Arena Evaluations
Your arena surface is critical to the well being and performance of your horses.
Getting you closer to your goals
We can join you at any stage of your arena design process! Experience the support of our team of experts. We assess the suitability of your arena and ensure it meets the demands placed on it, offering improvements for your personal needs. At Peter Morrison Arenas, we work closely with you to identify the most cost-effective and efficient solutions for your needs. We can offer drainage, surface and maintenance solutions for your arena.
Overview
This is a service provided by PMEE whereby we can assess the current suitability and condition of your arena surface by applying international acknowledged soil and sand testing techniques.
Sieve Analysis of Arena Sand
The sands are passed through various sizes of sieves to ascertain mechanical properties and there after compared to industry standards for your specific type of arena.
These methods provide a scientific approach to the assessment of your arena surface which ultimately removes the guess work.
Clegg Hammer Testing of Arena Going
How Clegg Hammer Testing Works
A Clegg Decelerometer is used to obtain a measurement of the deceleration of a free- falling mass (Hammer) from a set height onto a surface under test to determine hardness. The impact of the hammer produces an electrical pulse, which is converted and displayed on the Control Unit in units of gravities “G-max” or tens of gravities “CIT”. Readings of 50 indicate soft going, 100 is firm and over 150 is generally regarded as hard. Depth of surface (cushion) has a distinct effect on the “hardness” of the surface. For instance, 70mm of river sand over a hard-compacted base could read as high as 300, this is because when loaded the river sand moves leaving very little cushion for the horse in landing. 300mm of silica sand would read as low as 40 and be very soft (cushioned) for the horse but would not give any assistance to the horse during the propulsion phase forcing the horse to work harder.
A surface depth between 120 -150mm with stabilising additives would read between 70 and 120 depending on how it is prepared. Additives create stability and allow the surface to be manipulated to suit various discipline requirements.
A surface is generally made up of three distinct layers, firm compacted pad of approx. 25mm, a middle elastic cushion layer of approx. 75mm and the softer top layer of about 25mm which can be adjusted according to the specific discipline being catered for.
Dressage and jumping surfaces require similar properties, but for competition jumping the surface is required to have higher shear strength than a dressage surface. In training both surfaces would be prepared slightly softer but still allowing the horse to work on top of the surface rather than through it. Synthetic surface additives allow far more control over the properties of a surface than would plain sand. By having control over the surface properties during competition, the surface remains consistent for all competitors. Depending on climatic conditions the surface may need less or more preparation during competition to keep it consistent. Although turf is the blueprint for all synthetic surfaces it is just not durable enough for large numbers of horses and is very susceptible to weather conditions.
The critical characteristic of an arena surface is that the material in a basic sand arena cannot have all of the grains of sand all of the same size or the effect can be compared to walking on marbles. This will provide the horse with poor grip. Ideal sand should have grains of varying size. When fibre or wax and fibre are added to this same material however, the opportunity exists to have a well sorted material that in combination with the synthetic additive will support the hoof of the horse. This type of surface with open pores and sub angular durable sand will tend to have higher initial cost, but will require less maintenance and will have reduced sensitivity to moisture content because of the ability to drain water through the surface, provided an adequate drainage system has been installed. Unless you have a wax coated surface, a suitable watering system that delivers consistent water for your arena is an essential component to consider.