Did you know that riding arena footing eventually wears out and needs to be replaced? Through normal use and weather, footing materials eventually break down. Look for these signs to see if your footing needs to be replaced:
-If the base of your arena on your PA horse property is starting to show through, it means the top layer has broken down and is too thin. More material should be added.
-If puddles form and remain in your arena, it means that the drainage isn’t what it used to be. You may need to re-grade the footing so that water doesn’t accumulate after it rains.
-Overly dusty footing may need to be replaced. As the material breaks down over time, it forms smaller and smaller particles which get kicked up into the air as horses work on it, turning your arena into a dust cloud. Frequent watering can help this problem, but at some point the footing will need to be replaced.
-If you can hear your horse’s footfalls distinctly, your footing either needs to be dragged so that it’s more even, or more material needs to be added.
-And lastly, if the sub-surface of your arena starts to develop a depressed ‘track’ along the rail where horses work most often, it probably needs to be re-graded.
Contact a Pennsylvania equestrian footing professional to upgrade your arena footing as needed, and you’ll have a safe, quality riding surface for years to come.