Manege maintenance

Essential Maintenance

For any livery yard or private concern that has a sand school or other surface manege the maintenance of it can be a time consuming and labour intensive task. Frequent use whether by riding, lunging or jumping causes surface material to shift, should this not be managed on a regular basis a deep track is created around the perimeter and in other areas of frequent use. After the great expense of installing an arena it is well worth a little extra cost to get the right tool for maintaining it and will save a lot of time and money in the long run.

6 Good reasons for correct maintenance

1. Uneven dips and peaks can occur over the whole area leaving an uneven surface which can be difficult to negotiate by the horse and rider and is also potentially dangerous to both.

2. The resultant build up against the perimeter kick boards causes stress on the surrounding fencing and in extreme circumstances can cause this to lean out.

3. The correct management of your surface can help to extend its usable life and negate the expense of having to 'top up' the surface due to loss by overspill and compaction.

4. Good management of your arena helps to make it a desirable place to practice, school and jump your horse.

5. When the arena appears unruly and has an uneven surface it becomes more difficult to control the horse, its concentration can tend to be directed to worrying about how sure its footing is as opposed to listening to the rider. A stumble just at the time of critical transition can be as off putting to the horse as it is unnerving and frustrating to the rider.

6. With a comfortable and flat surface beneath its feet the ride will be steadier, transitions will be smoother and better all-round results can be obtained.

Simply towing an old gate or railway sleeper across the surface can do more harm than good , although the surface may appear flat this practice can accentuate the dips and peaks, compact the surface and prevent necessary drainage.

Common chain harrows are bulky and aggressive on sand mix surfaces. They do not allow for control of depth and tend to push material into the corners. Unless you have the chain harrow built into a frame and have a vehicle with 3 point linkage it is difficult to manouvre the chain harrow in and out of the arena.

Maintenance is of the utmost importance to ensure your arena stays in good condition. There are too many circumstances of false belief that surfaces do not shift. All surfaces are prone to movement and regular maintenance is the only way to keep the situation under control. Too many arena's are left until it becomes a major task to bring them back to their correct state The Manege Manager has been designed with all these aspects in mind and is capable of dealing with even the worst situation.