It has been interesting over the past several weeks watching the very high tech footing being put in at The Kentucky Horse Park in preparation for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. This footing surface is really cool and has many layers to it.

The footing has a name I hope I never have to pronounce on the podcast. It is being installed by Otto Sport- und Reitplatz GmbH is based out of Altdorf, Germany, near Nuremberg. The company’s new state-of-the-art surface is being installed in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Outdoor Stadium, which is currently under construction, as well as two warm-up ring surfaces. The surface for the Walnut Ring and its warm-up ring will total nearly 90,000 square feet. The warm up ring appears to be finished with the new surface.

The footing’s Otto Riding Arena Mat System includes special drainage features and safety properties, and the Otto perforated mats ensure that water can drain off quickly when faced with excessive rain fall and precipitation. The mats, which offer non-slip properties and the ability to absorb shock, are complemented with a special footing mixture that is ideal for equestrian competition. This system has been featured at the World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, in 1998 and in Aachen, Germany, in 2006, as well as in the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar.

Here is a link to the companies website and how they install these arenas: Click Here

Here is the latest press release about the footing:

New Otto Sport Riding Arena Mat System Makes Debut in the Walnut Arena at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show
Equestrian News Release

Lexington, KY – July 30, 2008 – The Kentucky Summer Horse Show started with an exciting opening day at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Walnut Arena debuted exceptional new footing by Otto Sport- und Reitplatz GmbH. Funded by the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Otto Riding Arena Mat System is a state-of-the-art surface that has been proven all over the world including the 1996 Olympics, the 1998 World Cup, and the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

Christian Bauer, the International Sales Director for Otto Sport, was excited to see the new footing’s debut in the Walnut Arena today. “It carries two different drainage layers. The first is course rock, with a little finer rock on top. Then it caries our recycled PVC mat. It is the only product specifically engineered for horse riding arenas,” described Bauer. “It holds water in it and at the same time it drains perfectly. It has different type knobs installed so you can control the shifting of the material on top. It reduces the risk of slipping. It has an impressive 40% shock absorption. The top layer is about four inches of a pure silica sand mixed with synthetic fibers made of poly-propylene.”

Otto Sport was founded 43 years ago and has been in the equestrian business for over 23 years. Bauer believes that Otto Riding Arena Mat System’s proven record speaks for itself. He claimed, “It’s reliable; organizer and competitors know it works.”

Hugh Kincannon, manager of the Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, is thrilled that the new footing was completed in time for the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows. He said, “I’m very happy with it. I think for the first day that we’ve used it that it has been exceptional. I think it’s going to make a big difference.”

“We at Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC are truly grateful to the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation for stepping in and getting this done for us in such short order,” Kincannon continued. “We hadn’t even talked about it until June 9th. It was a real effort between the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Kentucky Horse Park, Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, and Otto Sport to get it done.” The project was completed just 4 short days ago.

Angel Karolyi and his mount Galant were one of the first pairs to compete on the new surface. “It feels wonderful,” exclaimed Karolyi. “It really feels good for the horses. The horses like it, and I think they’ve done an excellent job.”

Tomorrow riders will have another chance to compete on the new footing in the Walnut Arena during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, beginning at 6 p.m. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will conclude on Sunday, August 3, 2008. The Kentucky Summer Classic will begin Wednesday, August 6, and come to close on Sunday, August 10, 2008.

Gifts to the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation from the private sector – both individual and corporate – help the park build and maintain show facilities, conduct special research initiatives, complete landscaping projects, and host special art exhibits such as Imperial China and All the Queen’s Horses. For more information on the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, please visit http://www.khpfoundation.com.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, please go to http://www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Photo Credit: Christian Bauer and Krystian Wodarz of Otto Sport Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com This photo may be used free of charge only in relation to this press release.