Importance of properly grooming your riding arena
You've gone through the steps of installing a beautiful, brand-new riding arena on your property, but what's next? It's time to learn more about grooming and proper arena maintenance. Regular grooming not only makes your arena look beautiful, but also boosts many benefits for both horse and rider. In this article, Premier Equestrian will discuss why it's important to regularly use arena groomers and how you can turn maintenance into a process that's done in a cinch.
Improved Sand Quality
Have you ever noticed what happens to an arena's surface if it's not regularly groomed? You're more likely to see areas of compaction, ruts, uneven and loose surfaces, and other arena inconsistencies that can potentially cause problems. Dragging your arena distributes all particles evenly, including sand and other additives, improving the sand quality. Commonly compacted areas, like those along the rails, will be loosened. Deep ruts will be smoothed and reintegrated, making an even riding surface. Along with moisture maintenance, grooming is perhaps the most critical factor in ensuring that your arena footing lasts a long time.
Many barn owners wonder how often they need to groom their arenas. This isn't always a straightforward answer because every arena is different. First, is your arena an indoor or outdoor horse arena? And secondly, how often does the arena get used? You'll know when it's time to groom when the footing begins to shift and show wear patterns. Depending on how often you use the arena, this may be daily or weekly. Because of increased exposure to moisture, outdoor arenas may need grooming more often as well.
Benefits for Your Horse
One of the biggest reasons to properly maintain your arena is to ensure you have a safe riding surface for your horse. You'll want a surface that will prevent your horse from tripping during training or performing extensive maneuvers. Hills, lumps, and ruts can quickly form in an arena and pose a potential risk to the health and safety of your horse.
Providing proper support and footing for your horse is critical; not only will it help your horse feel more confident, but it'll also help to reduce any injuries. Riding in a well-groomed arena ensures that a horse performs at the optimal level.
Improved Riding Experience
An improved riding surface for your horse means an improved experience for the rider. Those who train extensively on a horse in an arena can quickly tell the difference in the horse's performance once the surface has been groomed. Horses training in a well-groomed arena are more confident in their maneuvers and more likely to have an effective training session. They're also less likely to lose their footing, ensuring you remain safe while riding. While grooming your arena takes several minutes each day, it's well worth the effort once you consider your horse's safety and improved performance.
Where to Start
Now that you know the importance of grooming your arena, how do you begin the process, and what tools do you need? First, you'll need to start looking at arena groomers and drags. Older styles of arena groomers that are chain drags or even drags with just straight teeth are not considered sufficient for the proper mixing of sand particles. They also do not work properly with the addition of textile additives. So, what type of arena drag should you choose?
At Premier Equestrian, we offer groomers that are suitable for many different arenas. You'll be able to choose from drags with adjustable s-tines, scarifiers, coil tines, and multiple rollers for added compaction. We offer numerous sizes and arena drag groomers that can be pulled behind various vehicles, such as tractors and ATVs. Purchasing the correct drag for your horse arena relies on several factors, such as your arena's size, composition, and location. If choosing the proper drag for your horse arena seems overwhelming, call us! Our experienced team will happily help you select the perfect arena groomer. Browse through our various groomers to learn more about this critical piece of equipment.
Premier Equestrian is a leading provider of high-quality dressage arena equipment, horse jumps, barn storage, arena footing and arena maintenance equipment. Find them on Equivont!
