How and why to drag the area you're riding your horse. Dragging is the use of a tool that you hook up to a tractor or 4-wheeler and repeatedly drive it over your riding surface. The drag has tines that grab the dirt and help to break it up, and help to keep your riding surface loose and the dirt not compacted down.
The arena drag isn't
t something everyone has partially because it may seem like an expensive investment, or because you don't know where to get one. But m=now you will!
I got my arena drag from eBay. They are affordable at $229.00 right now, and this cost includes shipping! You can also make your own using chain link fencing, or you can buy one like this for around $128.00.
I feel it is important to drag my riding area to help keep the ground even, and loose. This really does help to improve my riding, as well as keeping my horses legs injury free. By having the ground worked it adds cushioning and has shock absorbing properties that is better for the horses legs while he is working.
You will need something to pull the drag, I use our lawn mower.
Once the drag is hooked up, I work the outer area of the riding arena first. I go over the the outer 8 feet about 3 to 4 times to make sure the ground is very loose. I do this because this is where I do the majority of my trotting and cantering.
Once the outer most area is drug, then I work in circles moving toward the center, and then I drag in the opposite direction. This helps to make sure the ground is even and level as well as loose.
Even if you don't have a sand riding arena, by dragging the ground you do have will help to keep it level, and un-compacted which will help your horses legs while you are riding.
You can also get sand for your riding area, which will make it even better! I was able to get sand for $ 7.99 a ton by looking on Craigslist. The sand was really cheap, and made a huge difference in setting up a dedicated area for me to ride.
If you ride at home, I would highly recommend for you to get an arena drag so you can make the most of your riding area, even if it is not an official "arena".
If it seems like a lot of money, it is! But you can make extra money by selling things you no longer need, and then you could get your arena drag for free!
I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you know someone who may enjoy it too, share it with them!
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/ @budgetequestrian