 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
California Riding Magazine • March, 2010 Fancy Footingwork |
German Geo Textile Footing has long been a key component in arenas used by high-end sporthorses throughout its country of origin and Europe. For the past three years, the modest looking but powerful polyester fabric bits have been showing up in arenas throughout the United States. Demand has been so strong that the manufacturer, GGT Footing™, opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant last July, in South Carolina. This has substantially reduced shipping costs for domestic customers, making the product even more attractive. The textile fabric is cut into small pieces and mixed with sand to serve several purposes. The resulting blend reduces dust, increases water retention, provides optimal impact resistance and stability and an intermediate level of “shear resistance,” which is the footing’s ability to stop the horse’s hoof from sinking down too far. The net effect extends the life of both the horse’s legs and the riding surface itself. GGT Footing’s Cynthia Brewster Keating is excited about how well the product is catching on in the U.S. Demand is extremely high on the East Coast, and the Midwest and West Coast are following suit. Those who maintain arenas used by Olympic caliber horses are leading the trend. The popular Sacramento show venue, Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center, is one of those. “We are very happy with the new arena footing,” says facility manager Van Van Vleck of the GGT Footing they installed in May of 2008. “It was easy to install and all the riders love it and are raving about it. The new arena surface is much softer (“fluffy”) and bouncy and we can definitely see that GGT-Footing delivers good dust control.” Silver Maple Farm in Santa Ynez and Rudy Leone’s hunter/jumper training stable in Sacramento are other venues where GGT Footing is getting rave reviews. It is the geo textile chosen by Otto Sport for use with its arena matting and footing solutions for several of the arenas at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky this fall. Working with GGT Footing West Coast distributors, GGT Footing’s Keating is happy to advise arena builders on the right blend for their purposes. Hunter/jumper riders, for example, need a very different GGT-Footing product mix than western or dressage enthusiasts. “Our consultants will work with farm owners and will analyze the sand that’s there or the sand that will be going in to make recommendations according to what is called a ‘sieve analysis.’” Whatever riding style they are catering to, stable managers are counseled that maintenance is as important as choosing the right footing product. “For optimum performance, the footing should be kept at a 12 percent moisture content,” Keating explains. “Geotextiles will absorb and retain moisture, which cuts down on your watering, but will not eliminate it.” Proper dragging is also essential. She recommends grooming equipment from Reist Industries and The Parma Groomer. A dust reducing additive is an add-on product, available from GGT Footing, that is recommended in many arena situations. GGT Footing does not contain any fiberglass, a material that is illegal in Germany, Keating reports, but sometimes found in footing products at the lower price ranges in the U.S. “Watch out for that,” she warns. “That’s a red flag!” As GGT Footing grows in popularity, the company is seeking more West Coast distributors. Ideal candidates are arena builders, sand suppliers or others in similar enterprises with good contacts in the regional equestrian community. Helping horses stay sound and perform at their peak, while helping stable owners extend the life of their riding surfaces, is a growing field and a rewarding line of work.
For more information on GGT Footing™
and/or to become a distributor, contact
Cynthia Brewster Keating at 864-804-0011 or |
