In Part I we took a look at options to increase footing moisture and content by adding substance to existing footings. Let's take a look now at a few suggestions to bring hard footing to a more acceptable level.
~Find what depth of footing is needed for optimum performance for your style of riding. If you are needing an all-around footing we suggest you set your depth needs at a medium depth to cover all the uses of your arena.
~Many different types of machinery can be used to loosen packed footing, users beware. If you are looking to use a disk, or heavy duty drag, check the depth the attachment is set at. Working your arena with these tools is great, however if not carefully managed can loosen too much footing.... Or even worse.... The arena base.
~If you have worked up the hard footing already with the machinery, drag the arena with a lightly weighted drag. This will aid in breaking large chunks of footing, ultimately smoothing the surface for easy depth measurements. If you find the footing still compacts quickly you might want to check out a few of the additions in Part I that will also help control the dust levels. Low cost, refreshed arena....Sounds like a great arena to me!
