Precision equestrian arenas

02/19/2026

Building High-End Equine Facilities: A Word to Contractors

To the contractors who have recently joined this group — welcome.

Truly.

We are glad you’re here.

But I want to speak plainly for a moment about what it means to build a high-end equine facility.

This is not flatwork.

This is not a house pad.

This is not a parking lot with sand on top.

And it is certainly not for the faint of heart.

When a client hires you to build an arena, they are not asking for a slab of dirt that drains “well enough.” They are entrusting you with tens — and sometimes hundreds — of thousands of dollars in materials alone. That doesn’t include the emotional investment, the years of dreaming, the horses that will train on it, or the reputation of the facility tied to that surface.

That kind of responsibility demands more than general construction experience.

It demands study.

It demands humility.

It demands stewardship.

A sand pit down the road is not automatically a footing solution. Two arenas built with “the same sand” can ride completely differently depending on gradation, particle shape, fines content, moisture management, and base construction. Footing is not a guess. It is not luck. And it is not solved by fiber alone.

Many contractors stumble into a blend that “worked once” and assume they’ve solved arena building. But equestrian facilities serve different disciplines — dressage, hunter-jumper, reining, barrel racing, ranch riding — each with distinct mechanical demands. Sliding stops are not extended trot. Barrel turns are not a 1.60m oxer.

If you do not understand that, you are not ready to charge a client for a high-end arena.

The financial scale alone should slow us down.

A single arena can carry:

• Tens of thousands in base aggregate

• Tens of thousands in specialized sand

• Significant grading costs

• Drainage systems

• Fencing systems

• Water infrastructure

A mistake at the sub-base level can cascade into a six-figure failure.

That is why this work requires a different level of diligence than traditional site work.

You must gather more information.

Before you ever price a project, you should be asking:

What discipline will this arena serve?

What level of performance is expected?

Indoor or outdoor?

Climate and seasonal moisture variation?

Existing soil conditions?

Drainage patterns and groundwater?

Maintenance plan?

Equipment available for grooming?

Water availability?

Equine facilities are biomechanical surfaces. They directly affect soundness, tendon load, joint stress, and rider safety. They are living systems — influenced by moisture, temperature, traffic, and maintenance habits.

If you treat them like building pads, you will fail the client.

And here is the harder truth:

Even with study, it takes years to fine-tune all aspects of arena building.

From technical footing design…

To drainage science…

To laser grading precision…

To managing material deliveries correctly…

To communicating expectations clearly with clients…

To protecting yourself contractually…

There are layers to this work that only reveal themselves over time.

Our online course exists because too many clients have been burned by well-meaning contractors who did not know what they did not know. It is not a shortcut. It is not a certification mill. It is a foundation.

But even with education, humility must remain.

If you are entering the equestrian space, do so with respect for the craft.

Study well.

Ask questions.

Be honest about your experience.

Don’t guess.

Don’t improvise with someone else’s money.

Don’t assume the cheapest sand available is “close enough.”

Be a steward of the client’s hard-earned investment.

These facilities are often generational dreams. They are built by families who have saved for years. They are built by barns whose reputation will depend on the surface you create.

This group exists to raise the standard.

If you are willing to learn, to listen, and to approach this work with seriousness, you are welcome here.

If you are looking for a quick add-on service because “it’s just dirt,” this may not be the right undertaking.

High-end arena construction is technical.

It is expensive.

It is unforgiving.

And when done correctly, it is deeply rewarding.

Let’s build them right.

12/11/2025

A deep dive into the NFR. A few Things to know before you hang the dirt crew at any event!

Like footing in many venues, the performance potential of the dirt at any given moment is the result of a complex set of interrelated variables — including at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). These issues are multi-faceted and stem from systemic challenges rather than a single cause. Factors that may contribute to perceived footing problems include poor local material availability, logistical challenges associated with storing and transporting dirt between events, television scheduling that limits optimal arena maintenance before barrel racing, and inconsistent drying caused by the venue’s HVAC system. When examined collectively, these challenges reveal just how layered the problem truly is.

Venue-specific challenges are not unique to the NFR or the Thomas & Mack Center. We have friends and associates directly involved in footing maintenance there. Too often, footing performance issues are pointed squarely at the NFR, the dirt crew, or even the barrel racers themselves, who are dismissed as being “too picky.” We build and maintain arenas for a living, and we author and offer the only online course in the world dedicated specifically to arena construction and footing science. My partner, Michael DePew, and I test ground for venues, design footing systems, and guide maintenance crews. This is what we do every day.

Some perception issues at the NFR — and many other venues — trace back decades to an old cowboy mindset: “Here’s a field — plow it up and call it arena dirt.” Riders were expected to cowboy up and deal with whatever the ground offered, whether that meant stones, hardware, glass, or wire. That is only one part of the problem. Quality material is extremely difficult to source around Las Vegas. Much of the native ground is high in carbonates, often more so than other mineral materials, which causes footing to lock up and compact prematurely. This leads to hardpan formation, and once a packed layer forms, adding moisture frequently makes the surface slick rather than functional. That challenge alone is significant.

Major events introduce another layer of complexity. Venue managers and promoters juggle countless responsibilities, and footing often falls lower on the priority list, particularly in multi-use facilities. Offseason testing and remediation are difficult because the dirt is typically removed immediately after equine events to make way for concerts, monster trucks, motorcycle events, and other productions. The rodeo dirt is hauled out, stored, and later brought back in. Some venues reuse the same stockpile for motorsports; others maintain separate piles. In either case, storage alone introduces contamination risks.

At the NFR, the dirt is intended to be stockpiled securely and used only for that event. However, once the rodeo concludes, the NFR itself is no longer responsible for the dirt’s security or handling. Over time, as the material is transported and reused, contamination risks increase. We have documented multiple instances where laboratory test results from one season do not match those from the next, indicating changes in the material.

Then there is television. Millions of dollars are invested in advertising, and every second of airtime is monetized. Broadcast schedules are rigid, and there is little tolerance for delays. As a result, there is often no opportunity to drag the arena before barrel racing. This puts the dirt crew in an impossible position: they must prepare footing that survives the entire rodeo and remains safe and consistent through the final barrel run. Anyone who understands footing knows this is far from ideal. A brief maintenance window before barrels — even a minimal drag — would be hugely beneficial, but time concessions are difficult to negotiate.

The dirt crew themselves do everything humanly possible. I know these men personally. These are the same professionals who are called in nationwide to “save” problematic ground when local crews are overwhelmed. They are the best of the best. You do not want their job during the NFR. Long days, longer nights, very little sleep, and nonstop pressure define that two-week stretch. They take their work seriously and have the rare ability to turn absolute chicken manure into chicken salad. When things go well, they’re praised; when something goes wrong, armchair experts claim someone else should have been hired. If that “someone else” were better, they’d already be there. Those opinions help no one.

HVAC systems and internal air movement inside the Thomas & Mack Center further complicate footing management. Airflow dries footing unevenly, and western footing requires relatively high moisture content to perform correctly. Certain zones dry faster than others, creating firmness variations across the arena. Spot watering becomes necessary. Watering the entire arena uniformly often makes the problem worse, not better. This issue exists in many enclosed venues but is particularly pronounced in smaller buildings like the Thomas & Mack.

Then there are the horses. These are the most powerful horses in the world. We recently designed and installed what will likely become the best arena in the eastern United States, where 120 horses competed in a single event without incident. Elite rodeo horses place extraordinary forces into the ground — far more than most people realize. They are all acceleration, no hesitation. Their turns generate forces that will destroy footing if it is not engineered properly. At the NFR, the footing must hold up through 15 barrel runs in succession without divot repair. That is an enormous demand and far exceeds the loading seen in most equine disciplines and large-scale events.

Barrel racing footing requires two distinct types of stability: vertical stability and lateral stability. Both are influenced by sand angularity, clay content, gradation, moisture levels, carbonate content, and grain roughness. Given all these variables, it’s no surprise that so many venues struggle. Watch the bulls at the NFR and you’ll see strong vertical stability. Lateral stability, however, could be improved. Could amendments help? Yes. Could a newly engineered footing be built? Absolutely. But very few people truly understand how to create footing that performs under this level of load. Many claim to know ground; only a handful actually do. Sales pitches and glossy marketing have bankrupted horse owners while solving nothing. The NFR may be hesitant to risk a full overhaul, though testing in Las Vegas and other venues is increasing. Implementing amendments there remains the bigger challenge.

Now, what this is not.

It is not the fault of the barrel racers. They are not “too picky.” Barrel racing imposes the highest combined vertical and lateral loads of any equine discipline. When the ground feels off, riders are right to speak up. You cannot please everyone, but when the majority expresses concern, it deserves attention.

It is not the fault of the dirt crew. These men do everything possible within the constraints they’re given. If they were allowed to drag before barrels — or every five runs — they would do so without hesitation. They walk a razor-thin line each night. Small changes, such as doors being left open longer than planned, can alter drying patterns dramatically. Moisture must be applied well in advance, with accurate predictions of how it will carry through the event. Attempting to wet overly dry footing just before competition is a recipe for disaster. Water timing and moisture management are critical and extraordinarily difficult to predict with precision.

It is not the fault of the concrete floor. Anyone blaming the slab does not understand footing mechanics. The footing profile is approximately 12 inches deep. Horses are not working on concrete. The system consists of a compacted pad layer and a cushion layer above it. If horses ride too high in the profile, there is insufficient displaced material to create traction, and they slip. If they ride too low, soft-tissue injury risk increases. The dirt crew continuously adjusts pad and cushion depths to avoid both extremes.

Ultimately, responsibility lies with the event organizers. They control the budget, logistics, and authority to implement meaningful changes. But once the event ends, planning shifts to the next year, the dirt is hauled away, and footing considerations often fade until the next NFR approaches.

So what can we all do? Become more educated about footing mechanics and reduce the volume of loud, uninformed opinions. The more intelligent and technically grounded the conversation becomes, the closer we move toward consistent, high-performance, and safer footing — not just at the NFR, but everywhere.

12/03/2025

💥 Save $100 on the Precision Arena Planning Course 💵
Sale extended through December 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM

If you’re planning to build an arena in the next year, this is the one sale you do NOT want to miss.

This is the only comprehensive, professionally designed online course that walks you step-by-step through planning, designing, and budgeting a successful arena project — the same system we use worldwide.

This isn’t generic advice. It’s the real science behind building an arena that drains, stays stable, and performs the way it should.

Most expensive arena mistakes happen long before construction ever begins. This course shows you exactly how to avoid them.

⚡ $100 OFF until December 6th at 11:59 PM
Don’t wait — take advantage while it’s live.

www.precisionarenas.academy

12/01/2025

If improving or building an arena is on your list for the future 🐴, Cyber Monday is a great moment to get off the fence 🏇. Our online arena planning course is $100 off with the code 2025CM100 💻, good through December 2, 2025 📅.
A simple way to invest in your horse’s future with practical, step-by-step guidance ✅.

11/26/2025

11/23/2025

Futile Thoughts of Footing

Every week, people reach out convinced their arena problems can be solved by fixing the footing. The conversation usually begins with questions about sand type, fiber choices, additives, or grooming equipment. When I ask one simple question—does it drain well?—the response is almost always the same: “That’s a whole other story.” And it is.

The hard truth is this: the footing is never the real problem when the arena lacks a proper sub-base, drainage system, and base layer. When those elements are missing, the search for good footing becomes completely futile. You can spend thousands on sand blends, fibers, binders, or specialized groomers, but it will all fail if the structure beneath it is wrong.

Many arenas are built on clay. Clay holds water, swells, shrinks, and contaminates the footing. Without a raised, protected, and properly compacted sub-base, the water has nowhere to go. Without drainage, the base becomes saturated. Without a firm, laser-graded stone base, the footing becomes unstable, migrates, and mixes with the layers beneath it.

The result is always the same: water-logged footing, material washing away in storms, clay and screenings pumping into the surface, or all three at once. No amount of “fixing the footing” will solve these issues. It is like trying to replace shingles on a roof without repairing the rotten framing underneath. The visible layer gets all the attention, but the problems come from what’s below.

If money is going to be spent, it should start with the fundamentals. Build the sub-base correctly. Raise it. Protect it from water infiltration. Install proper drainage. Build the base with well-graded material, compact it, and grade it accurately. Only then does footing matter. Only then will footing stay where it belongs and perform the way it should.

Every shortcut taken in arena construction eventually shows up in the riding surface. It may take months or years, but the outcome is predictable. Poor drainage and an inadequate base will always overpower even the best footing.

The solution is simple, even if the work isn’t: stop trying to fix footing on top of a broken foundation. Start with the basics. Build the arena correctly from the ground up. That is the only path to a stable, durable, and truly functional riding surface.

One would never think of building a house by starting with windows and shutters yet we will put mega money horses on a sub par arena and not blink twice! Good for thought on a beautiful Sunday morning!

08/22/2025

Friends, the day has finally come… Precision Arenas Academy is LIVE! 🚀🐴

Many of you have been with us on this journey for years—through discussions, debates, and deep dives into footing theory, drainage, grading, and construction science. You’ve asked for a way to learn the Precision Arenas System™ step by step… and now it’s here.

👉 What’s inside the course:
• Focus areas on site planning, grading, drainage, sub-base and base construction, footing theory, and long-term maintenance.
• Downloadable documents and notes to guide your own builds.
• Lessons designed for horse owners, facility managers, and contractors alike.

📱 You can take the course right on your phone—but for the best experience, especially with the downloadable documents, we recommend using a larger screen.

This has been years in the making, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally share it with you. Thank you for your patience, your support, and your trust in this journey.

👉 Enroll now:

Dickie Osborne has spent over 30 years building arenas from the ground up. A master of excavation, base construction, and drainage, he turns raw land into high-performance riding spaces built to last—because he knows shortcuts don’t belong under a saddle.

05/24/2025

Congradulations to Brian Wee and Lynne Murray. Both of these were in beautiful settings and wonderful customers to build with! Thank you for investing in your facilities and training programs!

05/04/2025

Silicosis and Arena Dust: What Every Horse Owner Needs to Know

Let’s put this topic to bed once and for all.

Silica dust is dangerous.
Silicosis is a serious, irreversible lung disease caused by inhaling fine particles of crystalline silica—commonly found in sand. These particles can embed deep into the lungs and cause long-term damage. The risks don’t stop there—exposure has also been linked to:
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Kidney damage
• Increased risk of lung infections
• Fatigue and shortness of breath

But before panic sets in, let’s clear the dust with science and practical solutions.
🐎🐎🐎

The Problem: Dry Arenas with No Maintenance

When silica-based sand is allowed to dry out completely, microscopic particles can go airborne. This is especially common in arenas with:
• No regular watering
• Poor grooming practices
• Excessively deep or loose sand
• High-speed riding activity

If you can see dust, you’re already breathing it.
🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

The Solution: Proper Moisture Management

Here’s the good news: silica is only dangerous when airborne.
If your arena is kept at the proper moisture level—8 to 10% moisture content—the particles stay bound and don’t become airborne.

Watering is not optional. It’s essential.

A properly maintained arena:
• Keeps dust locked down
• Reduces respiratory risks for both horses and humans
• Improves footing performance and consistency
• Extends the life of your arena materials

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

What You Can Do
• Install a proper irrigation system — such as water reels, sprinklers, or misting systems
• Monitor moisture regularly — grab a handful of sand; it should feel slightly damp and hold shape when squeezed
• Groom your arena regularly — this helps distribute moisture and prevent crusting
• Choose footing wisely — sand with excessive fines or crushed stone can increase dust risk

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

Final Thoughts

Silicosis is real, but it’s also preventable.
With good arena construction and consistent maintenance, your sand footing can be safe, dust-free, and high-performing.

Let’s stay informed. Let’s stay safe. And let’s keep our arenas dust-free for the horses and people who ride in them!

01/04/2025

What makes the difference in the system Michael and I developed. THE PRECISION SYSTEM and what makes it tick!

1. The most important aspect of the precision system is we do not dig arenas in! I’ll explain… all of our arena bases are constructed above grade. We may take some material and vegetation out but the finish grade of the base layer will ALWAYS be above the surrounding grade on all sides.

2. No part of the arena will have RUN ON WATER. The arena will have drainage to move water on all 4 sides. This includes water seepage from the leaching of the soil water table. This old method is completely unacceptable and should not be used in modern arena construction unless a fully designed plan is in place. Including a waterproof bladder to keep the water table out of the base materials. You would then need to deal with the water that falls on to the arena through drainage pipes. These would have to drain to a natural drainage point outside the arena.

3. A proper base must be built! This can consist of many different materials world wide, BUT must be tested and designed for stability and degree of permeability. Proper amounts of the CORRECT stone installed and compacted for stability.

4. NO….ABSOLUTELY NONE!!! Wasted geotextile. there is a need for these in some cases but they are not a fix all and should be used in designs that NEED them and not thrown in every build at every layer.

5. Laser grading machine control. No sticks and no winging it. This has been added to our must have list. Most Contractors today will NOT take the time to get these correct without machine controlled laser grading. It costs as much to build a bad one as it does a good one. If u don’t use this method it will likely bite you and then comes the cost of a redo! No flat outdoor arenas and no slope that is so aggressive that the velocity of water moves the footing to the rail. ABSOLUTELY NO DRAINING LENGTHWISE! This is a no no and should not be attempted! A couple of popular publications allow for this… they are dead WRONG. Every one we see fails.

6. Proper swales/drainage that don’t hold water against the arena base. These can be cut with machine controlled laser grading and do not need to be very deep. This allows the customer to maintain drainage above ground simply by mowing. No plugged French drains to dig up
Later. NOTE: in some cases where insufficient room is available French drains will be the only solution. The industry norm is NOT sufficiently designed for no/low maintenance. We are seeing these plug up in months.

7. A proper retention system/kickboard for footing! This DOES NOT include using site soil as a retainer for kickboards. If u do this you have just made yourself a nice pond! Go ahead and order some 🐟 😬. Digging arenas in offer the same poor result! water flowing off the arena cannot be impeded by soil filtration. The rate of flow is reduced too much and the mess is exacerbated by bio slime water infiltrating the base layer. This is not the water we desire to use as moisture in our footing. More to come on this subject.

8. A proper footing design including a sand blended for stability. We see two completely different approaches to footing on almost every arena we see 1. Loose unstable footing where someone just threw down some random sand, often adding geotextile into the sand after they realize it’s too unstable to ride in. Geotextile should not be used for stability except in rare cases where there is no good footing sand within a reasonable distance. Then and only then can we start to look at fiber for stability and that comes at a cost that is never ending. 2. The sub angular uniform sand and fiber mix watered with the capacity of the Mississippi River and compacted to a hardness equal to diamonds on the hardness scale. These surfaces at major show venues can cause issues all their own. This is NOT what we want to design for your equine friends at home. We believe they are too hard!

The footing should not be designed by anyone other than someone who has a background in soil science AND the equine industry. Many folks designing blends are NOT qualified. Mechanical engineers and computer gurus including your local soil lab and or rock quarries that sell “arena mixes” have no clue about soil science or designing a blend for inherent stability per discipline.

We are seeing too many high end facilities use the sub angular/uniform sand/ fiber mixture and it’s our opinion some studies are being conducted that will reveal this to be harmful!

Much work is yet to be done in defining angularity. Angularity is subjective and the materials blended must have enough angularity and surface roughness to make stable equine footing. There is no formal way to measure these things with any degree of accuracy.

9. Proper footing setup once installed. When the footing is graded out on the arena it lacks sufficient compaction to develop a pad layer between the top of the footing layer and base. We’ll cover the setup in online training on our page. The footing must be setup correctly per discipline and this is not intuitive. There is a process for success and if the process is not followed you won’t be happy with any footing no matter the origin.

10. Water or a dust free solution to footing. Any water dependent footing MUST have the proper moisture content to keep the footing in good condition for riding. There are several ways to approach this and things we can design and do to help with water conservation. Dust free solutions are pricey and tricky. Some companies that offer dust free do not have good sand. If you want a dust free solution pm me and I will shed some light!

11. Follow the recommendations of your consultant. Do not change the recipe without testing the materials. You can’t replace flour with baking soda and expect the cake to be delightful!! Don’t plug in a material in the place of one that has been tested, you will likely cause a failure. Don’t omit any materials or any part of the designed process. We don’t add things in just because. Our designs are very simple and the materials we install are needed for success. We aren’t just throwing the kitchen sink at projects. We see this happen all too often.

12. A maintenance plan!! A quality groomer for your discipline and a proper maintenance plan are a must. You cannot allow 6 inches of material to build up on the kickrail and expect your arena to drain properly. Once installed the arena must be maintained!

01/04/2025

Precision arenas is in Aiken S.C. This morning looking at a couple arenas for repair! We will post some pictures later today!