surface on concrete

[05jackd]

So, the arena plans are progressing and we are looking to extend the shed and go for a bigger indoor but it will likely be next year until the contractors can fit us in. So this winter I am going to trial the shed as is so I know what and how I need to improve things for when we expand.

Now the major issue I have is that the current shed has a concrete floor. This is ridged concrete and not 'slippy' as such but vet raised a concern over a yard they had been at where a surface was laid on concrete and they had a lot of unexplained lameness.

Taking up the concrete is not an option incase we ever need to return the shed to farm storage.

I have spoken to Foley's who have been excellent and they have recommended 3" sand plus Eco-flex on top for the surface.

We can rig up a watering system fairly easily if needed.

Has anyone done this /similar?
Any issues with lameness/ injury?
Good and bad stories welcome.

 

[Alibear]

At my last yard, there was a surface of concrete, and there were no issues there. I think it's the maintenance of the surface that's key, so watering and rolling, etc.

 

[ycbm]

Yes I rode in a 12x27m barn with a concrete floor for years with no lameness issues. I even jumped. Watering is definitely key to both dust and slipping.
.

 

[Fieldlife]

I think there is a certain amount of common sense with managing surfaces. Can you walk / run / jump in it comfortably on your own two feet? Not to hard / soft / in consistent etc.

 

[blitznbobs]

I was told by an indoor school installer if you can afford it have a concrete base… it’s the depth of surface that matters for injury and how much wax you do or don’t have

 

[05jackd]

I was told by an indoor school installer if you can afford it have a concrete base… it’s the depth of surface that matters for injury and how much wax you do or don’t have

That's interesting - I have not heard that before - but good news for my project!

 

[05jackd]

I think there is a certain amount of common sense with managing surfaces. Can you walk / run / jump in it comfortably on your own two feet? Not to hard / soft / in consistent etc.

That is what I am thinking and there will be a lot more in the budget for a surface if the extension is not being done till next year.

 

[05jackd]

Yes I rode in a 12x27m barn with a concrete floor for years with no lameness issues. I even jumped. Watering is definitely key to both dust and slipping.
.

Good to hear - I am hoping that silica with foam carpet will not be too dusty to start with but will just have to see.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Are surfaces not put directly onto concrete for things like the Horse of the Year show and London International?

 

[Orangehorse]

Don't indoor surfaces get put down on concrete at the NEC and Olympia, for instance? The surfaces aren't there all year round.

I suppose having a surface for a show isn't quite the same as year round use, but the people to talk to would be the people supplying the surface.

 

[blitznbobs]

If you have a concrete floor you can really churn up your surface with machinery every few years which makes any waxed product last a lot longer … it is hard to do this if you have any other kind of substrate. Equally if you have a party you can shove the surface to one end and have a dance floor… not that I would bother tbh but you can…

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

another advantage of concrete - no weeds growing through!

 

[Mari]

So, the arena plans are progressing and we are looking to extend the shed and go for a bigger indoor but it will likely be next year until the contractors can fit us in. So this winter I am going to trial the shed as is so I know what and how I need to improve things for when we expand.

Now the major issue I have is that the current shed has a concrete floor. This is ridged concrete and not 'slippy' as such but vet raised a concern over a yard they had been at where a surface was laid on concrete and they had a lot of unexplained lameness.

Taking up the concrete is not an option incase we ever need to return the shed to farm storage.

I have spoken to Foley's who have been excellent and they have recommended 3" sand plus Eco-flex on top for the surface.

We can rig up a watering system fairly easily if needed.

Has anyone done this /similar?
Any issues with lameness/ injury?
Good and bad stories welcome.

We had a big shed with a concrete floor. We put down 3-4” of sand (can’t remember what sort as this was 30 yrs ago). Horses were stabled on shavings so droppings went on the muck heap & the wet shavings went on top of the sand. It was a brilliant surface & never smelled.

 

[ycbm]

We had a big shed with a concrete floor. We put down 3-4” of sand (can’t remember what sort as this was 30 yrs ago). Horses were stabled on shavings so droppings went on the muck heap & the wet shavings went on top of the sand. It was a brilliant surface & never smelled.

I started mine with bark peel which was very sticky and gave me an immediately rideable dust free surface (which smelt beautiful! ). I added 30t of sand, roughly 1t per 10m² when that got thin and like you mucked out wet shavings into it. It was a great surface to ride on. I watered the track daily in summer with a hoseand sprinkler nozzle. It took about ten minutes to keep it topped up.

 

[dorsetladette]

We had a big shed with a concrete floor. We put down 3-4” of sand (can’t remember what sort as this was 30 yrs ago). Horses were stabled on shavings so droppings went on the muck heap & the wet shavings went on top of the sand. It was a brilliant surface & never smelled.

My parents place had done the same when we moved on. It was a good surface, we never needed to replace it. We bedded on straw so never added to it either.

We even overnighted our broodmares in there in winter as it was quite bleak up there in the winter sometimes.

 

[Kaylum]

Yes riding school near us has an indoor sand school and that needs water in the dry summers. They put a lot of wood chips in so they didnt have to water it so much and I hated riding on woodchips when they had clinics before it mixed in properly. Obviously theirs had very heavy use.

 

[Melody Grey]

Yes I rode in a 12x27m barn with a concrete floor for years with no lameness issues. I even jumped. Watering is definitely key to both dust and slipping.
.

Similar experience in having an indoor school that was a concrete floored barn covered with compacted sand. No lameness issues and they were all OTTBs….so I’d be inclined to say that unless the surface is very obviously wrong (too shallow/ too deep and not compacted), that the yard aboves lameness problem wasn’t the barn.

 

[Melody Grey]

Good to hear - I am hoping that silica with foam carpet will not be too dusty to start with but will just have to see.

My last livery yard had this outdoors and it was very dusty in summer with particles coming off it. It wasn’t sprayed though, partly because it was a large jumping arena, so that may have helped? May also have been older.

 

[05jackd]

Thank you - it's good to hear positive stories.

 

[Muddywellies]

Livery yard I was at had one and it was dangerous. Surface was far too shallow so with a scrape if your boot (or hoof) you were down to the concrete. Even with a deeper surface, I feel the sub surface adds to the overall bounce back and too hard a sub surface can create a very unforgiving ride. Goodness knows how exhibition centres transform into riding areas? I can only assume with it being freshly laid, and temporary, it retains its spring for the duration of the show. I would be having more regular deep power harrows if I had no option but to lay a surface on a concrete floor to prevent it compacting and riding too hard.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Livery yard I was at had one and it was dangerous. Surface was far too shallow so with a scrape if your boot (or hoof) you were down to the concrete. Even with a deeper surface, I feel the sub surface adds to the overall bounce back and too hard a sub surface can create a very unforgiving ride. Goodness knows how exhibition centres transform into riding areas? I can only assume with it being freshly laid, and temporary, it retains its spring for the duration of the show. I would be having more regular deep power harrows if I had no option but to lay a surface on a concrete floor to prevent it compacting and riding too hard.

This happened at one of my previous yards, a friends horse slipped and feel but as the sand was too shallow the shoes sparked on concrete and the horse had scraps on his hocks.


Just make sure you go for the most thickness you can

 

[teapot]

Don't indoor surfaces get put down on concrete at the NEC and Olympia, for instance? The surfaces aren't there all year round.

I suppose having a surface for a show isn't quite the same as year round use, but the people to talk to would be the people supplying the surface.

This is what's underneath the surface at the Excel https://scontent.ffab1-1.fna.fbcdn....IU7ergRV1UWul1JnrYSWYlVUm2z7Uxnkg&oe=667383CF