On 22/03/2008, Jacki Edens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: So I am looking for footing that would be safe for a horse to be on 24/7 during periods when she can't be in the field and that would also be good footing to exercise her in or to serve as a small ring. Any suggestions?
Interesting topic... We have a separate spot for feeding and we keep the arena (playpen) locked and only let the horses out when I want them to eat down the grass. We have a problem with low lying cedar in the arena area and we found the the odd root or branch could really make the footing treacherous...so last year Kevin bought a little cultivator and made a ring around the outer edge of the arena and left the middle in its native prairie grass. It seems to have worked well and has improved the footing tremendously. ( I must say it took us hours to sort through the cultivated dirt and yank out the remaining roots and branchs and then we went over it again with the harrows many many times....) However... After all this work I did find that the dirt ring could get dusty. So this year we are considering renting a wood chipper and spreading wood chips over the dirt in the ring. We don't really have a problem with mud except for where the horses have been eating over the years. AND as soon as it dries a bit Kevin will clear the manure and push it into the pile. Our soil is quite sandy, so I thought adding the wood chips might help with the dust. I don't know...I'm still considering it. Does anyone have wood chips on their tracks? Wanda
