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  Discussion on Arena footing question
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Member:
Gardener

Posted on Saturday, Mar 26, 2005 - 3:13 pm:

I am looking at boarding at 2 different facilities, each with indoor arenas. The one has sand for the footing, and currently waters it to keep it from getting too dusty, but will be adding vegetable oil in the spring to keep the dust down. The other arena has sand with round pebbles in it, with wood shavings overtop. This is where I currently board, but the arena is just new, so I have yet to ride in it. I was in the latter today while two people were riding, and the dust was unbelievable. I was literally choking. The owners say they might water the sand/shavings arena.

Two questions:

Is vegetable oil on the sand only arena a safe option? Will it affect the horse's breathing at all?

Are the shavings okay if wetted down, or are they slippery?

If anyone can present pros and cons to either scenario, please let me know. I have to make my decision in the next couple of days, as I would have to give notice where I am on Friday.

Thanks so much!
Member:
Albionsh

Posted on Saturday, Mar 26, 2005 - 5:12 pm:

Samantha, I don't have an answer for you, but I would like additional input from everyone on the round pebbled footing you mention. I put that in our new arena, and it is not dusty at all, but a prospective boarder was worried that it might lodge in the feet of the horses. Now I'm worried that my "bird's eye sand" as it is called is the wrong thing to have put in.... If so, what would be the best thing to add for a good footing mix? I actually was thinking about adding sawdust, but after hearing your experience, I am glad I haven't made that move.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Saturday, Mar 26, 2005 - 6:39 pm:

Samantha, the surface must be firm enough so that only half the hoof sinks in it during exercise.
I am afraid wood shavings would be too soft, but I haven't seen them mixed in an arena so I can't tell. Wouldn't they decompose with watering anyway?
Dust is very bad for you and your horse. The owners saying they might water it is not satisfactory, I think.
Oiled sand I have never seen or heard of, but it surely sounds like an interesting idea. Oils are of the least volatile of liquids, so I do not think it will affect the horse's breathing.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Saturday, Mar 26, 2005 - 6:42 pm:

Hi, Nancy, how big are the pebbles in your arena?
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Saturday, Mar 26, 2005 - 8:00 pm:

Samantha, I've never heard of vegetable oil being used so I can't comment. I do, however, agree with Christos about the dust being bad for you and your horse.

The barn I boarded at a few years ago used a mixture of wood shavings and sand in all their arenas (indoor and outdoor). When watered, no dust. When dry, choking dust. I don't remember the frequency but can tell you that the sand/shavings were renewed periodically. Yes, Christos, the shavings do break down over time, but they had the benefit of retaining water which kept the dust down for longer periods of time.

Nancy, several indoors in my area are using shredded rubber. I ride in an indoor that has a coarse sand/shredded rubber mix and the footing is great. I'll be happy to ask the owner the name of the product if you're interested.

D.
Member:
Albionsh

Posted on Sunday, Mar 27, 2005 - 2:16 am:

Hi Cristos and D. The pebbles/sand particles are from one to a half cm across. I have seen this footing in other arenas and the feel is really good. It has good support with about 3 inches of dig, but is not springy like the Nike shred. It is also 1/10 the cost. Unfortunately I am in the money squeeze at this point in our project.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Mar 27, 2005 - 5:03 am:

Sounds good to me, Nancy.
Yes, they will occasionally lodge in the hoof, but the rider is supposed to pick those hooves after work, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Pebbles may be an issue, initially, with very sensitive soles, so a newcomer may need to take it easy for a couple of weeks, until the soles adjust.
Member:
Green007

Posted on Monday, Mar 28, 2005 - 1:06 pm:

Samantha,

I have never heard of using vegetable oil, but I do remember boarding at a barn many years ago that tried to solve the dust problem by mixing regular oil in with the fibar footing. All that happened was that the dust continued to rise, but this time it REALLY stick to the horses, riders and tack. Because it was regular oil, everyone who left the barn went home smelling and looking like a garage mechanic. My skin broke out as a result of all the greasy oil mixed with sweat, and my tack didn't do very well with it, either.

I am not sure if vegetable oil would fare better, at least it would go on clear instead of black! We all looked like coal miners.
Member:
Lilo

Posted on Monday, Mar 28, 2005 - 5:21 pm:

I am not an arena footing expert, by any means. One word of caution, however. Years ago my kids were involved in Westernaires (a drill riding organization for kids in Colorado). The indor arena had oil added to the footing to keep the dust down. One winter the hay (stored next to the arena) started burning due to spontaneous combustion. The fire spread to the arena and the arena was totally destroyed. Three horses lost their lives (fortunately most were rescued). I believe the oil was a factor in letting the fire burn hotter and faster. From then on, oil was never added to the arena footing again.
Lilo
Member:
Chohler

Posted on Monday, Mar 28, 2005 - 7:03 pm:

Our local fairgrounds uses vegetable oil when the arena is in high use and it smells a bit but I haven't noticed any problems not slippery or anything. The flies seemed a bit attracted but then we were quite overrun with flies last year more than usual because of weather so I can't say whether they were there because of the oil.

I actually like it it seems to last longer than watering. They use medium sand, and sand and shavings in the round pens.
Member:
Gardener

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 - 10:53 pm:

Thank you so much for all your responses. I appreciate it.
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