The new warm-up arena at Plantation Field is under construction.
With the Plantation Field International Horse Trials just a few weeks away, organizers have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing the grounds for a very special addition that the riders are sure to appreciate: a brand new warm-up ring complete with high-quality Tapeta footing. “The riders have been asking for a warm-up area for some time, and we’re so excited to have the ring finished in time for this year’s event,” Katie Walker, a Plantation Field board member and the sponsorship and marketing coordinator for the event, said. “We think the riders are going to be very excited with the finished product.”
Invented by Michael Dickinson and originally designed for Thoroughbred racetracks, Tapeta has since become a popular footing choice for the sport horse industry. Plantation also used Tapeta for the main show jumping ring, which was built three years ago, so the warm-up ring will have matching footing. Construction on the new 180-by-210-foot warm-up ring began Saturday, and contractors were dutifully watering the sub-base when I visited the grounds on Monday in preparation for laying the Tapeta footing, which will be delivered next week.
While new footing can easily cost venues a half-million dollars or more, Katie approached Michael about purchasing Tapeta that had been previously used. “Michael offered some of the Tapeta footing from his own personal training track at his farm in Maryland, so we were able to purchase it for a fraction of the price of what it would have cost new,” Katie said. By successfully using second-hand footing, Plantation is paving the way toward a more viable financial model for venues to install state-of-the-art footing.
One of the major challenges Plantation faces when adding in new structural elements like arenas is the grade of the property, which is set almost entirely on hills. Instead of seeing the grade of the land as a disadvantage, event organizer Denis Glaccum embraced the natural shape when the main show jumping arena went in three years ago, and he’s holding to the same philosophy with the new warm-up arena. “We didn’t want the warm-up ring to be cookie cutter,” Denis said. “We fitted the ring to the natural landscape, which is also how we designed the main show jumping arena, which is not perfectly symmetrical.”
Plantation Field’s rolling hills expanded this spring when Katie and her husband Cuyler purchased a 70-acre property off Apple Grove Road that had been preserved by the Cheshire Land Preservation Fund, expanding the venue’s land to more than 300 acres. In a time when open space for riding is dwindling, it’s paramount that organizations like the Cheshire Land Preservation Fund and families like the Walkers, who own about 1,300 total acres, come together to protect land for equestrian sport. Many thanks to Katie for giving me a tour of the new warm-up arena. Go Plantation Field!
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