I am attempting to help out my barn owner a bit. 2 years ago, a clay base was out down to grade sand on top (we are in the Sandhills of NC). Keeping sand watered is a challenge and we get some heavy rain storms. The ring is dragged and it has become uneven. I will not ride in it. Barn owner is looking at additives to mix in with the sand to make it more stable and to retain moisture the best possible. The ring obviously has to be regraded before an additive is mixed in. Are there any additives that may be better than others? Thinking of cost, I was helping look into recycled carpet fibers. Would love to hear thoughts and experiences!
I love the care at this barn and do not want to leave due to the ring but feel I will have to if not addressed. It is not fun to always ride in an uneven sort of sloped paddock and between paddocks. TIA!
Quite a lot of the fibers mixed with sand for footing these days come from shredded remnants from carpet mills. Just FYI, that does not mean it is inexpensive, sadly.
I don’t want to derail your thread, but I have a related question… We recently moved barns and brought bales of carpet fiber footing with us. We used it at our prior barn and really did like it! It seems like it was easier to maintain and more forgiving in the fiber to sand ratio. The new BO will not allow us to put it in the arena, she said it isn’t “EPA approved”. While I don’t think the EPA approves footing, I think she meant that it isn’t environmentally friendly, and the drainage from the barn does run to the ocean, so the city it always on her about cleanliness and runoff. (Welcome to California!)
So is there an additive that IS environmentally friendly?
What companies make the carpet based sand? I hear nightmares about dragging issues with a lot of the fiber footing products out there. And that they end up needing MORE water not less.
I too am in the Sandhills of NC. You have a lot of factors that come into play here. My trainer’s ring has sand with carpet fibers. This only helps if you have a way to water your ring. My trainer does not. So I can tell you that it will not improve your situation at all if you don’t have a way to keep the fibers wet. One thing to consider is that the uneven footing could be caused either by how the barn owner is dragging the ring or by the type of drag being used. Another factor could be the type of sand that was used. If the sand particles are round (like river sand) and don’t have grip, then the sand will “roll” under your feet. Most people use a washed masonry sand (the particles are “jagged”) and that provides a better grip.
I have ridden in rings that had screenings mixed with the sand to give it more stability and I’ve also ridden in rings with sand mixed with red clay to help it retain moisture. Both rings were located in the Sandhills and both options worked well for the rings in question.
Picking this back up as the drought here in SoCal makes this issue super relevant again. What about a product ArenaMend? Anyone tried it? Says it is eco-friendly? Looking to reduce need for water, reduce dust, and generally enhance the footing in my all sand arena. It is at my home so ridden in pretty much daily by 2 horses but not big commercial barn arena.
