Understanding what good footing is / footing terminology: teach me?

[devvie_continued]

Hello everyone,

Want to talk about footing? I think that I know what makes good footing for a horse, and I try to evaluate ground (especially turf) and decide whether I think it’s too hard, slippery, etc. However, I don’t actually have that much experience and footing education has never really been a part of any coaching or formal equine education that I’ve had, so I’m putting it out there:

-What is it that makes footing good?
-How do I understand common terminology in eventing for footing, e.g., deep, holding: what do those really mean and how can I learn to judge the condition of turf?
-Same goes for artificial footing/sand: what makes it good, how do I learn to judge it? As an aside, I listened with interest to some mention – at the 2020 Eventing Safety Forum (all the talks are available online to stream) – of new research/observation that some of the most modern arena surfaces are now being criticized for being too grippy and causing injuries, which I thought was VERY interesting: however I haven’t read anything else about it.

I would love the insights and experience of horse people much more experienced than myself, and to be pointed to any videos or resources that you know of to help me learn more.

[EventerAJ]

The safest footing is consistent. Horses can deal with hard ground, soft ground, turf, dirt, mud…but what often causes injuries is a Change in footing: going from firm to soft for just one step, a patch of mud, etc. I actually LIKE to train my horses on varied terrain: hard lime rock roads, sandy turf, firm turf, etc. If you give them time to train on different surfaces, they will adapt. They key is to do it slowly, gradually, and frequently enough (weekly) to be useful.

Some slipping is normal and desirable when a foot lands…thats why overstudding can be harmful. The horse expects the hoof to slide about 1/4-1/2 inch when it contacts the ground, dissipating energy laterally instead of directly back up the leg. A lack of “slide” (due to “sticky” synthetic footing, or too big studs) puts more torque on the support structures of the leg when the foot lands. The horse needs grip to push off- especially over fences- but he needs a little tiny bit of slide on landing. Traditional footing of sand/clay will “smush” and move, accepting impact forces from the limb. Too much movement, like deek rounded river or beach sand, makes it unstable and difficult to grip/push or stabilize on landing.

See this video: https://youtu.be/4yk4H6WHnAQ

Turf ranges from dry/hard, dew/hard (slick), good (bouncy like a golf course), “greasy” (half inch of wet mud on top of hard base), yielding or soft (big divots, but consistent texture), muddy (wet, sloppy and soft), and the worst…gummy (drying mud, slick in spots, deep and very tiring to run & jump). Most turf surfaces can be made safer with good stud choices, but also thoughtful riding and a clever/experienced horse.

[Willesdon]

Well then, where to begin?

Horses have spent far, far more time running around on grass and various other natural surfaces than on synthetic ones, so don’t automatically assume an artificial surface is better than grass to ride on.

The going, or footing, will depend on the amount of moisture there is in the ground. That is the simple answer. The more the moisture the deeper the going. Bone dry concrete = hard -> saturated mud = heavy, sometimes heading on to bottomless, as found hunting in Ireland. However, the moisture is combined with endless variables such as sub-soil, drainage, season, wind conditions, time of day, management practices, type of grass or blend of synthetic material, and so on.

As a rough guide, when walking on a good turf surface one should feel a slight cushioning underfoot, almost a little bounce. If a horse moves over good grass there should be little evidence of an imprint. As the ground gets wetter, obviously it becomes muddier. Horses usually don’t mind mud very much, unlike humans. As the ground gets wetter the hoof prints become more obvious, deeper, and the sward will start to cut up if the horse is moving at speed. The wetter the ground, the deeper the hooves go in and the more effort the horse has to make to lift its feet. That is why deep ground can pull off shoes and pull tendons and ligaments. By contrast, hard ground has no spring to it: it can feel dead underfoot. Then percussion causes jarring and damage to tendons and ligaments but at least the shoes usually stay on.

Other surfaces, e.g. sand, bark or specialist synthetic riding surfaces, should also provide that slight spring and cushioning. Too hard, too deep will be detrimental to the horse. Unfortunately, it then gets more complex because one has to take into account the way the horse moves its limbs and feet, the slide and slip, the speed, the grip of the hoof as it expends and contracts - which all happens naturally on grass because that is what horses evolved to run on - however, the science behind equestrian surfaces is increasing all the time. Even on non-turf surfaces, the footing still depends on material, moisture, time of day, season, management practices. Similar to turf, good footing in e.g. a showjumping ring should have that bounce and resilience and the best surfaces don’t show much of a cut, so that hoof prints are almost invisible.

Managing turf takes some knowledge and not every climate or environment can provide good grass so synthetic surfaces are ever more popular. They are level, consistent, relatively easy to maintain and stand up to a lot of use. Unfortunately for the horse, there is increasing evidence to suggest that horses need to work on a variety of surfaces in order to support and maintain soundness.

[merrygoround]

As a rule ground footing is, what it is, If ground has not been rained on for awhile. It can become hard, and its grass dry and slippery. Some events have been known to water their courses. Lightly mowed fields hold their moisture the best. And I have to chuckle when sand ring hunter riders panic when faced with a course on a lovely grass field. Do they never turn their horses out?

Sand arenas vary in depth depending on use. Jumpers want deeper footing, but both they and dressage riders like a good cushion which is supplied to sand by various additions. Some of the artificial footings, while quite expensive do not have the “spring” or the ability to allow the horse’s foot to really cut in.

Footing, like learning about hay, takes time, and hands or feet on.

[Xanthoria]

@Willesdon

Horses have spent far, far more time running around on grass and various other natural surfaces than on synthetic ones, so don’t automatically assume an artificial surface is better than grass to ride on.

@merrygoround

And I have to chuckle when sand ring hunter riders panic when faced with a course on a lovely grass field. Do they never turn their horses out?

I think Willesdon you meant “in an evolutionary sense” and merrygoround maybe you’re being facetious :lol: but here in CA many horses are raised in small dry lots and live in a stall their whole life with 2 hours on a 50’ dry lot per day if they’re lucky, and a huge number of those never go on a trail ride in a place that’s not groomed and flat… Yes, it’s a sad life - one I do what I can to avoid! But there are a great many horses whose hooves rarely if ever touch grass… let alone gallop up hill and down dale, through mud and sand and so on. I got a youngster raised in the flatlands once and on arrival he ran up a small steep hill and literally couldn’t figure out how to get down…

[BWP]

https://inside.fei.org/system/files/Equestrian_Surfaces-A_Guide.pdf

The FEI Equine Surfaces White Paper is a few years old now but still makes for good reading

[devvie_continued]

@BWP

https://inside.fei.org/system/files/…es-A_Guide.pdf

The FEI Equine Surfaces White Paper is a few years old now but still makes for good reading

Thanks for the link, and thanks for the comments everyone – I’m late getting back here. I will give it a read. I suppose I’m trying to learn where those lines in the sand - or grass - are: when is hard ground really too hard to work on, and when is wet ground really too wet to be safe? One of my barn-mates will do trot sets on ground that I consider too hard, but avoids muddy trails that I would ride without a second thought . . . which is what started me thinking that I really should try to educate myself more.

I was amazed, the first time I walked onto a racetrack (dirt), how deep the footing was!

[devvie_continued]

And I also have one specific question for you all if you’re willing: footing described as “holding” . . . what does that mean, exactly?

[EventerAJ]

@devvie_continued

Thanks for the link, and thanks for the comments everyone – I’m late getting back here. I will give it a read. I suppose I’m trying to learn where those lines in the sand - or grass - are: when is hard ground really too hard to work on, and when is wet ground really too wet to be safe? One of my barn-mates will do trot sets on ground that I consider too hard, but avoids muddy trails that I would ride without a second thought . . . which is what started me thinking that I really should try to educate myself more.

I was amazed, the first time I walked onto a racetrack (dirt), how deep the footing was!

Considering it is normal in some places to do trot sets on paved roads, I’m not sure there is such a thing as “too hard” surface for trotting. Speed work, yes. But if the horse has been conditioned to hard surface (many days of walking, building up to short trots) I feel it is beneficial to the horse. The key here is adaptation, and that doesn’t happen overnight. Any time you drastically change surfaces from what a horse is accustomed to, you risk injury. Bone and tendons will adapt to their workload, if given months of gradual introduction. What hurts joints is riding 99% of the time in a manicured arena or watered golf-course-like turf, then suddenly going to trot or gallop on hard July ground. Same goes for deep footing or mud…that tires muscles quickly and challenges balance if horses are not prepared for it. But if you ride on soggy wet ground (turf) at home every day it rains, it’s NBD when you get to a 3day and rain makes a swampy course. There is increased risk for injury on non-ideal surfaces, but proper conditioning ON the varied footing reduces the injury risk. IME.

Many racetracks are really deep. It’s to cushion horses’ joints going at high speed, to absorb concussion and protect rundown. I would never trailer my eventer to any old training track for a fitness gallop, unless he had been jogging that track twice a week for a month or more. He’s likely to find the deeper surface tiring, and tired muscles lead to bad steps and soft tissue injury.

To me, “holding” is wet or soft turf that still gives the horse a “hold” of the ground. It’s holding up to traffic; there will be footprints, but horses are not slipping or struggling.

[Willesdon]

I agree 100% with ^^^ EventerAJ - except on the definition of holding!

Holding to me is the kind of deep going that can suck off shoes. Ground that makes a ‘schooop’ sucking noise under foot. Apparently never to be heard in California or Mediterranean Europe but frequent in the Atlantic isles.

[SusanO]

The problem with turf is that it can be great for the first few horses to go but can be a mess for those people that ride last. There is nothing like galloping on nice springy grass but it doesn’t stay that way if there is too much traffic.

[OverandOnward]

So ‘holding’ can mean the best going, or the worst, it sounds like. :winkgrin: I’ve also often been uncertain what people meant when they used that term.

When I see some UL riders walking and re-walking and re-re-walking the course, I think often they are looking at the footing on all the options to each approach.

I know personally that at least some organizers/landowners spend more of their year-round preparation on the footing, all the way around on every course, than on anything else. In some cases that might be due to climate and terrain. Others may have the good fortune to have ground that is best left alone.

[Willesdon]

@OverandOnward

So ‘holding’ can mean the best going, or the worst, it sounds like. :winkgrin: I’ve also often been uncertain what people meant when they used that term.

When I see some UL riders walking and re-walking and re-re-walking the course, I think often they are looking at the footing on all the options to each approach.

Like anything to do with horses, there is no certainty! Ask the UL riders what they look for. I’ve always found eventers to be helpful with explanations.

[devvie_continued]

@EventerAJ

Considering it is normal in some places to do trot sets on paved roads, I’m not sure there is such a thing as “too hard” surface for trotting. Speed work, yes. But if the horse has been conditioned to hard surface (many days of walking, building up to short trots) I feel it is beneficial to the horse. The key here is adaptation, and that doesn’t happen overnight. Any time you drastically change surfaces from what a horse is accustomed to, you risk injury. Bone and tendons will adapt to their workload, if given months of gradual introduction. What hurts joints is riding 99% of the time in a manicured arena or watered golf-course-like turf, then suddenly going to trot or gallop on hard July ground. Same goes for deep footing or mud…that tires muscles quickly and challenges balance if horses are not prepared for it. But if you ride on soggy wet ground (turf) at home every day it rains, it’s NBD when you get to a 3day and rain makes a swampy course. There is increased risk for injury on non-ideal surfaces, but proper conditioning ON the varied footing reduces the injury risk. IME.

Many racetracks are really deep. It’s to cushion horses’ joints going at high speed, to absorb concussion and protect rundown. I would never trailer my eventer to any old training track for a fitness gallop, unless he had been jogging that track twice a week for a month or more. He’s likely to find the deeper surface tiring, and tired muscles lead to bad steps and soft tissue injury.

To me, “holding” is wet or soft turf that still gives the horse a “hold” of the ground. It’s holding up to traffic; there will be footprints, but horses are not slipping or struggling.

[my bolding in the quote above].

Right. And what ratio of work on hard footing to work on good/cushioning footing do you consider to be about right for the average horse (it being a given that the recipe would be different depending on age, fitness, goals etc.? Where is the line between too much work on hard ground and not enough? When does conditioning tip over into the realm of un-needed wear and tear?

Very interesting that we have no consensus regarding what holding ground is! One thing I’ve heard is that it’s exceptionally tiring for the horse, more work, sapping of strength – which is not necessarily true of all wet footing, correct?

[EventerAJ]

I work on hard ground 2x a week. Long walking hack on Mondays on hard packed limerock roads. 20-30min of trotting on the same roads on Fridays. The roads do have softer, sandy, or grassy places, but it’s mostly hard going.

Young or lower level horses will just hack on Mondays & Fridays if they don’t need to trot for fitness. By the time trotting is needed, they’ve probably been hacking roads 2x week for 3-6 months or maybe more.

I also hack about half mile down the road to and from my riding area, so they do limited slow work on firm going every day.