Arena Footing

Read Custom Soils understands footing.  At the end of the day, it is all about preventing injuries and maintaining your horse’s soundness. Great footing goes a long way towards achieving this goal.

Without exception, great riding arenas are built upon a well constructed base. We can put you in touch with experienced contractors in your area who can properly design and build a new arena or expertly renovate your existing arena. When the base is prepared, we will deliver footing that is appropriate to your riding discipline, intensity of usage and that meets your budget. We can also help you select the right grooming equipment to keep your footing in top condition.

What is GGT Footing™?

GGT Footing™ consists of short synthetic fibers that add stability to the sand, acting like the root system in turf, and randomly chopped pieces of synthetic felt which soften the riding surface, help to retain moisture and prevent compaction.

Blending synthetic textiles with sand to improve the footing began in Germany in the early 1990s. With years of experience and product knowledge, GGT-Footing™ developed the ideal blend of synthetic felt and fiber to create a superior riding surface for a wide variety of riding disciplines.

GGT Footing™ additive dramatically improves the properties of a sand riding surface.

Read Custom Soils is Massachusetts’ only full service distributor & blender. Our unique grade of clean, fine equestrian sand is the perfect match to GGT-Footing’s felt and fiber additives. We can provide this fully blended, ready-to-ride footing OR just the GGT Footing additive to mix into your sand. For blended footing, we use a state-of-the-art pugmill to beat the sand and GGT additive together. This is the only effective way to thoroughly blend GGT Footing. Take a look at this short video of finished product as it comes off the conveyor belt.

Here’s how we blend GGT and fine sand:  Footing Production

In the race for quality footing – we’re way ahead of the pack.

Key strategies for arena construction:

  • Check out local arenas that have performed well and find out how they were built.
  • Avoid low-lying areas and choose a spot with good drainage and where storm water will not collect. If you ignore drainage issues,  there’s a good chance your arena will fail.
  • Hire a contractor with arena construction experience and good references.
  • Excavate to a good sub-base, removing unstable, organic or unsuitable materials.
  • Don’t skimp on base! There are no shortcuts. A generous layer of well compacted stonedust will prevent stones from working their way up into your new footing.
  • The base should be laser graded and rolled with a vibratory roller.
  • Choose a footing material that is appropriate to your facility and riding discipline(s). Consult with the experts at Read Custom Soils!
  • Maintain adequate moisture content in your footing. This prevents dust and dramatically improves the performance of the footing.
  • Keep up arena maintenance. A good groomer/drag will make life easier.

For additional information and pricing contact:

Tony Will (tony@readcustomsoils.com) or

Toll Free – 888-475-5526

Updated February 2012