30 Years Dragging Arenas at the AQHA World Show and Quarter Horse Congress: Why EJ Allison Uses Nothing But the Dragmaster
He has pulled almost every drag made in this country. There is only one that gets results he cannot get from anything else.
EJ Allison has spent 30 years as a professional arena ground manager, dragging competition arenas across some of the most prestigious equestrian events in North America. He has worked the AQHA World Show, the NRHA Derby, the Quarter Horse Congress, futurities, and major training facilities across the country. By his own account, he has pulled almost every arena drag made in this country at one point or another. His conclusion after 30 years and that breadth of experience: he has never gotten the results with any other drag that he gets with the ABI Dragmaster.
What 30 Years of Arena Ground Work Looks Like
Allison’s career puts him in a category very few people share. Professional arena ground managers who work at the AQHA World Show, the Quarter Horse Congress, and the NRHA Derby are not managing a single facility. They are traveling with their expertise to the biggest events in equestrian sport, arriving ahead of the competition to prepare arenas for thousands of horses and the riders, trainers, and owners who have spent years preparing for those events.
At that level, the ground is not background infrastructure. It is part of the competition itself. A horse that has been preparing for the AQHA World Show or the NRHA Derby for a full year performs to its trained ability on footing that allows it to do so. Footing that is too hard, too deep, inconsistently prepared, or different from the first day of competition to the last introduces variables that have nothing to do with the horse’s training and everything to do with how the ground was managed. Allison’s job is to make the ground a neutral factor by making it exceptional.
The One Thing No Other Drag Gives Him
After pulling almost every drag made in the United States, Allison identifies one capability that separates the Dragmaster from everything else: the ability to change the footing without getting out of the tractor seat. Every adjustment he wants to make, every change in how the ground is being worked, can be done from the seat. Hydraulic controls mean the operator does not stop, dismount, walk around the machine, adjust a component manually, remount, and test the result. The work continues while the adjustments happen.
At a competition event where the schedule is fixed and the clock is always a factor, that operating efficiency compounds across a full day of preparation. At a large training facility where the drag needs to be through the arena and the trainers need to be on their horses, the same efficiency means shorter prep windows and more riding time. Allison describes the time equation directly: the longer trainers have to wait for the ground to be made, the less time they spend on horses. Trainers do not like that. The Dragmaster solves it.
Who the Dragmaster Is Built For
Allison describes the Dragmaster’s range of applications across the scale of operation it serves. At the large end: AQHA World Shows, major derbies and futurities, training facilities with 50 or 60 horses in daily training. The Dragmaster is available from 10-foot to 16-foot widths and is available with an optional laser grading system, making it appropriate for the largest arenas and the highest-precision work. At those scales, covering ground quickly and precisely is what allows an event to run on schedule and a big training barn to move its horses through the day efficiently.
But Allison also addresses a different buyer: anyone who wants to hook it up, get it set up properly, and use it without needing to be a professional tractor driver. The Dragmaster is made to do the work for you. It does not require expert technique or years of experience to produce results. The design removes the dependency on operator skill that makes other drags difficult and unpredictable, which is what allows a first-time buyer to get professional-level ground on their first season.
Why He Recommends ABI
Allison’s case for ABI is both practical and personal. The practical case is straightforward: he uses a product that makes him look great at every event he works. When he is done with an arena and people come up to him to say it was fantastic, he knows the Dragmaster is a significant part of why. For a professional whose reputation is built on the quality of ground he delivers, that reliability is not a minor feature.
The personal case is about the company. He describes ABI’s people as hard-working, honest, and true to the cause. After 30 years in the industry and experience with essentially every drag product on the market, that assessment carries weight. He is not describing a vendor relationship. He is describing a long-term professional alignment with a company that operates the way he does.
The ABI Dragmaster is available in 10-foot to 16-foot widths with an optional laser grading system. Speak with a Product Specialist at (877) 788-7253 about the right configuration for your arena size, event schedule, and training volume.
Related Products
FAQs
What events has EJ Allison dragged arenas at with the ABI Dragmaster?
Allison lists the AQHA World Show, NRHA Derby, Quarter Horse Congress, major futurities, and large training facilities as part of his career work. He describes having gone all over the world to drag arena ground across 30 years as a professional arena ground manager.
Why does being able to change footing from the tractor seat matter so much at competition events?
Competition arenas operate on fixed schedules where preparation time is limited and the trainers and exhibitors waiting to use the arena need it ready at a specific time. Every time an operator has to stop the drag, dismount, manually adjust a component, remount, and retest adds time to the preparation window. At a large event with multiple arenas or a training facility with 50-plus horses waiting, that accumulated time directly reduces how long horses spend in training or how many can get through before the show day starts. Hydraulic controls that allow all adjustments from the seat eliminate those stops entirely.
What widths does the ABI Dragmaster come in?
The Dragmaster is available from 10-foot to 16-foot widths. The wider configurations are designed for large competition arenas and major event centers where covering ground efficiently across a large footprint is a priority. A laser grading system is available as an option for facilities requiring the highest level of precision grading. Confirm current available widths and options with ABI directly.
Is the ABI Dragmaster only for professional ground managers or big competition facilities?
No. Allison specifically addresses the non-professional buyer. His description is direct: hook it up, get it set up properly, and use it. You do not have to be a professional tractor driver to get professional results. The drag is designed to do the work for you, which means it produces consistent ground without requiring the kind of manual technique adjustment that makes other drags difficult for less experienced operators.
How does the Dragmaster compare to other arena drags EJ Allison has used?
Allison describes having pulled almost every drag made in the United States across his 30-year career. His direct statement is that he has never gotten the results with any other drag that he gets with the Dragmaster. He specifically could not imagine doing his job without one available. That comparison is coming from someone with the broadest possible reference set for making it.