This came up in a correspondence recently. I was told there is someone who recommends this for dressage arena footing.
Seems like a terrible idea to me. I presented a horse in a pea-gravel arena for a breed approval once and hated the stuff. So did the examiner.
So tell me about your experiences with pea gravel as footing. Under what conditions is it appropriate? Seems crazy to me, but I’m willing to learn…
I bet it would wear the hoof down pretty quick too. Ride heavy as well- nothing there to give a bit of spring.
Sounds like a very fast way to injure a horse.:no:
I really like it, but I have only ridden in it when it is mixed with small wood chips. It never freezes or really floods. Really nice. Great to jump in also. The horses love it too.
Whaaat? That is the first time I have ever heard of this!
I have pea gravel in all of my run in sheds as it is great for drainage, excellent for horses to stand in (very comfy for them) but I haven’t thought about how it would be to ride in…when I walk in it (my MIL has it all around her gardens) it is TOUGH to grip in…
Well I’ll be darned! How is the base for such an arena prepared? I just can’t get the idea out of my head that galloping around on pea gravel would be slippery – like ball bearings. The wood chips must help, right?
Tell me more!
We have 4 arenas, one is a 100x100 pea gravel arena. It’s actually quite nice sometimes, good size for working a young or fresh horse, and it’s been good for knowing when a horse is even/sound or not. It is also rideable all year round.
Not sure I would want to work on it 100% of the time though.
Yeah. I can’t imagine anyone recommending it for dressage arena footing. I was so gobsmacked, I had to ask for more opinions or actual experience with the stuff.
I participated in a clinic where this was the footing. All the riders complained and stated they would never ride in that again. That is, except for the students of the local “dressage trainer” who advocates this footing. So there are 4 or 5 “dressage” arenas in this area all with this footing. Sort of like the crop circles aliens leave behind, but I digress…
I found it to be very hard, unyielding and “cushy”- there was no bottom to it so the horses had a lot of stress on their joints.
That’s what I would have thought…
I would expect lots of soundness issues with horses worked on such footing.
It’s pretty common here in Colorado where the wind blows every drop of sand away unless you mix it with something.
What I have seen is a very, very fine grain, mixed with sand. The base is prepared as normal. I suspect the grain and the mixture make all the difference. The drainage tends to be really good.
It does not seem to wear the hoof away any faster than sand (think sandpaper).
It’s pretty common here in Colorado where the wind blows every drop of sand away unless you mix it with something.
What I have seen is a very, very fine grain, mixed with sand and/or rubber. I think it may actually be called pea sand. The base is prepared as normal. I suspect the grain and the mixture make all the difference. The drainage tends to be really good.
It doesn’t seem to damage the horse’s hooves any more than sand (think sandpaper). And I don’t see more than the usual soundness issues from it.
I can see a coarse grain sand mixed with something else. But no, what I saw at this approval was pea gravel – gravel about the size of a large pea or a black-eyed pea. Nothing else.
And if I understand correctly, that’s what this person recommends. Not the pea sand (that makes sense in a windy, dry place like CO), but straight pea gravel.
No experience with the stuff. But how would you flatten it?? Would you harrow it like normal or do you have to get out there and rake it like a sand/rock garden?
P.
Weird
The only place I have pea gravel is in one paddock by the gate and water area, as that area tends to get muddy in the spring and when it’s really rainy. That being said, I certainly would not ride on it. The pea gravel I have is the smallest diameter readily available in my area. My mare often loafs in that area of her turnout, as it is in front of her run in. She hasn’t had any problems with her hooves, but she is not trotting or cantering in that area.
That does sound concussive - what would give you any spring? Mixed with some sort of other springy substance to stabilize the other substance and weight it, maybe, but???
I’d hate to be riding behind a horse in an area like that and have him kick up his heels! I’d probably put goggles on so I didn’t lose an eye from flying peastone!
Ouch. I would never do that to my horses’ legs.
The texture that Narcisco described would actually be pretty nice mixed with something that is springy. The stuff I have seen is like White Northern Beans but not as nice as what I imagine Bean footing would be.
The “trainer” is this area that advocates this footing does so because she does not like to breathe any kind of dust when she teaches. So that is the reason for the isolated cluster of gravel arenas. Her students do what she tells them… 
Hmmmmm… it might depend on what you are calling pea gravel and what it is mixed with.
It would also depend on the depth of it. For example, I use pea gravel for all the walkways on my farm. It packs down to a perfectly even surface that even tender footed barefoot horses are comfortable on. Stays dry and clean and is hard to tear up. I have a client who has much deeper pea gravel in her very large loafing shed and surrounding area… deep enough for their feet to dig into a bit. Her horses have excellent feet and they did not before she moved there. Of course there could be many factors there, but I think staying clean/dry is probably a player.
I can see if you mixed pea gravel (which here is very small angular pieces of grey stone, not round at all) and rubber and sand, it would probably make excellent footing as it would not ball up at all, would maintain its flatness/shape of the arena and probably would help control dust. My guess is not only would you want to drag it, but you might want to roll it on occassion, too. Something to ride in everyday, no. But all-weather consistent footing? Probably would work. In fact, now that I think about it… when I build my very small dressage arena (to be used only in foul weather) maybe I will try it and report back!
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