The time has finally come to add footing to our new show ring. The base has been done for a while and show season is on its way. I was set on going with GGT footing, but after reading several threads, it seems like there are some other options out there as well.
If you could pick any footing to show on, what would you pick and why?
I really like whatever the footing is at Tryon, despite recent complaints. My horse was so comfortable on it and felt like she could have easily jumped a foot higher.
That is GGT!
The last barn I worked at had GGT mixed with shredded yoga mats . Worked well super cushiony.
The greatest hoax on the planet is that GGT is a footing. Great marketing on their part. GGT is an additive. Not a complete footing, so it will vary from recipe to recipe depending on the skill, or not, of whomever is installing it. It’s like saying your chocolate chip cookies are Nestle CCC’s because you put Nestle in when in fact it’s your mom’s secret recipe. Just like Polydor said, GGT mixed in with whatev. That’s why GGT is too hard in some arenas and a complete washout in others.
The GGT footing quality varies because it depends on the mixture and what it’s mixed with. If you live in a dry climate, this footing is not the best option because it has to be heavily and consistently watered for it to work like it’s designed. If the fibers dry out, the footing mixture separates and it loses all efficacy.
Personally, I don’t think the fiber footings are always great. I think they are much grabbier than traditional footings and I see more tripping in the fiber footings because the foot doesn’t tend to slide at all. I’ve heard several vets say that they see many more catastrophic injuries because the leg stops while the body doesn’t, causing more complete tears. But some people love it, so YMMV. The horses sure tend to move great in it. But you HAVE to keep it wet.
I like a nice rubber and sand mix, personally. I think region and maintenance really affects footing quality, so I’d go with whatever you can keep consistent and even with a nice balance of cush and stability.
I’m another who dislikes fiber footing. Historically, my horses haven’t held up well through the weeks at Tbird, Thermal, etc…or at least not as well as they do when jumping on “natural” (e.g. sand, dirt, grass) footings. I find that they get much more body sore than they do jumping on plain old sand. And I blame the under-watered GGT hunter ring at Thermal for the coffin bone bruise that took one of my horses out for a year and a half. I think it gets way too hard in hot climates when under-watered (to be fair to the show, we were jumping 1.30m fences in a little hunter schooling ring, and we knew they weren’t watering/dragging like they were the show rings, so it’s absolutely my fault for making a poor decision…I just didn’t think it was that poor of a decision).
I will say that the first year Tbird did GGT in the big (but not GP) jumper ring, it felt like my horses were jumping on clouds. LOVED it that year. But I haven’t had that same feeling since. And I notice that by the 3rd or 4th day of the show my horses don’t feel as good as they do if we’re jumping on the grass.
Like Mac123, my favorite footing is sand + rubber. But there are so many variables with all of the above (type of sand especially, whether you’re talking rubber or GGT or another fiber), that it’s tough to say definitively what’s best.
:lol: caught by the bump! :lol:
The arena looks beautiful, LockeMeadows!
Thank you! It rides like a million bucks. A lot of the other farms in the area try to go the cheap way with blue stone (stone dust). That just gets so hard and even if you add rubber and such, it still isn’t the same as a good quality sand. I’m really glad I followed COTHers and went the sand/rubber route. It was less expensive than GGT and held up through monsoon season!
Lol, I didn’t realize this was an old thread! But @LockeMeadows your ring looks beautiful, and great choice on the footing! You dodged a bullet with the stone dust - it’s not only hard, it’s SO dusty right from the get go.
@PNWjumper I bet that’s the reason for that coffin bruise. They just redid all the footing at CHP (spent $$$$$$) and it’s terrible because it’s SO dry here, they can’t keep it wet enough (or they aren’t trying hard enough!). The fiber is just not a good option for arid or desert climates.
I have an angular sand ring, and while it’s perfect when it has moisture in it, we get so little rain and the humidity is routinely <10% that it gets either swimmy or super hard when it’s completely dry. I’d love to add some rubber or something some day to give it some stability. Watering it is not efficient since within an hour or two, it’s dry again.
Do you worry about the rubber leaching into your water/turnout as it breaks down? Rubber is notorious for that.
Rubber is non-toxic. The type we are using was put down at the White House, is used in children’s playgrounds, and is safer to put in our body than the pesticides that are on our food.
Good choice on the rubber. GGT is notoriously difficult to maintain properly. Water it too much and it packs down and becomes a rock. Don’t water it enough and it doesn’t clump up properly and can get super slippery and hard as well. One of our local venues just got it and the last show we went to there was a disaster. With lots of fighting between the show management and venues and pissed off exhibitors.
Where was that show AffirmedHope
I think that in a few years of use and study, venues will be taking out the GGT or at least adjusting the mixture.
Vets that I have spoken with tell me that they’ve seen an increase in tendon issues with horses on GGT. And I know from friends that have GGT that is does take a good amount of additional water and maintenance. One ring builder told me that he has had the most success with adding only 40% of the GGT fiber of what GGT recommends.
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