How To Fix Your Dusty Arena… And Impact Your Horse’s Safety, Behavior, and Performance
Learn the do’s and don’ts of arena dust management and see how ABI water trailers can play a part in creating the ultimate training environment for your horse.
Does your arena fill with clouds of dust during training? Have you noticed your horse ignoring your cues or hesitating during runs when your arena is dusty? Keep reading to learn how proper dust control can protect your horse’s health and improve your horse’s confidence and performance.
Why is My Arena Dusty, and Why Does It Matter?
A dusty arena is more than a burr under the saddle of equestrians. It is a legitimate safety concern that can impact horse health, behavior, and performance.
Dust particles, stirred up from arena footing during training, can be harmful to your horse’s health, specifically their respiratory tract. Consistently inhaling dust particles can cause your horse to develop respiratory inflammation, eye and throat irritations, cough, or allergies, which can be painful, distract them during training, or inhibit them from training altogether. Equine science researchers have even found a link between dust exposure and equine inflammatory airway disease – a severe respiratory condition known to debilitate high-performance horses.
An exercising horse inhales about 600 gallons of air every minute, or about 36,000 gallons of air for every hour of training! If you have a dusty arena, your horse is breathing in thousands of gallons of contaminated air every time they step into the arena. A dusty arena is a warning sign that your footing maintenance routine needs attention. Ignoring it can have serious repercussions.
The good news is that establishing a proper arena-watering routine with the right equipment can help you manage dust effectively, protecting your horse’s health and allowing you to unlock their ultimate performance potential.
At ABI, we have dust-control solutions for every equestrian. We know that not all equestrians are the same. We are here to help you find the solution that works for your arena, footing-type, equestrian discipline, and tow-vehicle. We are proud horse lovers, and our passion for horses and their riders drives our innovation so we can bring you the best arena-maintenance equipment on the market.
Dos and Don’ts For Effective Arena-Watering Practices
We’ve established that a properly watered arena controls dust and protects your horse’s health. However, there are several dos and don’ts to consider that can make or break your footing-watering routine.
Don't: Overwater
One mistake to avoid is overwatering your footing. Overwatering is detrimental to both synthetic and natural footing types. When your footing is oversaturated, the excess water flows through your footing’s top layer (of synthetic fibers or natural footing blend) and settles down onto your base layer. This can severely soften your footing’s foundation and reduce its longevity. Overwatering can also be dangerous to your horse. For example, overwatering clay-heavy footing can cause the material to be incredibly slick and put your horses at risk for injury.
The amount of water and how often you apply it to your footing depend on a multitude of factors, including footing type, environmental factors, seasonal changes, equestrian discipline, frequency of use, and more.
Unsure how much water is too much water for your arena? Wondering if you need an equipment upgrade to ensure you don’t overwater your footing? Our product experts are ready to work with you to find out if ABI arena-watering equipment makes sense for you.
Do: Ensure Even Water Application
To properly control dust in your arena, your water application must be even and consistent across your entire footing. Even water application will ensure that no sections of the footing are dry and likely to create dust clouds from a lack of moisture. In addition to dust control, even water application ensures your footing is a steady foundation for your horse to train on. Even water application will ensure no sections of your arena are overwatered and potentially hazardous for your horse.
To create a smooth, consistent foundation for your horse and minimize dust in your arena, it is essential to use equipment that is built to precisely apply water to every inch of your footing. Precision application can be achieved with the use of water trailers, arena drags with water tanks, or underground arena-irrigation systems. It is not often achieved with solutions such as garden hoses or oscillating sprinklers.
As mentioned above, inconsistent footing caused by uneven water coverage doesn’t just impact dust control. It can also be dangerous for your horse. Horses are extremely intelligent creatures. When training on inconsistent footing, your horse knows that with every step, the ground’s response might differ. This can lead to a loss of confidence and hesitation during training. In extreme situations, leg injuries can occur as your horse strains their muscles and changes their gait pattern to respond to, or avoid, certain problem areas.
As a consequence, inconsistent footing impacts your connection with your horse and your ability to train them. When horses learn that their ground isn’t stable, they go into what we call “protection mode”. They learn to anticipate inconsistencies and are so focused on avoiding those areas that they cannot properly tune in to commands from their rider. All it takes is one wrong step on an overwatered spot, and your horse will remember that pain the next time you train. Instead of focusing on your cues, they’ll be anticipating encounters with other inconsistencies in the footing and attempting to avoid pain.
Equipment that applies precise, even water application can prevent training roadblocks or injury. Using the right equipment will give you confidence that you are providing the best working surface for your horse and are setting them up for success every time you train.
Looking to upgrade your current water solution to achieve precise application? Our patented equipment was designed and engineered to ensure consistency of water application, every time. Talk with one of our product experts to find out which ABI’s arena-watering equipment makes sense for you.
Don’t: Purchase Cheap Workarounds
Some equestrians install overhead sprinkler systems in their facilities to automate the arena watering process. However, high-quality overhead watering systems come with a hefty price tag and a substantial installation process. Achieving an even layer of water and consistent footing remains an issue with this application method. Common alternatives to overhead sprinkler solutions are oscillating sprinklers (due to their budget-friendly nature and minimal installation requirements).
However, while oscillating sprinklers might appear to be a sufficient alternative, they ultimately pale in comparison to other watering methods. The fan-shaped water flow of an oscillating sprinkler is not designed to, and therefore cannot, precisely cover your arena’s footing with consistent water flow or provide proper saturation to all areas. When multiple sprinklers are used, they overwater some sections of the footing, while other sections remain dry and untouched, as the sprinklers overlap and miss spots entirely during oscillation. On the surface, your footing may be dust-free and appear pleasantly moist, but underneath the surface layer is a maze of dry and overhydrated spots that you can’t see, but your horse will feel during training.
Purchasing what might seem like a cheap-yet-effective quick fix is likely to cause long-term damage to your arena and injuries to your horse that may result in higher costs down the line. We suggest you invest in an arena-watering solution that is designed for equestrian use and can spray an even, consistent layer of water on your footing every time.
Do: Consider a Water Trailer
Purchasing a proper solution doesn’t need to break the bank. ABI provides two proper dust-management solutions that supply consistency, precision, and reliability every single time. Our first innovative water-application solution is our family of arena drags with built-in water tanks: The Dragmaster, Dragmaster Horizon, and The Speedmaster. Our second innovative water application solution is our Water Trailers (our focus for this section).
You may think we’re biased in saying that ABI products are the best in the business for arena dust control and moisture management. However, the science behind the engineering of our water tanks and trailers doesn’t lie.
- Every water trailer sits on a fully welded steel frame that carries your water haul effortlessly. ABI frames are designed and purpose-built by us, not third-party components.
- The shape of our water tanks is engineered to minimize water sloshing during use, allowing you to maintain consistent speed around your arena and apply an even application of water at every pass.
- You can calibrate and adjust your water trailer’s spray system to control water pressure and flow. Customizing your water-application settings for different footing types, seasons, or disciplines has never been easier.
- Finally, turning the water flow on/off can be done from the seat of your tow vehicle, so you never have to worry about oversaturating your footing when passing over an area that has already been covered.
Need more reasons to trust us and our confidence in our products? We offer a 36-month limited warranty on our water trailers, and our AttachMatch Guarantee ensures that your water trailer will be compatible with your vehicle specifications, usage application, and work requirements, or you get your money back.
What Type of Tow Vehicle is Required To Pull A Water Trailer?
Wondering if your equipment has the capacity to tow a top-of-the-line water trailer? A common misconception is that a large tow vehicle is required to handle such equipment. While this might be the case with other brands, your tow vehicle capacity is not a limitation with ABI.
At ABI, we believe that every equestrian should have access to quality tools, no matter their tow-vehicle equipment capabilities or budget.
We don’t just believe it. We acted on it. ABI designed and engineered the 340-gallon water trailer specifically to be compatible with a UTV or compact tractor. Look around your property, and you’ll likely find equipment you can use to tow the 340-CWT.
Do you have a large equestrian facility? We’ve got you covered as well. Check out our water trailers designed to be hauled by large tractors and pickup trucks.
At ABI, our passion is to empower equestrians with the solutions they need to create a safe, comfortable arena and positive environment for their horse. We care. We listen. We support. Our product expert team connects with equestrians daily to help unlock each equestrian’s specific goals, needs, and vision for their arena.
We know you have a unique story. Our team wants to hear from you and work together to build a solution that meets what you’re looking for.
To find the best water trailer for your arena, horses, and footing, view our full line here or speak to an expert at 877-788-7253.
Our Sources:
Couëtil, L L et al. “Inflammatory Airway Disease of Horses–Revised Consensus Statement.” Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 30,2 (2016): 503-15. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4913592/
Judd, Bob. “Dust Management in Your Riding Arena.” Veterinary Partner, VIN, 30 July 2012, veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=5480106&f5=.
Lühe, T et al. “Factors associated with dust dispersed in the air of indoor riding arenas.” Equine Veterinary Journal vol. 49,1 (2017): 73-78. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26517981/
Rush, Bonnie. “Inflammatory Airway Disease in Horses.” Merck Veterinary Manual, May 2019, www.merckvetmanual.com/horse-owners/lung-and-airway-disorders-of-horses/inflammatory-airway-disease-in-horses.
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