The science of creating just the right surface for optimal equine performance and soundness is just that—a science. Possibly no footing receives more scrutiny than the mixtures used in Olympic equestrian competition. Read on for an overview of what’s under the world’s top hooves currently competing at the Paris 2024 Games.

Turning Point in Equestrian Footing Safety: Athens 2004

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body of equestrian sport, got serious about raising the bar on footing after the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, during which horses sustained injuries as a result of poor surfaces, said FEI veterinary director Göran Åkerström, DVM, during an exclusive interview on the grounds at the Paris 2024 Olympic equestrian venue at Versailles.

The FEI funded a project led by Lars Roepstorff, DVM, PhD, professor of equine functional anatomy at the Swedish University of Agriculture, in Uppsala. The objective was “to come up with standards for footing to make sure footing is consistent and safe for horses,” said Åkerström. “That has evolved over the years and is now an established system.”

For the study, Roepstorff and his team used a sophisticated “mechanical hoof” called the Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester, created to evaluate racetrack surfaces in the United States. They adjusted the device to evaluate riding-arena surfaces and the typical amount of pounding footing takes from the average-sized Warmblood horse—the prevalent equine type in Olympic competition today—during jumping and dressage. The mechanical hoof mimics the motion and impact of a horse’s forelimb contacting the ground, and it measures impact firmness, cushioning, traction, and “responsiveness” of the footing material.

Roepstorff and his team concluded that an arena surface can be characterized in five ways:

1. Impact firmness.
2. Cushioning.
3. Responsiveness (how “active” or springy the footing feels to the rider).
4. Grip.
5. Uniformity (whether the footing feels the same in all parts of the arena).

The FEI then created a database of measurements taken at more than 400 competition, training, and warm-up arenas and established rankings (basically, substandard, satisfactory, and very good to optimal) based on rider input. The eventual result was an FEI footing standard: a specification of the sand/fiber mix, even down to the mineral content of the sand and the makeup of the textile fibers. When correctly installed and maintained, this produces a surface that allows the hoof sufficient traction for safety yet not so much that it causes excess impact shock; is springy enough for energy rebound and performance; retains sufficient moisture for shock absorption and uniformity yet drains well; and holds together well enough to provide a uniform surface while not becoming deep (like dry beach sand) or packed and hard. It’s a tall order!

(If you want to geek out on the science, download the FEI’s Standard for Arena Surfaces white paper.)

Specifics and Sources: Engineering Optimal Footing for FEI Competitions

Today, because of the research, at top FEI competitions including the Olympics you’ll typically find a footing mix consisting of sand and textile fibers. Waxed sand, which is what’s in the arenas at Versailles, is often chosen for outdoor surfaces over unwaxed. It needs less frequent watering and also drains better—important in locations prone to heavy rains, and there have been quite a few deluges during the Paris 2024 equestrian competition period. The sand is mixed with textile fibers, to which sand particles adhere, resulting in less shifting of sand when trod on. The sand-covered fibers also act like mini pieces of sandpaper to enhance traction.

Designated experts oversee the selection, installation, and maintenance of footing at Olympics and other major events, such as the FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals, said Åkerström. There’s a lot of “Goldilocks” going on: Depending on anticipated conditions, sand grains must be small enough but not too small. Fibers must be neither too short nor too long, and so on, to achieve an optimal surface that with regular watering and grooming maintains its consistency and uniformity. And, of course, the arena base must be properly prepared to help ensure the arena remains level and the surface material stays put and drains evenly and well.

Sourcing is another major consideration, he said. Waxes aren’t all the same and potentially come with environmental considerations. Fibers are often recycled from items like carpets, and so they must be tested to ensure they don’t contain chemicals that could be toxic to horses.

What’s more, “For cost and environmental reasons, we don’t want to transport footing material around the world,” he said. “That sometimes could possibly have to be done, but we try to source it in the country.” (France and surrounding countries all have excellent footing companies, he said.)

Still Learning: Ongoing Research and Innovations in Equine Footing

Even with the research that’s already been done, the FEI and other groups continue to dig, so to speak, for even more ways to improve footing.

The FEI has two studies currently underway. The first is an ongoing look at “the correlation between footing, biomechanics, and injuries,” Åkerström said. The second is an epidemiologic study of “the career profile in jumping horses … . We’re just about in a few weeks to do some of the practical parts, with horses jumping like a 1.55 warm-up simulation.” Video of the horses “will be fed into this very smart system that has been developed for this project. We think that this will take us to the next level, to have the safest footing in regards to welfare for the horses.”

Meanwhile back in Versailles, even Åkerström learned something new about footing when he saw maintenance crews on eventing cross-country day spreading buckets of reddish material at the base of a few jumps with footing that had deteriorated after heavy rains the previous night. He learned that the magic substance was volcanic material—a type of lava. “It’s light. It gives traction, but it’s a minimal risk (for injury) if, worst-case, a rider or horse were to fall into that material,” he said. “According to the organizer, you barely get bruises from it … . It was extremely interesting.”

The lava material “could be a benchmark for quick repairs,” he continued, “because it was so efficient in just covering those areas that were wet and a little bit heavy after the rain the day before, and it worked so well.”

It was the French footing experts, Åkerström said, who had previously worked with the volcanic material. That’s one of things he likes about the Olympic Games—the opportunity to learn from experts in different parts of the world.

“The knowledge exchange,” he said, is “part of the Olympic legacy.” Goal: With every Games and every study, to improve the welfare of horses.