ALL THE DIRT

           R.E. Josey is great at keeping an arena in tip-top shape. The arena at the Josey Ranch is a perfect example. At the annual Junior World Championship Barrel Race, the arena is worked after every five runners throughout the competition and after every barrel racer in the short go-round.
          “The main thing is not to have a hard pan underneath the dirt,” says Josey. “What that means is that the dirt is loose on the top, but here’s a hard surface below. That hard surface underneath will cause horses to slip when the soft, dirt above gets shifted overexposing the hard pan.
          Ground can sometimes be deceptive. A freshly worked arena might look to be in great shape, but more than a casual look is required. To check the condition of the dirt, “kick the dirt off the top, if you come down to a hard surface, it needs to be cut deeper.”
          According to Josey, this is the same type thing that can happen at a a lot of events where they have to haul dirt into a coliseum. The dirt is trucked in right before the event; maybe it’s not deep enough or it’s not there long enough or there’s not enough water on it for it to set up. When the barrel racers run on it, the dirt gets scooted out until the horses are actually in contact with the concrete underneath. That’s dangerous for both horse and rider, as well as hard on horse’s legs. “And that’s the same type effect you get when there is a hard pan surface at a shallow depth in your arena.”
          “Usually, a couple of times a year, we’ll scratch our own arena pretty deep, to prevent this from happening. For working it up, the best thing I’ve found to use is a rotary tiller that runs off the tractor’s PTO.”
          “Of course, dirt is different in different parts of the country,” adds Josey. “In Florida, the sand is usually plenty deep, so they just pull a heavy drag or roller over it to pack the dirt.”
          The main thing is to do whatever is needed to give your horse good footing and a good surface to run on. Use common sense to evaluate the conditions of the arena regularly.
          “Another thing we do at our ranch is we try to work the arena after it is used. That way, if it rains, you don’t get puddles in the low places or those deep spots around the barrels. If it’s evenly worked all over and it rains, it is not such a problem to get back into shape.”
          If the arena does get rained on, with water is standing in the arena AND the arena absolutely MUST be used, the best bet is to figure a way to either drain or suction the water off. “If you attempt to work it up, it just mixes with the mud and makes slush.”
          Martha tells of a rodeo she was at a few years ago. “They had the first go, and then it really rained, for about eight hours. Water was standing about four or five inches deep all over the arena.” This could have resulted in a nightmare of an arena, but this rodeo committee was made up of a group of people who really knew how to keep an arena right. They siphoned off the water, and then worked it, and the fastest time of the rodeo was run that night, after all that rain! I loved it because I had one of the fastest times.
          The Joseys are also quick to point out that working the arena doesn’t end at the gate. “Not only should the arena be worked up and in good shape, but the alley and stopping area should be too!” says Martha. A horse can be running hard enough to injure his legs if the alley is not right. I believe this is really overlooked!
          “We have a practice arena up on the hill that is in a rocky area, so we are constantly picking up rocks and throwing them out.” Be on the lookout at all times for ANYTHING in your arena that could be hazardous to your horse.
          Says Martha, “Good ground is so important for practice. If I have a horse that is not working at the rodeos, I’ll find the best ground I can to give him some confidence. Running on sorry ground can sore a horse up and make him lose confidence.”
          Unlike some trainers, Martha prefers to work on the best ground possible. “I know some people say that the horses have to learn to run on it, but you’ll get enough runs on bad ground. I want to protect my horse’s legs and build his confidence by running him on the best ground I can, when I can.”