Grooming arena when footing is only 2" deep -- help!

[Watermark_Farm]

After struggling with too-deep sand/rubber/GGT footing (it was over 3"), I had enough footing removed to get me down to 2" overall depth. Rides great now.

My problem is that with the thinner footing, my arena grooming implement (an EZ Groomer) no longer works. I just can’t seem to get it adjusted so that the tines won’t nick the base and I’m not really needing the tines/paddle wheel to fluff footing, I need to LEVEL the footing and just smooth it out.

What do people with 2" or less or footing use? I have a piece of cyclone fencing that works well for the most part, but I need something like a leveling pan that will level the high and low spots without scalping off the GGT.

What does everyone use with similar shallow footing?

[Cluck]

I think you will have some issues as the GGT is intended to mix with 3" sand to give a firm footing that the horses do not punch through. Watering is essential to keep the felt mixed with the sand, otherwise it will rise to the top.

I use a Parma groomer with my felt footing. It has a leveling bar, and a roller, and I’ve adjusted the tines so they do not dig in. My footing is about 3". Less than that and I’d be hitting base. I still run into leveling problems and move footing around by hand on occasion.

[ToTheNines]

Are you pulling with an ATV? I use a tractor with a three point hitch. The hydraulics can be used to control the height of the groomer.

[msj]

While I never used it after I put rubber in my arena, I originally used an old mattress spring (double bed size) to level. Another horse person loaned it to me to try and it kept the arena sand leveled beautifully. Just hook a chain to it to drag with your mower.

[Jumper_girl221]

We groom with a landscape rake turned around backwards.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11863478_886980009285_1297491659876422676_n.jpg?oh=50b686c3554c2ca2023a039c2e5724b5&oe=5667F8A0

It does a pretty good job though! Smooths it out and breaks it up without making it deep or digging into the base.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10436309_885816266435_7511090118015661328_n.jpg?oh=120b985e06831f80280744e6a7fc0a25&oe=5681D34E

My big ring

[LadyBug]

[QUOTE=Jumper_girl221;8287445]
We groom with a landscape rake turned around backwards.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11863478_886980009285_1297491659876422676_n.jpg?oh=50b686c3554c2ca2023a039c2e5724b5&oe=5667F8A0

It does a pretty good job though! Smooths it out and breaks it up without making it deep or digging into the base.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10436309_885816266435_7511090118015661328_n.jpg?oh=120b985e06831f80280744e6a7fc0a25&oe=5681D34E

My big ring :)[/QUOTE]

I’m curious why you have the rake turned backwards? My ring is sand/rubber and I have always drug it with the a similar rake, but in the normal direction!

[Jumper_girl221]

It makes it too deep Ladybug, and will gouge down into the base if you aren’t careful. We drag pretty frequently even though its a fairly low use ring (I ride 5-6 days a week, and I have two boarders, plus a small lesson program). If it gets ridges along the rail or when I move jumps around we “have” flipped it around, but prefer to keep it on the flatter side.

It gets ridden in enough to stay pretty loose, so the biggest deal is smoothing it out so its level and doesn’t hold water. We have a blade as well, but I don’t think it does as good of a job keeping the top loose and the bottom firm and rather makes the ring a bit too much on the firm side.

[Miss_Motivation]

Love the mattress springs idea… that’s COTH clever!

[Victorious]

I have 2" sand on a very nice limestone base. I use a TR3 with my 3 point. I do have to occasionally adjust it depending on the weather-for example, just rake in the spring, but by mid summer, I will need more of the floating blade. It’s easy to adjust using the top link on the 3 point. Literally just a turn or two is all I ever need. I’ve had my ring for about 10 years and that’s all that I’ve ever used on it. My only complaint is hooking it up-It is so stinking heavy that you have to back the tractor in perfectly! You can’t move the drag at all (at least I can’t). If my hubs didn’t help, it would be a royal PITA.

[ToTheNines]

Victorious, someone on the CotH forums posted about using a platform on rollers to help with hooking up. When unhooking, she backed it up to the platform (raised with the three point) and lowered it down on the platform. Then unhook it, and the next time you go to hook up, you can have a little movement with the platform.

[Watermark_Farm]

@Cluck;8284941

I think you will have some issues as the GGT is intended to mix with 3" sand to give a firm footing that the horses do not punch through. Watering is essential to keep the felt mixed with the sand, otherwise it will rise to the top.

I’m in California and we’re in a severe drought, so I’m trying to water my arena a lot less. The 3" of footing with felt meant I had to put on a TON of water, daily, in order to keep it tight. Not cool in a drought.

What I have discovered is that for thinner footing, I need to change out the S tines on my groomer with these little 1/4" tines sold specifically for thin footing. Or so they say.

With the thinner footing, I don’t really need the S tines to rip and fluff it. It’s not getting real compacted. I just need a leveling bar and maybe a wire screen to fluff it a bit. With the thinner footing, my S tines are hitting the base when I turn. My arena has a 2 degree slope, which is fairly steep as arenas go.

I am liking the bed spring idea and am going to head to the dump to see what I can round up. Thank you for all the info!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Can I ask a silly question? How are you using a box spring? Two chains? I assume the mattress is still intact–are you dragging the bottom or the top on the ground? Why wouldn’t a box with a plywood bottom do the same thing?

Thanks!

[PeteyPie]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8292775]
Can I ask a silly question? How are you using a box spring? Two chains? I assume the mattress is still intact–are you dragging the bottom or the top on the ground? Why wouldn’t a box with a plywood bottom do the same thing?

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Now I’m curious. I was picturing something completely different: an old box or mattress spring which is just the wires. Like this:
https://img0.etsystatic.com/041/0/8908697/il_570xN.573110040_svn5.jpg

Or this:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3_FgPXucYZU/TDwQm1xKr-I/AAAAAAAAAPo/ZHShDMKN3mU/s1600/DSC_0126.jpg

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Maybe that is it. I have no idea.

I threw one of those away when we took possession, as the owners were kind enough to leave it behind… lol

[msj]

oops, double post.

[msj]

This is what I used and I attached a chain that hooked around the short end and to the hitch on the mower. Worked like a charm to smooth the surface from heavy rains, hoof prints, etc. DID NOT fluff the arena footing though like a York Rake as the rake would dig into the footing with it’s tines.

http://pbbed.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mattress-coils.jpg

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The box part are the springs and the dots are the chain. Hope this makes sense.

These springs aren’t easy to find. Try a dump.

Well, the picture isn’t coming out when I hit save… Hope you can get the idea.

[Watermark_Farm]

I am going to the dump tomorrow to see about bed springs.

Also, I am about to get rid of a mattress and am thinking I’ll just cut it apart and see if I can harvest the coils out of it.

Thanks for the great ideas. It’s funny that I own a $1400 arena rake and a $5k piece of chain link fencing, and I use the chain link fencing for grooming more than anything.

[sid]

A small chain harrow flipped upside down (tines up) should work…pulled by a UTV.

[msj]

Watermark Farm, if you have a section of chain link fence you could try that as well. I think my neighbor uses that with tire on it for weight to smooth the surface. While I haven’t seen it in yrs I’m guessing the size of about 4’ wide and maybe 5’ long was what she used.

[Watermark_Farm]

[QUOTE=msj;8293682]
Watermark Farm, if you have a section of chain link fence you could try that as well. I think my neighbor uses that with tire on it for weight to smooth the surface. While I haven’t seen it in yrs I’m guessing the size of about 4’ wide and maybe 5’ long was what she used.[/QUOTE]

This is what I have been using lately and it does work pretty well. I have a 5x5 section of chain link fence with a 5’ piece of telephone pole on top to weight it down.

I went to the dump last weekend to look for bed springs or something similar but could not find anything. The dumps people looked at me like I was a crazy horse lady.