# Bad Footing



## ongket31 (Apr 25, 2017)

Does anyone have any bad experience when riding on grass? The organizer use one of the paddock which was covered with grass and the horse was slipping at some places, the horse also behaved really funny. When I'm warming up in another paddock everything was good.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Was the grass wet, and is the horse shod?
I find grass fine to train barefoot horse son, at all gaits, but if you are doing more advanced maneuvers, you need good footing or have the horse shod with some traction devise, like studs
I used my pastures a lot for training basic gaits, loping circles ect Would not run speed events on grass,like barrels, flag picking, etc


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## ongket31 (Apr 25, 2017)

Smilie said:


> Was the grass wet, and is the horse shod?
> I find grass fine to train barefoot horse son, at all gaits, but if you are doing more advanced maneuvers, you need good footing or have the horse shod with some traction devise, like studs
> I used my pastures a lot for training basic gaits, loping circles ect Would not run speed events on grass,like barrels, flag picking, etc


Yes it is wet. During the horse show while I'm warming up the horse in the warm up arena, everything was fine on sand. Then I have to move to the arena next to the ring where I do my dressage test, and that's where the horse is slipping when walking/trotting through certain places,t his is when the horse misbehaved. The horse was prepped by the riding school so I'm not sure about traction devices. If the horse misbehave during my lesson then it's fine but on the day of the show that will seriously affect the performance of the horse.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Wet grass is scary. Dry is fine. I have had my horses slip on wet grass just trotting around in the paddock.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Yes, risky, JMO, to correct a horse on less then ideal footing, as you have to balance your degree of correction with the possibility of the horse going down


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Sure. On polo fields if there is dew or when it gets dry (after we stop 'watering' it), and on some types of native grasses. The latter may be a bunch grass, and only grow about 8" high, but it is called "greasy grass" even though it is not oily at all.

In my opinion the venue has the burden of providing good footing for an event. And if they do not provide that I would either not show there, or would only use it as a schooling show if a horse needed exposure. But I certainly would not ride on a surface unsafe to my horse(s). That is my responsibility.

I would think contestants not entering would be enough pressure for the organizers to improve the footing, if it is so bad horses can't compete safely on it.

Of course, they can't control things like dew and humidity. Then it is the rider's choice, too.


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## ongket31 (Apr 25, 2017)

boots said:


> Sure. On polo fields if there is dew or when it gets dry (after we stop 'watering' it), and on some types of native grasses. The latter may be a bunch grass, and only grow about 8" high, but it is called "greasy grass" even though it is not oily at all.
> 
> In my opinion the venue has the burden of providing good footing for an event. And if they do not provide that I would either not show there, or would only use it as a schooling show if a horse needed exposure. But I certainly would not ride on a surface unsafe to my horse(s). That is my responsibility.
> 
> ...


Today they did changed it to another show ring, footing is good.


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