free.

Peter and I have installed TruStride® (and its economical cousin, LiteStride®) in more than 250 indoor and outdoor arenas throughout North America. Now folks in these facilities are spending more time training – and less time complaining.

What’s your biggest beef with arena footing?

Posted in Arena footing, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, Sand arena | Leave a Comment »

Fuming over stall odor?

February 23, 2012

Stinky StallThe average horse generates more than two gallons of urine and 30 pounds of manure a day. All that waste has to go somewhere, and in a stall environment, that “somewhere” is usually into a pile of pine shavings on top of a rubber floor mat. Now, no one expects a boarding stable to smell like a lilac grove, but it shouldn’t bring tears to your eyes, either. When drainage is poor, or stalls aren’t mucked out regularly, the resulting ammonia fumes and bacteria build-up can be irritating at best and harmful at worst – for horses and humans.

Bedding material is obviously important, and you’ll want the most absorbent you can afford – sawdust or pine shavings are ideal. And while you certainly don’t want to skimp on all that waste-absorbing bedding, it’s worth noting that the thicker the floor mat, the less bedding you’ll need.

One major cause of stall odor is urine pooling under the mat. Foam and rubber mats provide dual benefits of cushioning tired joints and reducing the amount of bedding needed, so don’t get rid of them. But if pooling is a problem, the mats will need to be lifted, cleaned and allowed to dry completely. This will help reduce odor and disease-causing bacteria in waste trapped under the mats, but it’s also time and labor-intensive.

To give your horses all the cushioning benefits of a mat without the potential pooling problems, consider a waterproof top cover. This is a single piece of tough, woven fabric made to fit wall-to-wall on top of a foam or rubber mat within the stall. The top cover creates a “moisture tray” that allows urine and feces to be captured on top and easily removed with the bedding. In addition to getting rid of all that odor and bacteria-producing waste before it has a chance to run under the mat, you’ll also reduce the amount of shavings needed for bedding, labor to muck out the stalls, and disposal costs.

Foam mats like SuperStall®, and rubber mats like EquiSoft® by IGK Equestrian, come with top covers that can be custom-sized for any surface, from a standard 16’ x16’ box stall to a 12’x24’ foaling stall. They do a great job of keeping “stall stench” to a minimum.

How do you manage stall odor?

Carolyn

Posted in Bedding, Horse Comfort, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, Shavings, Stall mats, Stall odor, SuperStall, Top Cover | 4 Comments »

“Help! My arena footing froze!”

February 8, 2012

Frozen arena footingWe occasionally hear from riders and trainers about mishaps on arena floors when the temperature drops below freezing. The risk of freezing is highest with materials with too many fine particles that tend to compact, like topsoil. The risk is somewhat lower with sand, wood chips/sawdust and stall waste. Rubber and stone dust-based footings rarely freeze, although waxed footings can stiffen up a bit.

Then there’s the whole issue of watering in sand arenas: water too often and you end up with an ice rink; water too little and your riders choke on dust.

The best footing material for cold climates has a) a low freezing point, b) drains well, c) resists compacting and d) needs little or no watering. Owners of arenas in these areas may want to consider a fiber/rubber amendment like SoftShoe® byIGK Equestrian. By incorporating fiber/rubber into your new or existing riding surface, you’ll not only lower its freezing point, but also help reduce compaction for greater stability in all types of weather. And, of course, the less sand in your footing, the less often you need to water.

Share your frozen footing stories – and solutions – here!

Carolyn

Posted in Arena footing, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, Sand arena | Leave a Comment »

My name’s Carolyn. I’m an arena footing freak.

January 18, 2012

Carolyn KyleA few years ago, my husband Peter and I were at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament watching Margie Engle navigate the World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix. While everyone was watching Margie, we were watching the footing. You see, we made it and installed it. So while Margie delivered yet another breathless performance, Peter and I scanned the arena floor, silently assessing its traction, stability and response.

That’s what we do, Peter and I. We travel to shows and stare at floors. I guess you could say we’re arena footing freaks. We have to be. As owners of IGK Equestrian, we manufacture and install arena surfaces in coliseums, equine hospitals and lesson barns (we’ve even helped make footing for Thoroughbred tracks in Dubai and Hong Kong). We also make equine comfort systems – mattresses made of foam or rubber — designed specifically for performance horses. So you could say we know quite a lot about the equine footing and bedding business.

Over the years, we’ve heard a lot of the same comments about footing and bedding. Too dusty. Too slippery. Freezes too quickly. Too abrasive. We’ve heard about footing that shifts suddenly under the horse, leading to a loss of confidence at best and an injury at worst. We’ve heard from owners of sand arenas who are using up to 3,500 gallons of water per day just to keep dust under control. We’ve heard from trainers who hate to rake and horse owners who hate to muck (sound familiar?). We can’t completely eliminate raking in the ring or mucking in the stable, of course, but there are ways to make these things less of a pain — for you, your crew, your riders and boarders.

I started this blog to address some of the main challenges associated with footing and bedding, share success stories and provide a discussion forum for trainers, arena owners, veterinarians, stable managers, and riders of all disciplines. Please feel free to chime in. Because when you get right down to it, it’s all about supporting your horse.

Carolyn

Posted in Arena footing, Bedding, Carolyn, Horse Comfort, IGK Equestrian, North Brook Farms, Sand arena, SuperStall | 1 Comment »

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