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Now that summer is coming to a close, it’s important to turn your attention to your riding arena footing. Your arena has likely seen lots of use over the past few months, and that increased use can leave your footing in need of a little extra care. Put these tips to use to give your arena footing the care that it needs.

Use a Proper Drag

Regular dragging is key to maintaining your arena footing, but it’s so important that you use the right type of drag for your arena. Choose a drag that is suitable for the type and depth of footing that you have in your arena. For instance, you will need a larger, deeper drag to drag a reining arena than you will to drag a dressage ring.

Using a drag which is too heavy and deep for your arena can cause you to pull up and disturb the base. If the base is too disturbed, you may have to rebuild your arena – a very expensive mistake.

Hand Pick Rocks

After you’ve dragged the arena, take a few minutes and hand pick out any rocks that might be present. If the footing was not sifted when initially installed, the drag can dig up rocks, so make this a standard part in your footing care routine.

Water and Provide Drainage

After a long summer, your arena footing may be in need of a good watering. Now is a great time to thoroughly water the arena to prepare it for fall use. This is also a prime time to assess the drainage around your arena. Are certain areas draining slowly? Installing drain pipes on the outside of the arena can help to direct the winter precipitation away from the ring.

Bring in New Footing

Every few years you really need to bring in new footing to add to your arena. The exact time to bring in new footing will depend on the type of footing that you’re using. Sand, for instance, gradually gets packed down and hardened to the point where it is no longer a suitable base for riding or jumping.

It’s a good idea to establish a timeline for bringing in new footing so that you never go too long without adding to your arena. When you schedule a footing delivery, make sure the base of the arena footing is still sound – pouring footing over a flawed base will do you no good if the arena needs to be rebuilt. Give all riders a heads up of when the new footing will be arriving – spreading the footing evenly can take some time, so riders may need to plan to ride elsewhere until the process is complete.

Original Source: Tips to Help You Care for Your Arena Footing

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