Olympia Arena Surface - Multiple Slips

measles

measles

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today in the World Cup Qualifier and last night in the big class (the only two classes I've watched). Surely this is sub standard for a show of that quality as it cost a number of riders a chance of the class, and horses were visibly losing confidence?
 
I thought that too. I assume the surface was done by the arena company sponsoring the event??... i dont imagine their sales will be as high as usual after a big show!
 
I noticed that too - very very suprising! Riders are handling it well to nurse the horses round after the slips though to keep the confidence up. Shouldnt be happening though!
 
i too noticed this and it seems very compact (more than normal early on)!! Unless the surface just cannot cope with the low temps we are having at the moment and its causing some chemical imbalance!!! ALSO its worth remembering that these were some incredible handbrake turns these showjumpers were getting i
 
Interestingly a friend who is a big barefoot fan was saying she thinks barefoot horses would slip less? On a surface I did not think it would make a lot of difference to be honest. What does anyone else think?
 
I think that the isanely low temps that we have been having during the show, the laying of the arena and the manufacturing off the surface may have affected it's performance.

I do have to say that although I have seen horses having the odd slip, I havent noticed anything too bad. It is worth noting that they are travelling and turning at huge speed during the class, and expecially last night during the speed class.

I am sure that if there is a problem that the riders will have raised it and the suppliers will be doing their utmost to correct it.
 
I thought the surface moving too much just too many slips from the best horses and riders, at scope the surface was "managed" by the contractors frequently as of course it is a newly laid surface, dont think this is happening at olympia, maybe completely unrelated but an earlier thread on here mentioned cian o connor fall and pippa allen had a fall today too?
 
Cian's fall was unrelated but I would also be 99% sure that he had studs in Splendor last nite which would have helped!
 
We have a waxed gel track surface on our indoor school, and in the cold today, my horse slipped. First time ever on that surface. So I wonder if the cold does have an effect on this sort of footing?
 
Thursday evening was boiling so I'm not sure if it would be temp.

I think the reason for the slips is purely that these guys are pushing extreme to the extreme. The level of competition and standards and stakes are so high that these things are bound to happen. Although the guy who lost 2 shoes... I think I'd be looking more at the farrier perhaps than the surface? I'm sure it will all become clear in the next few days if there was something wrong though.
 
Sure riders would be complaining if there was something wrong with the surface. Have only seen the puissance and todays class from about 3pm onwards and yes there were a few slips this afternoon but they did seem to be from the combinations that were going for the very tight fast turns in the jump off. But i didn't see the speed class so maybe haven't seen the full story.
 
With the speed and tightness of turns no surface is 100% stable with a horse kicking back on it, add to the fact quite a few horses are kicking up the surface at the same spot round after round.

There are 100's of rounds from HOYS and Olympia where a tight turn the horse has slipped its not unusual at all, Nick Skelton and St James a lot of years ago, all but hit the deck at Olympia flat out around a corner, yet he picked the horse up and still won the class.

Even on grass you see horses slip, especially when one part of the course is used constantly for tight turns at speed.

These guys are chasing a World Cup qualifier they are not going to hang about, give an extra millimetre on a turn than they have too, and those horses with their hocks well underneath them managed, it was the ones that were flat and unbalanced that had a problem.

As for the lost shoes, the farrier there to replace them is the best in the country ;).
 
I noticed the slipping and yes it is true barefoot horses slip less as they use themselves properly without relying on shoes and studs. I have to say though, those who rode their turns properly and didn't yank the horse round didn't slip.
 
I *think* its a Martin Collins Ecotrack. HOYS is an Andrews Bowen ProWax.

(Not really arena geek but just about to get mine resurfaced so been doing a lot of reading and research of late!)
 
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