what are your opinions on deep sand school

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cellie

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Ive always felt its not beneficial to horses tendons and my instructor agrees.My yo is very experienced and thinks that it strengthens horses tendons.A friend thinks her horse prefers deep school as he likes the soft going.
I know we all have different opinions but whos right ?
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Personally I dont like deep going if i find it difficult to run in so must my horse. Also I had a pony who had to have an operation on his hind leg, cant remember the name of the structures involved, very technical and unusual apparently, but I firmly believe his injury was due to using a sand school with deep going during the foot and mouth outbreak, we were based on a cattle farm and wernt allowed to go off site for weeks.
I am now very careful about the type of sand I will work our horses in especially my daughters older lad.
 
I would never work my horses in a deep sand school as I believe it can cause damage to their tendons. As you know Jesper had psd so working him in a deep school would have been very detrimental - then again I am a paranoid mummy!
 
personally don't like them and always was led to believe could damage legs.One end of our school is heavy going you can feel them having to plough through it.Will avoid it like plague.
Daughter jumping in a comp once warmup ring was so deep if you were jumping 1.10 class practice jump was at about 90/1mtre as they had to practically climb out of sand.We never went back to that arena
 
Deep going will not strengthen tendons! Yes, it adds extra strain, which is the principle of training but this should be done in a gradual controlled manner. Deep going is asking for tendon trouble, as in many cases it will put too much strain on the legs, that the tendons cant cope with. Tendons are like a piece of elastic, if stretched too much they get damaged and deep going can easily over stretch them.

Your friends horse may prefer soft going because it has joint issues, which are under strain on hard going.
 
We were at a yard once that had an incredibly deep sand school. It was the most awful surface I have ever ridden on. My horses hated it and to be honest It didn't feel right asking them to trot, let alone canter in there. I'm sure that would have pulled a muscle or tendon in a very short space of time.

The yard was run by an old lady who used to ride her horse in the school and whip it to make it go because she said it was being lazy! We only stayed there a month!
 
What do you consider to be deep going.
Ours has just had 4 ton of new sand added and obviously it s deeper now.
My previous horse had problems anyway but i want to protect my new mare without being paranoid because of lameness issues in past.She works really well in this school and hated old school at other yard as she lost her footing on bark and sand (bit of cowboy setup).With new sand I would say that the deepest she sinks is hoof level does that make sense?
It is rollered and we take it in turns to make sure its level.
 
Now to put you on the spot what do you class as deep.?
Tatty finds it quite easy as shes very forward going.Its rollered and levelled the deepest she would sink is hoof level do you think thats excessive.?
Im trying not to be paranoid after ollies problems but want to make sure she safe.
 
I hate deep going. I have a horse of my own with such bad tendon issues that she has been semi-retired as a light hack at 13 years old. Now I may be paranoid, but I will refuse to ride ANY horse on going that isn't good enough. My friend insists on hiring her friend's school and taking her horse down there - I used to share the horse and my friend keeps offering to let me ride him in the school... I just won't. She can, her horse, and I've told her the sand is too deep, but I won't be responsible for her horse breaking down.
Thing is, after going through the heartache of having a horse with tendon troubles, you tend to become a whole lot more aware of how tendon injuries are caused (and hopefully therefore how to prevent them).

Edited to add: my horse's tendon tore because I jumped a log in the woods and cantered through some not-that-deep-but-deep-enough mud, hunting stylee. Next thing I know my horse is crippled lame. I can pinpoint the exact day and time and location she did it. Sort of makes you think, doesn't it!
 
Cellie- Its hard to say what deep is in inches as it also depends on the surface and how holding it is. Can you take a few photos and post them?
Rolling and levelling is good though
 
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