Martin Collins Calls for Standardized Arena Footing

Photo by Leslie Threlkeld Photo by Leslie Threlkeld

Glynnie Walford, the CEO of Martin Collins USA, supports creating a governing body to standardize arena footing at top FEI competitions. In a recent blog, Walford stated that creating such a standard would require collaboration between multiple leading companies.

“Our industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, base construction has become more precise and the manufacture of footing more sophisticated and technical,” Walford wrote. “Constructors and manufacturers alike should have one common goal and that is to build an arena that will stand the test of time with a footing that will allow the horse to work to the best of its ability with the least amount of stress and strain.”

The types of surfaces found in competition arenas varies widely. Blue stone and sand are common, different mixtures of synthetic materials are becoming increasingly popular, and yet Badminton and Burghley competitors still do their dressage test on grass.

Whatever the material an arena contains, the hope is the surface will be long lasting with reasonable maintenance requirements and be a healthy work area for horses. And considering the cost of constructing an arena, the client would expect such.

According to Walford, kickback, slide, movement and deepness are the most concerning characteristics of sub-par footing, but there is no standard or method of measurement to monitor surface quality. Walford recognizes that creating and enforcing a standard for competition footing would be difficult to legislate but suggests the FEI should lead the charge.

“In April 2014, the FEI published the world’s most extensive study into the effect of arena surfaces on the orthopedic health of sport horses in the seven FEI disciplines and in racing,” Walford said. “The Equine Surfaces White Paper was the result of a four-year collaboration between eight equine experts from six universities, three equine and racing-specific research and testing centers and two horse charities in Sweden, the UK and United States. The white paper brings together the latest data and published scientific papers on arena and turf surfaces, and the effects these have on horses in training and in competition.”

Following the test event for the 2012 London Olympic Games, competitors criticized the footing in the dressage and show jumping arena calling it “heavy” and “dead,” like pudding. As a results, several thousand tons of material had to be replaced months prior to the Games, and the new footing was approved by the FEI just days before the competition began.

Good cross-country footing is already a major concern for competitors, an ongoing project for course builders and a costly expectation for event organizers. Should arena footing be standardized, or at the very least, a “code of conduct” put in place? Would such a requirement further burden an organizer and would the costs of such a standard trickle down to the competitors?

Read the full article on the Martin Collins website and let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comments.

[Martin Collins USA: The Argument for Standardized Footing]

[FEI Equine Surfaces White Paper]

[Telegraph: London 2012 Olympics: surface to be imported to Greenwich unsuitable for equestrianism events, riders say]

[Dressage News: Olympic Arena Footing Gets Approval from FEI]

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