History of Equestrian Olympics

Did you know that Equestrian (Equestrianism) first entered the Olympic Games in 1900, it was its first Horse show jumping, Dressage and Eventing debut and last until 12 years later in the 1912 Olympics. Ever since then Equestrianism has been present in every Olympic Games.

Olympic medals are awarded in each of the horse riding events and that includes team and individual riding disciplines. In the modern Equestrian arena both rider and horse are considered top athletes with the Horse being the only animal involved in any of the sporting events at the Olympic Games.

Why is Equestrian Surfacing so important?

There are different kinds of surfacing available for Equestrianism; the most popular is wood chip and wood fibre. The size of the wood particles should not be too large, the reason for this is that the fibres can unsettle the horse and get lodged in the horse’s hoofs, if the wood chip fibres are too small this can cause problems, especially in windy conditions, the fibres will blow around the arena causing issues for the horse and rider.

The other good thing about wood chip is that it is incredibly echo friendly. The wood chip should be left in natural form and not treated with any man made chemicals, also do not be tempted to recycle old wood to create wood chip, you never know what could be imbedded within the wood you are trying to recycle into wood chip fibres, also wood based chips are better when it comes to the winter period, the wood chip will last longer and will not absorb as much water.

How often should Wood Chip be replaced?

The life expectancy of Equestrian wood chip (depending on use) should last around 5 – 10 years. There is no reason why you should need to completely replace the wood chip at this stage; a top up of wood chip or wood fibres should suffice with regular watering to prevent the wood chip drying out and becoming too slippery.

Specialist suppliers of Wood Chip and Wood Fibres

The best thing to do is contact a specialist supplier like AHS Ltd, they specialise in Equestrian wood chip supplies, as they have been established since 1992 with expert sales staff on hand Monday to Friday to help with any questions you may have regarding Equestrian Surfacing.

What AHS have available on their website?

Virgin Hardwood Chip – Suitable for all surfaces – Size: 0-8mm
Equestrian Wood Fibre – Suitable for hard wearing arenas

For more information about Equestrian Surfacing and wood chip supplies, you can visit www.ahs-ltd.co.uk of telephone 01797 252728.