> To answer this,to ride on Ice on a Lake is something different than >in a stadium as the lake ice is on a water pillow and is therefore a >softer ice than a stadium ice . Also the man made ice is harder then >the one by nature > so that have a one day competion (3 min) on a lake is not a big deal >for horse
I'm going to talk about various riding surfaces scientifically for a moment, if I may. More specifically, I want to talk about the density of ice, asphalt, gravel roads etc. as compared with other common riding surfaces that the average horseperson encounters on trail. First - a quick intro to chem./physics review: Density is mass divided by volume - or the weight of stuff that can get stuffed into a bucket of a certain size. For the purposes of many construction projects (road and otherwise), density is often denoted in kilograms per cubic meter. KG/cu.M. The more dense an object, the less shock absorbent, etc. Note: What is underneath any of these materials does matter to a some degree, depending on the depth of the surface material (stadium ice probably has gravel or mortar concrete underneath a few inches). Again...the higher the number, the harder the surface...many of you will be surprised by quite a few of these...I know I was. Surface Material: Density (KG/cu.M): 1. Mortar Cement 2403 (the gray stuff) -------------------------------- 2. Asphalt Concrete 2243 (the black stuff) -------------------------------- 3. Dense Earth 2002 (the gravel road) -------------------------------- 4. Loose Mud 1730 (many wooded trails) -------------------------------- 5. Dry sand 1602 -------------------------------- 6. Packed Earth 1522 (the back yard) -------------------------------- 7. Dry Loam 1249 (many dry trails) -------------------------------- 8. Water 1000 not sure how to ride on it :-) -------------------------------- 9. Solid Ice 919 -------------------------------- 10. Compacted Snow 481 -------------------------------- 11. Ground Rubber 481 (some great arena footing contains this) -------------------------------- Science and perception do not always agree. ~Nick
