TO DO DAILY: Maintain
Daily grooming goals include cleaning up foot prints, removing ruts on the rail and around jumps, and keeping the surface level and consistent.
Daily grooming is best. However, if there are only a few rides each day, then every other day may be sufficient. If the arena has no use, groom at least once a week to keep it primed.
Arenas with textile additives require consistent dampness to keep the sand and textile properly mixed. Watering should be done daily, or at least on an as-needed basis.
Always remove organic material (manure and leaves) from your arena. As it breaks down it will create dust, introduce bacteria and change the consistency of your surface over time.
TO DO WEEKLY: Condition
Deep conditioning sessions may be in order if you have heavier traffic, you’ve had wet weather, or if the arena hasn’t been used or groomed in several days (or longer).
If you have a footing additive, digging and mixing a bit deeper once a week will help maintain a proper blend. Hand raking the corners, edges or hard-to-reach spots is also a good weekly practice. See settings on the next page for mixing adjustments.
If your arena has jumps, move them around and thoroughly condition the take-off and landing spots.
TO DO YEARLY: Flipping
“Flipping” your surface once a year is beneficial if your arena has settled over a long period of time, or if regular maintenance has not been performed. This involves scraping up the footing above the base or base mats and flipping the sand and footing to re-blend the surface.
This is also a good time to examine the quality of your sand and footing additives. Sand breaks down over time and creates dust. You may need to incorporate some new sand and/or refresh your footing additives.
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