So, on the never ending search for the perfect, yet affordable footing material, my trainer and I had this hypothetical brainstorm today: carpet fibers. Has anyone ever gotten old carpet and shredded it themselves and mixed it in with their sand for more loft and hopefully some dust control? Because shredded carpet is exactly what this test bag of ring additive from some company (I have no idea which, I did not see the wrapper) looks like. What say you hive mind?
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I am curious what others have to say about shedded carpet as a footing additive. I have never before seen it any arena so I cannot testify. But my first question is, can it really be less dusty? I think of an old, dirty, abandoned home and how stinky-dust that old carpet is. And if it gets wet it holds moisture and gets moldy, and would be sloppy underfoot. Unless of course it is for a covered arena. I bet someone with the right friends could come by some fairly cheap though!
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The TruTex fibers are exactly that. I have ridden on it before and it is nice footing, and less expensive, by a bit, than some others but not so much cheaper I went with it. I was concerned about mold, dust, and possibly carpet glue being in it.
None of them do anything for dust, though, IMO. For that you need a different additive or a good watering system. or, for an indoor, mag flakes which is what I did to keep maintenance to a minimum.
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I put in fiber footing w the recommended sand and did everything exactly as the arena company said. My arena was unusable for nearly a year until I had it hauled out. I replaced that footing w limestone screening, a DOT manufactured product, and mag cloride for the dust. I think it is the nicest footing Iāve ever ridden in. Fiber does not hold water- I donāt care what they say. Most of it is a nylon product and it sheds water.
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I had fiber footing and the recommended silica sand in my indoor for a year. We did ( and purchased) everything the company said to do but it was never, ever ridable. The company recommended 3 different fiber types they sell. One was a felt like material that ranged in size from a piece the size of a dime to pieces that were 3āĀ x 5āĀ. I crawled around on my hand and knees cutting that stuff up. I do not recommend it. Iāll happily tell you the company if you want to know. They are horrible and too far away for affordable legal action.
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A company called Reiten Rite https://www.reitenright.com/ is sending me a sample of their natural recycled rubber additive which requires nothing special apparently. So, itās all lulu lemon open cell rubber yoga mats, shredded (assuming itās the remnants?). Canada based companyā¦ships in the U.S. from a place in AZ. $1500/900lb mega bag. Apparenlty, 3-5 bags was recommended for my standard sized arenaā¦and wonāt make the depth too deepā¦itās colored at first, but I was given assurances it eventually blends in. Apparently, a special groomer is not needed to distribute eitherā¦just spread with tractor, and drag it in.
Given that my clay based, stone dust/mason sand arena (my hubby and I built it) has taken me from T level to I-1 with my horse with no issues, I am not bulking at the gate to change anything I have done for yearsā¦really just ordered a sample out of curiosity.
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i have a sample from a company called reiten rite coming my way. Apparently, itās recycled lulu lemon yoga mats. Check them out. I had an entirely explanatory post written on this, but bottom line: I am getting a sample for curiosity sake but have no plans to change my perfectly fine sand arena. (my last post was āunapprovedā??)
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Hi there! My two posts were unapproved, too, hence two of them.
We are in exactly the same situation. Iām curious about screenings with limestone screenings. I have a sample of Reiten Rite and it seems like it would add the spring-back that I am looking for, but I donāt see how it lessens dust. I could see it would lessen the need to water, if one waters to get the better firmness to ride on. I built an arena in New England which was equal parts of clay, sand, and very small wood pellets (like those for a pellet stove but about 1/4 the size). The guy who blended it was a contractor and he no longer does footing. Another place up north does the clay/sand/wood particle mix. I really like that blend, even though I know that the woody material will break down over time and needs to be replenished. The current arena I am constructing is an outdoor in Florida. Iāve received samples from Premier and a few others, but they donāt offer much āloftā (but they do seem to have great dust control and so Iām assuming they also have moisture retention?). Iām leaning towards adding Reiten Rite to a Florida sand, and maybe just adding mag flakes would control the dust?
My indoor is 2 inches of limestone screenings w 1 inch of a DOT manufactured product blended. We put Mag flakes on it for dust. We watered in the beginning. I really like it- it seems to have both enough give and grip for a variety of disciplines. I do drag it nearly every day. Iām sending you a PM.
Iāve always had sand. Last year added Trutex which is shedded carpet to my older sand mixture. I figured for the cost if I hated it I could rip it out and replace with sand again. I have to say I am very satisfied a year later. High traffic indoor; about 15-20 rides per day.
It does need to be sprinkled daily in dry weather. But about 5 minutes is perfect. I have a big circular sprinkler that spans the indoor and can do my whole indoor in 15 minutes. (Had planned to put in overhead sprinkler system this spring but pandemicā¦ so Iām still using a hose for the foreseeable future)
I do add mag chloride every winter. About 20 bags which helps with water retention.
I would try the Trutex company. Biggest issue was had to buy a new rake! But riding on my ānewāĀ footing makes the cost totally worth it.
What is a āDOT manufactured productā?
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Could you pls send me more information on your experience. Iām looking to redo my indoor, any info is much appreciated!
I found the same product as ReitenReit at another company for less money, and delivered in 35 lb bagsā¦which will be MUCH easier to distribute than those enormous bulk bags.
Name is Performance Footing in Az. Iāve ordered enough material for a half inch coverage on top of my sand.
Arlomine that sounds really interesting. Please tell us how that works. I assume you mix it in with the sand like you do the fiber additives. I already have fiber which I like a lot but this sounds like it would add more bounce combined with the fiber.
Hope this isnāt a hijack, but does anyone know what is used at MaryAnn McPhailās FL farm? The photos from the Dressage Trainers Conference showed some interesting, almost white footing that seemed to hold its shape. And I imagine itās some of the best in the businessā¦
@NaturallyHappy Can you tell us more about your DOT manufactured product? What does that mean?
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Yesā¦itās a product manufactured by the Department of Transportation. I donāt remember what my arena builder told me they use it for. It looks a lot like the old bluestone rings. He drove around to quarries in my area to look for it to be sure he got what he wanted. I have a limestone base in my indoor. Sand was never stable over it (even though itās great in my outdoor), which is why I tried the horrible fiber. He mixed 1āĀ of this stuff w 2āĀ of limestone screenings out of my base and itās wonderful. Itās lovely to ride on, plus you can lunge, turn them loose, they can cavort and rollā¦drag it and itās good as new. We are a hunter and dressage barn. I donāt know how to add pictures. If you pm a phone number, I can send picture. I saved some of the DOT product for reference. I could even mail you a handful. I spent SO much money, if I can save someone else grief I will. Edited to add we watered it at first but used mag cloride all winter. Itās great either way.
Im looking to try the new Noviun footing additive from Performance Footing for one of our rings in our summer farm. Any experience here? It looks like a great natural way to do this and since we are on a well our county wont let us add anything like GGT or trutex due to the chemicals they contain.
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