Saw dust not wood chips but actual saw dust works really well to provide a nice cushion effect to sand or dirt. Because we have such crummy soil up here in the mountains most trainers around here use a sand or dirt mix with saw dust mixed in, in their round pens and arenas. Holds moisture really well without letting everything turn to mud too so it keeps the dust down with just a bit of watering vs having a dust storm with every passing breeze out here.
We ended up sticking with sand as all the additive called for special sand, special equipment, or intensive watering. None of which I was willing to deal with for a private farm
I think a lot of wisdom about footing is constantly shifting. The reality of GGT is that it requires a lot of water (which is a problem in socal) and the special sand is inconsistently sourced and it makes a big difference.
It also depends on your needs. My vet was telling me that the majority of horse facilities are better served buying sand, grooming it and watering it meticulously and then getting rid of it regularly when itās dead. Itās more cost effective and seems to have the right mix of slide and cushion when itās groomed regularly.
For higher level jumpers, who really need the stability, GGT is a better option. But it really requires more dedicated care than most are willing to put in. My vet thinks a lot of facilities are going to go back to sand in the next ten years bc the GGT is too hard to maintain properly.
the barn I board at has premiereās special no water footing. it is quite expensive and really better suited to an indoor bc it gets so hot and stinky in the sun, but I will say, it is the most fantastic mix of cushion and stability. They were great to work with.
If your barn is interested in Premier, pls pm me.
I realize the original thread is quite old but just in case someone uses it for reference - sand/fiber mixes take a truly staggering amount of water to maintain.
I love my riding surface and this time of year, when we get truly heavy amounts of rain (we are at over 20" two months into the year so far) itās a plus that it dries out so quickly. My arena is rideable the day after even really serious downpours.
However, for much of the rest of the year it takes an incredible amount of watering to keep the surface in good condition, which is both time consuming and expensive. Iāve finally decided to bite the bullet and pay the $12-15k it will cost to run a new, 2" pipe from the street down to the arena to put an irrigation system in. That is a ton of money to spend on an arena that is only for my personal use (a whopping 2 horses/day.)
I think this is what a lot of barns in California are waking up to realize. Some facilities do a great job with it, but most facilities just do not water enough so you see the tell-tale rooster tails flying up behind the horses. Weāve had horses come back from shows in Temecula where they had new GGT but didnāt water nearly enough. All of them needed time off from being footsore or had their coffins injected. I donāt know if itās a great fit for drought conditions unless you are super committed to it.
I am not a fan of GGT, for a number of reasons, but I havenāt personally seen any sore horses from working on it.
I am in GA, not typically a drought area, though we have hot (normally humid) conditions in the summer time. It is normally July- August when I have to water, but at that time it definitely gets expensive.
