Expensive but badly maintained surface - horse always trips?

[canteron]

So the local competition centre has a fabulous Andrew Bowen surface in it. It is used a lot but rarely (if ever) harrowed, so it is very compacted.

The girl who owns it has show jumpers and the finer type of horses, so the surface also gets jumped on a lot. However, my cob Always trips on this surface. We have worked really hard on getting off the forehand and actually are looking quite good and light, but every so often he will put in a massive trip, he only needs a momentary distraction and 'trip'! It seems to catch his toe and be so compacted it doesn't move?

We are fine on every other surface, never trip now at home, at my trainers or in other yards, just this one.

I can't be the only one, anyone else have local surfaces their horse just can't cope with?

 

[Red-1]

Yes, I know of a very expensive surface which was incorrectly installed by a well known national company. It seemed OK for 1 year after which it broke down and was terrible. It did not matter how much it was levelled, the way it was compact it made the horses trip as soon as there were divots.

 

[oldie48]

I think some surfaces are more forgiving than others and I think it's very difficult to find an outdoor surface that is good to ride in all weathers without a lot of maintenance. my sand and rubber is great in wet weather but can get a bit deep when it's dry, my friend has an expensive sand and fibre surface which rides beautifully except if it's very wet, when it gets a bit slippy and trippy (but it does encourage the horse to pick his feet up) However, aren't we lucky to have surfaces to ride on, just imagine what we'd have done in the winter, my fields were more suited to swimming than riding! If I don't like the surface at a particular venue, I don't go.

 

[montanna]

If I don't like the surface at a particular venue, I don't go.

This. I, maybe controversially, would rather have no turnout than a bad surface and wouldn't compete/ride my horse on a bad surface.

Is this your only local centre? I would be worried if the horse was only tripping on one type of surface, and would probably avoid at all costs...

There is a lovely yard near me, that has a carpet fibre surface. A lot of horses seem to trip on that, in fact two moved to my yard from there due to tripping!

 

[chestnut cob]

If I don't like the surface at a particular venue, I don't go.

Same here. The surface at the yard is good - sand and really chunky rubber which rides well most of the time unless we have a hot, dry spell of weather then it can get a bit deep and dusty. It was great all through the winter and doesn't seem to freeze unless really cold. Previous yard had an incredible surface made from sand and I think it was chopped up bits of tyre, car seats and carpet, something like that. It was never deep, dry, wet, never froze even when it was -15C. There are a couple of local venues I won't compete at because of the surfaces - one is uneven, full of stones, dry and in places heavy and really deep, and another is just horribly deep and dry all of the time. Not worth bothering with.

 

[canteron]

However, aren't we lucky to have surfaces to ride on, just imagine what we'd have done in the winter, my fields were more suited to swimming than riding! If I don't like the surface at a particular venue, I don't go.

Thanks everyone, so pleased I am not the only one, I really don't think I could get a more 'up' and light trots and it slightly depresses me that we have problems with this surface.

But Oldie48 you are so right, with the hottest Summer every promised, the fields will be rock hard, and I am so lucky to have surfaces to work on - even 15 years ago they were a rarity and now there is a selection within a reasonable distance, so I guess I shouldn't moan if there is one bad one (just sucks that its the nearest competition centre!)

 

[chestnut cob]

Thanks everyone, so pleased I am not the only one, I really don't think I could get a more 'up' and light trots and it slightly depresses me that we have problems with this surface.

But Oldie48 you are so right, with the hottest Summer every promised, the fields will be rock hard, and I am so lucky to have surfaces to work on - even 15 years ago they were a rarity and now there is a selection within a reasonable distance, so I guess I shouldn't moan if there is one bad one (just sucks that its the nearest competition centre!)

I do think the surface makes such a difference. I'm having stud holes in the next set of shoes as mine struggled a bit at our last ODE - the grass was v wet and he got a bit backwards, felt like he was protecting himself and would really have benefited from studs. Also, with the dry weather and hard ground in summer, if I have early DR times the grass tends to be wet with dew on top of hard ground. He hates that and it is slippery, so would need studs then too. In terms of arena surfaces, there is one near us with an absolutely amazing surface. I've competed there and hired it to school on; he floats on it, because it is so meticulously maintained. It is a lovely surface to ride on. Equally, an uneven arena surface, especially one that maybe has become wet in areas if outdoor, can be really awful! I SJ'd on one like that earlier in the year and you'd turn a corner and end up in a bog. Horrible.

 

[Devilish Janey]

Do you or anyone else know what the chopped up car seats surface is called ? I've ridden on it before and it's fab x

 

[Sukistokes2]

I don't go to a local venue as well because although they have a good surface they do not maintain it correctly. My horse tripped there at a dressage comp. I didn't think too much about it and went back for a schooling session, as I asked for canter on a corner a hole opened under my horses front feet and he planted face first, almost doing a forward roll, I rolled off over his shoulder. We were both fine but shook up. When I tried to speak to the owner I was told it was my horse that was a fault, because he was a cob, he was therefore on the forehand, because all cobs go on the forehand. I loaded up and went home and have never been back.

 

[Kikke]

I don't go to a local venue as well because although they have a good surface they do not maintain it correctly. My horse tripped there at a dressage comp. I didn't think too much about it and went back for a schooling session, as I asked for canter on a corner a hole opened under my horses front feet and he planted face first, almost doing a forward roll, I rolled off over his shoulder. We were both fine but shook up. When I tried to speak to the owner I was told it was my horse that was a fault, because he was a cob, he was therefore on the forehand, because all cobs go on the forehand. I loaded up and went home and have never been back.

I don't normally use this but OMG.
Well you and your 'on the forehand' cob should have known better........
ridiculous!