The Benefits of Waterless Footing
In designing Rancho Agave’s jumping arena, we were careful to consider a variety of different footing options. Our priorities were:
Texture and density built for high performance horses: concussion reduction and rebound
Low water needs
Able to tolerate medium traffic with minimal dragging/maintenance
The company we decided to use was Attwood Equestrian Surface and their Pinnacle Footing. This footing is completely waterless meaning we never ever have to use a water truck. Ever. It’s also equipped with a free draining base that allows any rain water to flow straight through and drain out. After our crazy rains at the end of ‘22/beginning of ‘23, the footing had no puddles despite the rest of the property being completely underwater. My horses were able to continue working without any delays. My Southern California sensibilities were the only thing that kept me from riding in the rain.
The footing itself is made from a silica sand coated in a special polymer mixed with super fine fiber. It feels like kinetic sand. Someone called it brown sugar. It’s got a sticky texture unlike traditional sand. So sticky it even gets stuck to my horse’s polo wraps (probably the only annoying thing about it). The feeling is super unique and bouncy. You can’t hear your horse’s hoof hit the ground, just the sound of them breathing. For us, it fit our needs perfectly (despite the higher price tag). Our horses feel amazing on it and even horses that have had soundness issues in the past continue to feel better and better in time.