Aargh surfaces

[soloequestrian]

Still doing arena surface research, I came across this in a post from a few years ago, the quote taken from H&H:
horses worked on sand had the most injuries, sand caused tripping. Woodchip caused slipping, wax coated could cause strain from sticking,sand and rubber mix was best.
So now that rubber is becoming a problem in terms of planning and disposal, what's the answer???
I love the idea of woodchip but for every good experience there is at least one horror story. Does it have to be sand + one of the new (expensive) additives?

 

[loz9]

i know what you mean! ours is at a complete standstil until after xmas now (mainly due to the shear amount of rain making it difficult to get large lorries down the long drive!) however i hav finally been to visit the livery yard with a woodfibre surface & it seemed really gd. they had good drainage put in & the surface has been in a couple of yrs & isnt ready for topping up yet. they hav had no issues with slipping (also spoke to a few liveries) so i think its goin to be the surface for us!
we hav also had the decision made easier for us in that we arent allowed rubber at all due to its toxic run off. & we'v had so many bad experiences with sand & sand mixes floodin, freezin, etc that we dont want it! which leaves us with woodfibre unless we can get creative or win the lottery!!

 

[daisybe33]

I have had a sand arena laid, I was advised not to add rubber until the sand had settled (2 - 3 months) I put good drainage in and I haven't had a single puddle in all this rain! if it doesn't freeze in the coming cold snap I am not going to add rubber to it.

I really think its all about the drainage and getting the right sand.