Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Footing Care
To keep your arena footing in optimum condition, groom and water it regularly.
Moisture.
You'll need to develop and practice watering techniques so the footing main-
tains a moisture level of 8 to 14 percent: less for clay, more for sand. A moisture meter like
the kind you use to test hay bales can give you an idea of how close you are to maintaining
this range.
How much water? To determine the amount of water needed to control dust and provide
uniform texture, multiply the square footage of the arena by 0.07. The resulting number
indicates the approximate number of gallons of water needed. To estimate how long this
will take to distribute on the arena, divide the number of gallons by 5 to find the number of
minutes of pumping required. Five gallons per minute assumes an average water pressure
of 40 pounds using a ¾-inch hose. If you have lower water pressure, decrease the number
to 4. If you have higher water pressure, use the number 6.
Example:
60′x120′ arena = 7200 sq. ft.
7200 sq. ft. x 0.07 = 504 gal. water
504 gal. ÷ 5 = 100.8 min., or
1 hr. 40 min. pumping time
As you plan your watering schedule, you need to take into consideration water pressure,
the output of the sprinklers, and the need of your particular footing. A common watering
problem is too much moisture in the arena center and not enough on the rail. One way you
can see how much water each part of your arena is receiving is to place empty tuna cans at
various locations and compare their contents after 10 minutes of sprinkling.
You also must learn the water-holding capacity of your soil. Some of this can be de-
termined via soil testing; some must be learned using trial and error. For example, if you
water for 10 minutes, you may find it accomplishes absolutely nothing. Twenty minutes
might just settle the dust—temporarily. Thirty minutes might be perfect; 40 minutes may
be too much and result in slippery spots. Too much watering also results in soaking the
base, which results in loss of stability.
One of the best ways to determine how well your watering program is working is to
simply use your fingers. Water should penetrate through all of the footing to the base be-
fore the arena is used.
Grooming.
Discing and harrowing are necessary to maintain the resiliency of most aren-
as. However, discing too deep can destroy the base and result in undulations in the footing.
These furrows are more stressful to a horse's legs than footing that is even but slightly hard.
