Footing preferences - english v. western

[ChunkyMonkey]

Hey all,

I recently moved out west, and have extremely limited boarding options where I currently live. That being said, I feel like the footing at the barn where I currently board is too deep. I’m the only real english rider, everyone else rides western. I was wondering if there is some variation between the two disciplines for preferred depth of footing? Personally, I feel like this footing is almost to the point of tendon-straining deep, and have been avoiding riding in the arenas because of it. I figured I’d try and gain some knowledge from you all before tackling talking to the BO about this.

There is one other barn in the area that I’m on the waiting list for a stall, but it’s also a western barn. If I had the money, I’d just buy property and bring my guy home, but that isn’t an option at the moment. Any input would be appreciated!

[Fergs]

Just today my barrel-racing cousin informed me that they prefer extremely deep footing. So it may indeed be a Western thing!

[kelsey97]

One of our neighbors trains quarter horses, she says working them in sand builds up the hind end…Maybe that works for horses jogging and loping, but it seems to me a tendon injury waiting to happen for a more forward H/J type.

[tinah]

Barrel racers around here only like the footing deep enough for cushion, not sloppy. Slightly deeper than jumping, but not anything I would refuse to ride in. Rieners like it deeper.

[mmeqcenter]

Yes, western disciplines usually have a deeper footing than english.
Dressage/jumping footing should be 2-3 inches deep, max. I prefer 2 inches.
Some reining people may even go as deep as 6-7 inches.
Barrel racing is usually 4-5 inches.

Deep footing for jumping means an inevitable tendon or ligament injury.

If you’re the only english rider at your barn and the only person with a problem with the footing, I doubt the BO will do anything about the footing depth.

[ktm_here]

Agreed. I live in an area with very few English riders. I use my neighbor’s indoor arena. They are reiners. Fortunately, they don’t keep it too deep unless they are in full show season. During the summer, I can use my own outdoor which is MINE :).

It is def a western thing and when we are in the minority, we have to deal with it.

[Bluey]

Here most riding if not all is western and there are important differences in footing.

Cutters need the deepest arena and more of a coarse sand.
Most everyone else, reiners included, have finer sand and don’t want too deep, about like English riding arenas are.

If you are where those are too deep, that is wrong for most but cutting.
Imagine a reiner trying to slide and spin where the footing is deep.
The torque on deep sand would tear it’s hocks up, he could not spin without hopping around or slide at all, would just bounce.

We have the same fellow that prepares the footing for the big world championships here prepare most arenas around here,
He prepared some for cutting, very deep, then hauled part off and rolled it and then worked it not deep at all for a roping and barrel racing event, then on the same had an all around AQHA show, where all disciplines were showing and it was the same footing depth as the roping and barrel racing.
Everyone likes to come to our big city to show because of the great footing preparation.

Then he took all the footing out for next weekend ice hockey tournament.

He has our arena with a firm base, then very fine sand, where reiners can slide and not at all deep, so we can do working cowhorse runs on the fence and rope and barrel race if we wanted, the footing for that is all the same.

Right now, in Katy, TX, right by Houston, the NRHA, reiners, have one of their biggest shows this weekend.
You can see here a short ad video about it:

http://www.nrbc.com/index.php

Scroll down and that window at the bottom is the video, where you can see several runs and watch the footing, it is not deep at all, just as it should be, the finals will be live in that window tomorrow.
They were live there today, many runs and the ground was always worked at the proper shallow depth, the same that a jumper could work in fine.

[Foxtrot_s]

I’m with you OP…footing is so important and I am looking for a suitable barn where I can haul in for a fee. Where I was going is far to deep for my horse and an invitation to soft tissue or tendon injuries. I can’t expet them to change their arena for me as they mostly have beginner up downers, slowly plopping around on aged saintly horses.

I have a place, it is a teeny bit too hard, but I feel it is better than the place where it is too deep, especially when they harrow it and there is a swoosh on the corners where it is deeper, slopes downhill along the long side, is swooshed up on the next corner, so there is no consistency.

As my mare gets into harder, more collected work, I do worry.

[SLW]

I rode in a clinic last weekend in a facility a Reiner built. The indoor footing was what is called sugar clay. It wasn’t deep or dusty. However, most western disciplines do like deep footing.

A local eventers outdoor arena has very deep sand. It works fine for her program but I don’t haul in there to ride.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Thank you all for the input, I really had no clue that there was such a drastic difference in footing preferences!

The majority of people at my barn do barrel racing and reining, so I’m just SOL in the arena. There is a okay grass arena that I’ve been sticking to riding in when it’s not soggy. Oregon has just gotten hammered with rain this spring and made riding somewhere suitable difficult, unfortunately.

My jumper has a previous tendon injury that I’m not even going to bother aggravating in the arena, so he just gets days off when it’s too soggy outside.

[mmeqcenter]

Walking is really really beneficial! We’ve had many hour-long rides working only at the walk - should be fine to just walk in deep sand if you don’t want to miss out on a soggy day.