Drag patterns to redistribute footing?

[SugarCubes]

I’ve watched all of the videos on the ABI website (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRvq_fQ0lA) regarding best dragging practices and I switch between their recommended drag patterns each time I drag the ring. However, the track along the rail has worn really thin and I can’t figure out how to redistribute the footing back towards the rail. I wish I had a fancy arena groomer that leveled, but I just have a diamond chain harrow.

Are there any drag patterns that will help push the footing back towards the rail? I’ve used the “spinning” pattern from the videos, it made a minimal difference. Am I better off raking by hand? Is there some trick I missed to prevent this from happening in the future?

Thanks!

[Bluey]

What size tractor are you using?
Do you have a blade for it?

We have some sand that eventually builds up against the walls from the working cowhorse practices.
Cattle in there disturb the footing harder than horses do.
We use a regular blade, angled, to bring it back inside the rail line, smooth and even, where the arena plow can work it in and smooth again.

I am afraid to use the arena plow that close to the sides, may hook something there.

[gumtree]

“Footing” is a generic name these days. Until synthetics of different compositions came along pretty much all “footing” was sand with a % of other natural organics added. Because the properties of “synthetics” vary some require specific types of conditioners/drags that can move/redistribute and fluff up without it clumping,

A chain drag generally is the only thing needed to for most sand footings. Ideally a chain drag that has 2 sides, One side for “top dressing” and when flipped it will be more aggressive and break up the footing when it becomes more compacted when let sit and dries out after a rain.

To redistribute sand footing the only inexpensive piece of equipment I can think of is a rear 3 point hitch blade that can be angled on the blade itself and the 3 point hitch arms can adjusted individually. But using can be tricky there is a learning curve. If not set up and done correctly one can make more of a mess of things then cleaning things up.

Redistributing by hand with a wide stone rake seems to be the only alternative. Other than investing is multi adjustable specialty drag/conditioner.

[SugarCubes]

Bluey - I am using a little Kubota BX and a chain drag. I don’t have a blade, but do have a FEL.

Gumtree - The footing is sand, and the chain drag does a good job overall, I just wish I had a way to pull the footing back to the rail.

I may just resort to using a trusty rake :o

[Jarpur]

We have a sand arena and use a chain harrow for a drag, too. When I need to re-distribute footing by hand, I find that I can move more with a hoe than with a rake. The blade is narrower, but moves more than the teeth of a rake in our situation.

[LilyandBaron]

I have a box blade which can help, but for just the track and pulling in the sides, I use a pond rake - metal, wide, and has the rake side and a straight blade side.

[ToTheNines]

I use this around the edge of my round pen. Faster than by hand, but not as good as a tractor!

https://www.greenworkstools.com/info…product-review

I run it around the edge at a slight angle, so it throws sand back in from the edge. Just enough battery to go about four or five times around the round pen. Might work for an arena.

[Synthesis]

@ToTheNines

I use this around the edge of my round pen. Faster than by hand, but not as good as a tractor!

https://www.greenworkstools.com/info…product-review

I run it around the edge at a slight angle, so it throws sand back in from the edge. Just enough battery to go about four or five times around the round pen. Might work for an arena.

Funny! I have a spring dethatcher that attaches to the back of my lawn tractor. It does a similar job for me to break up compacted footing. Goes just deep enough to work the top surface but not the base.

[mellsmom]

I just did this some last night. I used my aluminum landscape rake amd pulled from the deeper parts of the center to the harder packed outside. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Razor-Back-36-in-Aluminum-Landscape-Rake-2916500/204476252
They cost about $45 and have teeth on one side and a solid piece on the other. I need to spend more time with it this weekend, but I drug with mr chain drag afterwards and it looks/feels much better.!

[Palm_Beach]

@Jarpur

We have a sand arena and use a chain harrow for a drag, too. When I need to re-distribute footing by hand, I find that I can move more with a hoe than with a rake. The blade is narrower, but moves more than the teeth of a rake in our situation.

This is what I do too, although my arena is small, so it’s not a huge chore. And I drag with a chain harrow.

OP, the footing gets pulverizes by the horse’s feet, and leaves the arena as dust. So over time, you do actually lose footing. I have a sand pile that I use to replenish my footing as needed.

[Paks]

Chain drags are limited in what they can do. The Abi videos are for use with their equipment which does have a blade incorporated for the moving of the material.

My SIL tried to even out the distribution of the footing with chain drag and blade and wound up with a good enough (as in spent more than enough time put still not where he wanted it.) . I did order the TR3-E and when it came he futzed for a bit figured in out and not the footing is even, fluffy and nothing like it was with the drag and blade. And nothing like you would expect sand and bluestone mix footing to be.

I know they are pricey but boy are the results worth it. Though unless you have the higher horse power BX you would have to use the rascal and not the TR3-E.

[Foxtrot_s]

This is a good thread, oddly enough. Footing is so important to keeping a horse sound. In those arenas where the tractor just wooshes round and up and down the footing gets piled into the corners, less is left along the long sides and the middle gets even lower, so the horse is always going from deep to hard footing. The horse is also going up hill and then downhill slightly. The average farm hand does not get this, and having the right equipment sure helps, or it is all hands on deck to pull it in by hand with rakes.

When a horse is actually working seriously, it is imperative that the footing is level and does not change in depth all over thee place.