April 2024 Newsletter
|
Jumping |
Dressage |
Gallop |
About Attwood: Footing for Specific Disciplines
Attwood Equestrian footings are lab engineered, lab tested and have a guaranteed performance outcome. Attwood provides arena footing for equestrians who ride with an English saddle, including eventers, dressage riders, hunters, jumpers, jockeys, and more. Additionally, Attwood has provided footing for therapeutic riding centers and veterinary hospitals, as well as footing for mounted police. We have worked with countless breeds of horses and the specifics they need to perform at their best within their discipline.
With this bank of knowledge and experience, Attwood knows what English riders need in their footing – stability and flexibility at the same time. If an arena is specifically used for dressage, for example, Attwood will formulate the footing to meet the needs of the discipline. Or, an Attwood installed gallop is engineered for endurance and strengthening, while jumpers prefer to have their own feel of footing, etc. One thing we can all agree on – everyone wants the horses and riders to be safe and injury free. Attwood applies science and 30+ years of experience to achieve these standards.
Attwood footing is good for Western pleasure, which requires the same surface as English riders. However, Western pleasure riders often share the arena with other Western disciplines such as reining, cutting, penning and barrel racing. These require depth and fluidity of the footing to accommodate slides and hard turns. This footing is typically dirt or a dirt/sand mixture.
If you would like Attwood to work on a dust free footing that is suitable for all Western disciplines, let us know!
Attwood is continually improving, innovating, leading and growing, so a dust free footing for all Western disciplines could be on the horizon!
Project Highlight
Deer Meadow Farm
 |
 |
 |
 |
At the stunning Deer Meadow Farm in Wellington, Florida, Attwood installed a free draining base, ArenaWet and GGT Footing.
Even though the arena is covered, it needed a vertical draining base built for an outdoor because of the heavy Florida rains blowing in from the sides.
The drainage layer was added as the base, compressed, then mats were laid as the next layer to incorporate our ArenaWet under surface watering system.
With proper moisture provided by ArenaWet, and mats to hold it in place, this made for additional concussion reduction and added to a kind footing design for high level training.
For Resident Trainer & Olympic Bronze Medal W inner, Ali Brock, Attwood is proud to provide a worthy grand prix training surface, both in Florida and Virginia!
Monthly Q & A
How Do I Know How Much Water to Use?
Knowing the answer to ‘how much water to use’ is different for everyone!
Footing made of sand, sand-aggregate mixture, or sand + textiles is ever-changing with use and age, and getting the most out of it requires regular maintenance.
Water or moisture is the single most important ingredient after sand if you do not have a dust free, coated surface. Think about the beach where the water line is compared to way up on the dune…the sand in the water is somewhat hard and inflexible, while the dry dune sand is loose and deep. It’s the same concept with footing. So, the more sand you have, or if you add textiles, the more you will need water. Furthermore, when you add water, you can control the depth and the firmness of the footing to suit your needs.
But how much water do you need?
If you have a Moisture Meter, you can survey your arena with this hand-held two-pronged device and determine a map of moisture readings to see how much moisture your arena contains, and how even it is. This moisture meter will cost you about $2k. It is a very useful tool, but what do you do with the information?
What are your objectives? How will you water your footing to meet your objectives?
ArenaWet is our under surface watering system incorporating mats, zones, and control boxes to water your arena from underneath with confidence. This is one way to solve all your watering problems and needs!
Sprinkler Systems from above can be installed – indoor or outdoor. These come with their own issues: they often do not water evenly and cause rot.
Water trucks are helpful. They come in different sizes.
If you want to get the best out of your sand blend footing, water and a good harrow are both important. While we do not have a one-size-fits-all prescription for how much water to use, we can tell you the importance of using water and why.
Of course, our Pinnacle footing and our AlphaTex footing are both dust free and do not need water, so that would alleviate all your watering concerns as well!
Product Highlight
Solarium
Want to warm your horse’s muscles up before riding and keep them from being sore afterwards? Our infrared solariums can help with that! Our Sirocco solarium is designed to speed up drying AND cooling times with 6 state of the art fans. The infrared lights help to increase the levels of Vitamin D while warming and softening your horse’s muscles, along with yours! You can adjust the intensity and time to your horse’s individual needs with dimmable light bays and a timer. A 10-15 minute session both before and after exercise can help reduce muscle strain and the build-up of lactic acid.
What do our customers have to say about it? Mary from Minnesota said, “This solarium is something any barn in any area that experiences cold or wet weather should have. Your vet, your farrier, your chiropractor, your trainer, your horse…they’ll all be grateful for it. It’s well worth the minor investment.”
Our solariums have the most features for the lowest price on the market. Not to mention, they’re extremely light weight in comparison to the others! A streamlined design and a simple installation process has allowed us to provide you with a great smaller option that offers big rewards.
Product Highlight
Help Attwood cheer on competitors at the
Mid-Atlantic Dressage Festival & Lexington CDI3*
Attwood is proud to sponsor The Virginia Horse Center, an international equestrian center located in the bucolic setting of Lexington, VA. The VHC hosts world-class shows and a variety of disciplines. The DEE DEE arena installed by Attwood is all-weather and expertly maintained by the VHC crew. Visit the VHC website for more!
Interested in Volunteering? Click here to contact the VHC!
Morven Park International Equestrian Center is a premier competition venue located in Leesburg, VA, serving all levels of competition from beginners to some of the world’s top riders. The Equestrian Center is host to multiple disciplines year-round, such as hunter/jumper shows, dressage competitions, carriage driving events, the Morven Park Spring Horse Trials and the Morven Park International & Fall Horse Trials.
Martin and Commando 3 Take the Top Spot After Dressage at
Morven Park International CCI4*-L
Read More…
Check out the Morven Park Summer Show Series
Stable View, known as “a gathering place,” was purchased in 2010 and repurposed from a quail hunting lodge into a top notch equestrian training facility. The property itself included 1,000 acres of gently rolling hills with forests of long leaf pines. Over 800 acres of Stable View is conserved land with a variety of flora and fauna, including endangered species of native plant-life… read more
Stable View’s Core Values help to strengthen their community and broaden their offerings.
Coming Up: May 4 – May 5
USEF/USEA Stable View Local Charities Horse Trials &
USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Championships
