The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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TheHorse.com THE HORSE September 2017 46 issues for your new arena. You can't con- trol the weather if you live in a wet area; however, an engineer can recommend where to locate your arena to avoid water collection—preferably not at the bottom of a hill or where building rooftop gutters drain—and design a system to remove surface water from your arena. Solutions might include site excava- tion, for removing poorly draining soils, and site grading, which creates a slight slope to promote drainage. Laser grading, in which an engineer uses a laser to guide earthwork and compaction, can help the contractor ensure the grading is precise and void of unintentional rises. A 1.5-2% grade is typical for horse arenas, with the slope going from one corner to the opposite diagonal corner or crowning in the middle and sloping down to each long side of the arena. "Most horses and riders will perceive that little of grading as flat," Fabian says. Additional drainage solutions include curtain drains (aka French drains), which divert water from the arena surface, or swales that collect water away from the arena, Fabian says. Certain elements, such as sand, are also less likely to hold water than organic materials, such as wood, or fabrics. What Materials are Available in Your Area? Naturally occurring materials you need for your base and footing layers, such as gravel and sand, vary greatly by region. "You are usually limited to a 50- to 100-mile radius, because you're ship- ping large quantities of bulky materials," Fabian says. The transportation cost for those mate- rials becomes prohibitive due to the large quantities needed for even a modestly sized arena. That means the beautiful sand found near the coast probably isn't available inland. Ask other arena owners in the area what they used for their sub- base, base, and footing materials. What Footing Do You Want to Use? Watts says research about racing foot- ing exists; however, for riding arenas, "we need more data." Anecdotally, she says, a connection might exist between heavy footing and suspensory ligament overload, but she's not sure footing can be directly linked to causing lameness. If a horse already has an issue, though, poor footing does seem to exacerbate it. For example, horses with foot-related lame- ness, such as navicular or pedal osteitis (ringbone), can struggle on hard footing, and deep footing can worsen hind-limb lameness, she says. As a veterinarian and dressage rider, Watts wants footing that is supportive and stable "so the foot doesn't slide," she says. That means angular sand rather than round, because round sand tends to roll and displace underfoot. Footing should also have "bounce" to absorb con- cussion, she says. Watts likes to ride on felt, fiber, or bark mixed with an angular sand, which offers both the stability and bounce she prefers. She also likes well- maintained turf and rubber. Well-maintained is the operative word for any footing, she says. How Will You Control Dust? This is a major issue for most arenas. "Dust is the lofting of the smallest parti- cles, so you either need to eliminate those small particles (through washing sand), glue them together, or weight them down if they can absorb water," Fabian says. Purchasing washed sand adds initial expense but offers a clean footing. Just keep in mind that even washed sand breaks down over time with use and eventually becomes dusty. The market offers several oil-based products—many of them designed for dust suppression on construction sites—that will, as Fabian says, "glue particles together." And water from sprinklers or water trucks can also help control dust, especially if the footing contains wood or fabric. Dealing with excess water gets a lot of attention in arena design, especially in wet regions. But don't forget about wind. Beyond blowing away your precious foot- ing, it's also a major factor in evapora- tion. In warm, dry regions, the wind can remove moisture faster than a sprinkler can pump out water for dust control. Siting the arena in a way that protects it from the wind can help, Fabian says. Buildings such as barns, houses, and garages interrupt wind paths and offer protection for your arena. Topography such as hills or ridges can create natural windbreaks, as can trees and shrubs. If you don't have established trees and shrubs, consider installing horse-friendly FARM & BARN While arena fencing isn't necessary, it does offer another level of safety for horses and riders—so long as it's constructed out of safe materials. MICHELLE ANDERSON/THE HORSE