Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
alone as footing, humus (which is largely organic matter) would hold too much moisture.
Therefore, through trial and error, add humus in small increments to find the ideal mix.
Commercial compost may sometimes contain heavy metals that can be a health hazard
to horses and humans.
Waste oil.
Applying used motor oil to arena footing is banned by the EPA, since it is
harmful to the environment. Besides potential harm to the soils and groundwater, spread-
ing old tractor or car oil on an arena is very messy for horse, tack, and rider and can cause
respiratory problems.
Oil products.
Oil products that are vegetable based (palm, coconut, and soybean) and en-
vironmentally safe have recently been developed specifically for dust control, as they can
bind, coat, and add weight to small particles. How well these products work over the long
term remains to be seen.
Salt
(sodium chloride). Salt is used to prevent footing from freezing because it lowers
the freezing temperature of water. Salt is drying to horses' hooves and can create problems
with tack (especially leg boots) and corrosion of farm equipment. And if you use a salt on
an outdoor arena, the runoff could kill the vegetation near your arena.
Calcium chloride.
Calcium chloride is applied to pull moisture from the air into the soil
to combat dustiness. However, since it leads to hoof problems (dryness) and is corrosive to
metal (indoor arena structures and equipment) and leather, there are better options to con-
sider that do not have these drawbacks.
Water.
Additives that are designed to slow down evaporation by encouraging microbial
populations to flourish are applied every time the arena is watered. The microbes produce
binding fluids that hold footing particles together and prevent them from drying out.
Fibers.
The addition of natural or plastic fibers to existing soil can both aerate the soil
and bind it.
Polymers.
Polymers designed as a moisture retention aid for use with turf have had var-
ied success in arenas. They are usually made of starch or synthetic acrylic. These water-ab-
sorbing products are crystals when dry but soften and swell when moist and release their
moisture gradually. Depending on the product, about 2 teaspoons of crystals can absorb a
quart of water. If improperly applied, polymers can be slick when they are fully engorged
with water, and when the arena soil freezes, so will the polymers.
