We know that hard ground conditions can be detrimental to horses’ limbs, but what effects do they actually have and what are the signs that something is wrong?

Hearing the clickety-clack of hooves galloping across hard ground is enough to send a shiver up the spine of anyone who cares about their horse’s future soundness. Something’s got to give – and you can be sure it won’t be the cast-iron going underfoot.

The concussive forces generated as a horse moves at speed on a very firm surface are largely absorbed by the structures of the hoof, before being dissipated further up the limb into the bones, joints and soft tissues.

Understandably, a hammering can leave a horse feeling “pottery” and sore — as Hattie Lawrence MRCVS of Valley Equine Hospital in Berkshire explains.

“You know the feeling in your legs after hard day walking on pavements,” she says. “A horse with straightforward concussion will feel much the same, with sore shins, bruised feet and general inflammation of the lower leg and hoof structures. Colloquially termed being ‘jarred up’, this is typically the effect of a one-off pounding.”

If it is a one-off, your horse will probably get away with it. Damage can be accumulative, however, and in some cases catastrophic.

“A much bigger issue is that hard ground is fast ground;” says Hattie, explaining that with firm going there is no “holding” factor to check the horse’s speed.

“This increases injury risk. There is also the potential for a condition called subchondral bone disease, the effects of which can only be seen accurately with an MRI scan. The bone develops oedema [fluid] and, as it tries to remodel, it becomes more brittle and liable to fracture.

“Subchondral bone disease in jumping horses, both showjumpers and eventers, tends to be caused by the cumulative effect of landing over large fences, while eventers can also develop the condition after galloping on firm ground,” she adds. “Lameness usually occurs before too much damage is done and should resolve with rest, although the prognosis becomes less favourable with repeated episodes.”

Common injuries associated with hard ground

• Concussion and jarring
• Bruised soles
• Splints
• Tendon injuries
• Laminitis: not all cases are due to ponies being overweight; some are seen in the summer months as a result of concussion, which traumatises the sensitive laminae
• Sore shins: this is a common problem in racehorses, but it is also seen in other animals working on hard ground. The signs are swelling to the front of the cannon bone, which may lead to fractures within the bone if the horse is not rested

Early signs that a horse may be jarred up

Not all horses that are feeling the effects of hard ground will be obviously lame. More subtle signs to look out for include:

• A shortening of the stride: a horse may lose the swing and spring in its step as it tries to minimise jarring when its feet hit the ground
• Increased tension: muscles change their function on hard ground to help stabilise the lower limbs and reduce concussion. This means they reduce their ability to work independently and compromise overall performance
• Refusing: jumpers may be reluctant to land after a fence, so may start stopping when they have never done so before
• Flattening and rushing over a fence: to minimise concussion on landing the horse adjusts its technique to prevent it landing so hard

How can you reduce the risk?

“A horse with good conformation, who is fit for the work he is doing, will be less likely to suffer,” says Hattie. “He should be shod well, because correct foot balance will enable better absorption of concussive forces by the structures of the hoof. He should also be appropriately built and not overweight. As we become more inclusive of all types of horse at grassroots level, we must be mindful that we may be exposing less athletic horses to higher risk of injury.

“Different terrain can cause different problems,” she adds. “Ground that is hard and rutted, or patchy with areas of deeper going, increases the risk of a ‘bad step’ injury. This might involve soft-tissue damage to structures, such as the deep flexor tendons or the collateral ligaments.

“Applying ice or cooling boots after a punishing round will definitely help control the acute inflammatory process,” Hattie says. “With a tendon injury, for example, the horse’s inflammatory response is unhelpful and may worsen tissue damage and impair healing. While cooling cannot fix a significant structural injury – which needs to be identified and treated – it will settle everything down in the case of straightforward concussion, and make the horse more comfortable.

“We are better at recognising the risks posed by hard going than we used to be,” Hattie summarises. “Many venues make a real effort to improve the ground, but there is a limit to what can be done in dry conditions. If it feels like concrete underfoot and you can save your horse for another day, you probably should.”

Can hoof pads help?

Hoof pads and packing can provide some relief from hard ground, says farrier Haydn Price DipWCF.

“The frog and the digital cushion work within the hoof capsule to absorb concussion, but too much work on hard ground can exceed this absorbent capacity,” he says. “Pads and packing can help protect the solar aspect of the hoof from soft-tissue damage (bruising).”

According to Haydn, a flat sole is more susceptible to hard-ground problems that can leave a horse feeling “footy”.

“Early intervention is better,” he says. “If you know that your horse is likely to suffer the seasonal effects of hard ground, talk to your vet and farrier about initiating protection before it becomes necessary.

“Options range from traditional leather pads and hard, thermoplastic versions to some form of packing sandwiched between the sole and a plastic pad,” says Haydn, explaining that a soft gel-pad, for example, will afford some cushioning to the sole and the rest of the foot.

“There is a trade-off in that the hoof will lose its natural concavity and grip, but some pads feature ridges where the frog would lie to help prevent slipping.

“Modern materials have really improved;’ he adds, emphasising that there should be no issues with degradation of the sole.

“Where there is potential for bacterial ingress with repeated soakings or water ­treadmill use, we can even use a copper sulphate pouring pad [a pad that’s liquid when you pour it in, and sets to fit the shape of the hoof] with antimicrobial properties.”

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The Warwickshire’s team chase has been cancelled due to the severe impact the extended dry spell has had on the course.

The fixture was scheduled to be the first of the 2018 autumn season on 2 September at Watergall (not pictured), with the exception of the arena team chase at Lands Eventing.

The cancellation serves a further blow to the 2018 British Team Chasing calendar, which suffered a much depleted spring fixture list due to ice, snow and heavy rain.

But the organisers have pledged to turn the disappointing news into a positive, using the time to improve the course and hedges for 2019.

The committee made the tough decision after walking the course last week following “fears regarding the ground”.

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“As a result of the extremes of weather that we suffered last winter and have endured this summer, the ground has taken an absolute battering,” said a statement from the organisers.

“Despite being really good, reliable old turf, the drought has really sapped all life out of the course and caused large holes and cracks to appear in front of the hedges and sporadically around the whole track.

“The committee discussed at length the different options that we had regarding the condition of the ground, but ultimately it was decided that the safety of the competitors and horses must always come first and may be put at risk if we were to run the event.”

All entries will be refunded.

“Everyone is absolutely shattered by the decision but we will endeavour to use the year off to improve the course, lay new hedges and let our existing hedges get bigger and better for 2019.

“We hope that you enjoy the rest of the team chasing season as there are many other events on close to Warwickshire.”

The next fixture in the British Team Chasing calendar is the Belvoir at Garthorpe on 9 September.

“Please go and support them and British Team Chasing, it is a great event,” added the statement.

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In the run-up to last Saturday’s fantastic QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot there was a lot of adverse comment about the meeting being run on soft or, as it turned out, heavy ground.

One young Newmarket trainer was quoted as saying that he wouldn’t be running his horse in the new £250,000 Balmoral Handicap because the meeting was going to be run “on bad jumping ground” and that he thought it should be moved to earlier in the autumn.

Whichever way you look at it, that won’t happen. Because of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at Longchamp two weeks earlier, there is no room for manoeuvre.

It has to be held on this weekend and there is no point debating the whys and wherefores.

As for the ground, sure it was very deep, but no one jumps up and down when it’s soft ground every other year at the aforementioned Arc meeting. That’s accepted as part of the deal, and the meeting is no lesser for it.

Besides that, there are plenty of top-class performers who handle, even relish, slow ground. Who is anybody to say that they should be discriminated against?

As for the idea of covering the course in the run-up, the track would be making a rod for their own back. How could you predict when to lay the covers, never mind the huge expense involved? As long as the meeting is not in danger, it should be left alone.

An occupational hazard

We are in the latter half of a year that from early summer to late autumn has favoured the fast-ground performers. That is the way the cookie crumbles, but for those of us with soft-ground horses — and I defy any trainer to say that he has none — their owners have had to be patient in the extreme!

Despite this, a large chunk of Newmarket’s flagship July meeting was run on slow ground.

We have to accept the weather is an occupational hazard, and get on with it. For example, even in the driest September since who knows when, Newbury had half an inch of rain just before their two-day meeting. On the first day, one trainer’s right-hand man was complaining loudly about their watering policy. It had to be pointed out to him that with that much rain it mattered not how much water they had put on.

Even if it did, what did he expect in mid-September?

Changing the date of British Champions Day to earlier in the autumn will not guarantee better ground, so the argument is pointless.

Whether to water

As for watering, the debate will rage on. Many feel that the tracks overwater — that it discriminates against fast-ground horses, and that it changes the nature of a track’s surface.

This winter, Yarmouth are taking up the turf on their straight track to sort out the ridges that have become progressively worse, and there is a feeling that this has come about because of continuous watering.

There has also been a good deal of complaint about the same problem on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, mostly from the jockeys.

Memorably, after this year’s 1000 Guineas, the winning (brilliant) trainer Andre Fabre was asked if he had any prior concerns about his filly Miss France handling the conditions. He replied: “No, not all. The Rowley Mile is the best course in the world, we love it, horses love it, it is only some jockeys who don’t like it”. Monsieur Fabre is well known for his autocratic handling of jockeys, but he has a point.

The tracks are in a difficult position, if they don’t water and produce firm ground, they attract small fields, which is to no one’s advantage. Generally, they do a pretty good job.

I have a much bigger problem with some of the inaccurate forecasting of what their ground will be on race day. But that is a whole other can of worms, and a subject for another day.

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The ground at Guernsey’s Chemin Le Roi showground has been cleaned and re-seeded in preparation for the island’s Horse of the Year Show (21-25 August) — after it was contaminated with glass.

Tainted top soil from a local green waste recycling site was spread on the venue’s arenas before the glass was found.

The problem was only discovered when it rained hard and the pieces of glass were revealed. The two-day British Showjumping (BS) show (6-7 July) had to be relocated to the Guernsey Riding and Hunt Club site at Route des Bordages in St Saviour.

Gail Simon, who is the BS chair in Guernsey, is now confident that all the glass has been removed and that the ground is ready for the show.

Gail told H&H: “All the area where the soil was and the surrounding areas have been dug out. We have then replaced it with new top soil and reseeded it.

“It took me and my husband 2 weekends working 11 hours a day, but now we are good to go.”

The Guernsey Horse of the Year show is hoping to attract more than 200 riders from both Guernsey and the rest of the British Isles.

Gail added: “We will be asking for compensation from the waste site for the amount it cost to put it right and the cancellation of the show.

“Thankfully it has now all been rectified for the show in a couple of weeks time.”

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After the winter and spring we have had, you will not hear me complaining about this gorgeous summer weather. Goodness knows, we all appreciate that it could stop at any time and all my fellow equestrians seem to be spending as much time in the sun as possible.

This little summer heatwave does raise a few issues for us eventers though. Firstly, the ground is getting firmer by the hour in this baking heat and I haven’t seen a rain drop in quite a while now — again, I’m not complaining! This means that as riders, we all have to make decisions on when and where to run our horses. This sometimes means not going cross-country, but also could mean not getting the horses off the lorry if the warm-up areas at events are not forgiving on horses’ legs.

I know all events try their utmost to keep conditions perfect, but with this weather we are having there is only so much any event can do. I respect that totally and understand that sometimes you just have to take it as you find it. I’ve found the best thing for me and my team to do is to quieten down a little in this hot weather and let the ground soften up before carrying on. Therefore, my horses won’t be running again until Aston le Walls in August.

Obviously, if this weather carries on, I will have to think again, and possibly sometimes run on hard ground, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it! In the meantime, it’s lots of dressage, showjumping and arena eventing to look forward to.

I will take the younger horses out once more this weekend to Stafford Horse Trials, to have a steady run round the BE100 track. Jumping at this height is less hard on horse’s legs than my older horses running round intermediate, and we can go a bit slower too. I’m sure it will be a lovely day out in the sunshine for them (and us too — we’ve starting picnicking at these summery events).

There’s definitely someone enjoying the sun more than the rest of us, and that is Alta, Delphi’s now three-week-old foal. She spends all day flat out in the field soaking up the rays, just having the occasional hoon round to let off some steam! It’s still amazing to watch her and I don’t know how I’m going to fill my time when she and Delphi head back to Oakham Vet Stud this Friday for Delphi to go back in-foal.

Lauren

All Lauren’s blogs 

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Last year was England’s wettest and the UK’s second soggiest, since weather records began in 1910. It was also officially the worst eventing season for cancellations in history — nearly 100 days of competition were lost in 2012.

Now we are less than a fortnight away from the first fixtures of the new season and the rain hardly seems to have stopped since last April. However, both eventers and organisers are determined 2013 will not be a washout.

Aston-le-Walls (2-3 March) reported a record crop of early entries, 200 in five days.

“People missed so much last year because of the weather and they know the ground at Aston is good, so they want to get their entries in early. We will have to ballot,” said entries secretary Tissie Reason.

Those events that run in the first weeks of the season — Isleham, Moreton and Aston-le-Walls (all 2-3 March), Tweseldown and Oasby (7-10 March) and Somerford Park (9-10 March) — do so because they are on particularly well-draining terrain.

But although they are confident they will go ahead next month, all six said their courses have been very wet.

Isleham in Cambridgeshire had 36ml of rain in January, said organiser Jackie Seddon. “But we are on peat and the water runs straight through to the main drains. The majority of the ground is good with some areas good to soft,” she added.

Liz Frampton-Hobbs at Moreton, Dorset, said they hope for dry weather in the next few weeks.

“We are sand and gravel, so free draining, but it is very wet here,” she told H&H.

Following groundwork in 2007 to build a hard standing lorry park, Tweseldown, Hants, has no concerns about the ground, event secretary Jill Lamont told H&H.

She said: “Snow and frost would put people off, but we do not have to worry about the going.”

Somerford Park, Cheshire, undertook extra maintenance work over the winter, including reseeding, decompaction and spreading 1,000tonne of sand on the course, to ensure the horse trials can go ahead.

“We just need three dry days now before the event to ensure we can run,” said assistant organiser Anne Harrison.

Oasby organiser Anna Buntine was also upbeat, saying: “We might have to pump the water jump out, but the ground at Oasby is amazing. We can run when no one else can.”

Nigel Taylor at Aston-le-Walls, Northants, said: “Aston drains remarkably well and the portable jumps were put in place before the wet weather.”

Read the full story in Horse & Hound(14 February, 2013)

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A spate of hunting falls in the past few weeks seem to have been aggravated by hard ground.

At the Warwickshire, there have been several trips to A&E of late – from broken wrists to dislocated shoulders and broken collarbones. Huntsman William Deakin dislocated his shoulder and was off for 10 days.

“We have had quite a few injuries, but it hasn’t dented people’s spirits – they’re still coming out,” said Warwickshire joint-master Sam Butler.

“I don’t think the falls can be blamed on the hard ground, but they may well have been made worse by it. If you hit the floor, there’s no soft, muddy landing.

“The ground is still quite hard now – we haven’t had much rain and the Warwickshire clay doesn’t have much give.”

Both Beaufort whippers-in have been sidelined recently – one with a broken collarbone and the other with a broken leg. But huntsman Tony Holdsworth told H&H they were “just unlucky”.

And the Fitzwilliam huntsman was off games for a couple of weeks after bruising his ribs when he fell from his horse in a sugar beet field.

“It’s always hard to land on that, but I have certainly heard of quite a few falls and accidents lately,” said joint-master George Bowyer.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (1 December 2011)

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A British company is leading the way in attempts to establish a universal standard for footing on cross-country courses.

STRI, a consultancy that has provided surfaces at Hickstead and Ascot, is in discussions with the FEI to create a global benchmark for going after project managing the course at Greenwich for the test event.

The company’s Lee Penrose said: “We hope to develop a standard way of measuring and improving going. The FEI tells us there is a demand from riders and we think it would be a fantastic legacy to come out of 2012.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (21 July, 2011)

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Equestrian events are suffering as some of the UK remains in the grip of one of the driest spells for more than a century.

According to the Met Office, East Anglia was the driest district in the UK this year having only 21% of the average rainfall for March, April and May.

Nearly all disciplines have been beset with hard ground and there’s a fear of growing financial implications both for riders, who have to travel further for better ground, and for events having to invest in preparing rideable going.

“Most events have tried really hard, but some simply don’t have the finances to make the ground perfect,” said H&H eventing columnist Tina Cook.

Shows have also reported low entries with hard ground believed to be one factor.

H&H showing columnist Katie Jerram said: “It’s definitely affected entries. And there could be massive knock-on effects if it’s like this all summer — not just with entries, but the condition of horses’ hooves.”

She added that Suffolk showground (1-2 June) was “near perfect”. But “they spent £42,000 on it and not many can afford to do that,” she said.

And in April Hickstead put 3.1 million litres of water on to the International Arena to ensure good ground.

In polo people are unwilling to risk their ponies on hard ground.

H&H reporter and polo pony breeder Aurora Eastwood said: “Only a few clubs have irrigation and smaller ones are suffering — the ground is rock hard you don’t want to take the chance.”

Point-to-point has been hit too, with a lack of runners over the past few months (news, 21 April), prompting H&H columnist Polly Gundry to describe it as a “testing time”.

Although racecourses are regularly watered, the grass gallops in Newmarket have been virtually unusable since March. Consequently, the town’s watered gallop had to be opened earlier than usual, but as all-weather gallops don’t make the horses work as hard, it has been harder to get fitness levels up.

H&H readers are reporting their own problems, too.

“I love the hot weather, but not the side-effects,” said Karen Burfoot from Stanstead. “We are schooling indoors and I haven’t competed much on grass as I don’t want to wreck my horse’s legs.”

Donna Samujh from Cambridge added: “It’s an absolute nightmare — the ground is literally like concrete. I’ve pulled out of competitions.”

At the same time, there are fears the weather could affect hay and straw yields and prices, with farmers in East Anglia expecting harvests to be down by 25%.

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (9 June, 2011)

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This year’s British Open Show Jumping Championship has been marred by the going, with a number of top riders expressing their concerns about the conditions.

Reigning British Open Champion Jessica Kurten won the second leg of the British Open competition yesterday on Quibell, but was considering withdraw the mare from the rest of the competition.

“I’m not sure I’ll jump Quibell again because of the ground,” said Jessica. “She’s only just come back after six months off. These are expensive horses we are competing; good ground is very important.”

Nick Skelton produced an outstanding performance from Russel to win the Accumulator class, but was scathing about the going after the class: “I’ve got one word to say [about the going] — crap.”

The surface has been provided by Equestrian Surfaces, who have an ongoing contract with Grandstand, organisers of the British Open Show Jumping Championships and the Horse of the Year Show.

Mark Wein of Grandstand told Horse & Hound: “We are just as frustrated as the riders are. But when you have got 640tonnes of surface down you can’t just rip it up and replace it mid show.

“We have got a long term contract with Equestrian Surfaces and to start with the surfaces were fine. We will be meeting with senior members of the company as soon as they are back in the country.

“To give the Equestrian Surfaces staff their due, they have worked every night on the arena, watering it, adding more fibre and rolling it to try and produce the best surface they can.

“We have had some terrific jumping so far and we will continue to work on the going as the show goes on.”

Don’t miss Horse & Hound’s full report from the British Open in next Thursday’s magazine.

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In the wake of the storm of criticism that greeted this year’s Badminton Horse Trials in May, organiser Hugh Thomas has revealed a swathe of major changes.

More than 25% of the field withdrew, complaining of rough and hard going on the cross-country course and in the warm-up arena. Afterwards, riders criticised Badminton for lagging behind other major three-day events (news, 26 July).

The key changes (listed below) include major work to the ground — on the course, warm-up and main arena — and a number of incentives for riders and their teams, including the abolition of entry fees and a major increase in prize-money.

“Obviously, Hugh has taken heed of what we all had to say, and made a huge effort,” acknowledged Clayton Fredericks, chairman of the Event Riders’ Association (ERA). “If we could have run the competition on the ground we saw, it would have been perfect — the warm-up area looks like a golf fairway — but the proof will be in how the event runs next year.”

He added: “No entry fee is a milestone, completion grants, higher prize-money and improvements to the lorry park — it’s very commendable, but there is still a way to go to have riders and owners completely happy.”

Badminton final scores

The 2008 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials will take place from 1-4 May.

Badminton’s new initiatives

• Turf consultants appointed, ground maintenance equipment purchased
• Course pegged out and mown, to be aerated, sanded, fertilised etc during the year. Park users — including Duke of Beaufort’s hunt — asked to keep off the track
• Ground on warm-up area reseeded and prepared. Planning application sought for an all-weather warm-up area
• Waiting list kept for event, with aim of starting 85 horses
• Prize-money increased to £60,000 for first prize (25% more than any other event in the world) and £1,000 for 20th, the lowest prize. Overall fund, £251,000
• Riders’ entry fee scrapped
• Award of £200 to grooms of horses starting cross-country (previously £175 for grooms of finishing horses)
• Extra money given to Event Riders’ Association dinner
• One more pair of passes available per horse
• Improvements to access of and ground in lorry park, installation of additional, modern toilets and showers

www.badminton-horse.co.uk

Read other top rider’s views on the changes in Horse & Hound (15 November, ’07)

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Leicestershire County Show was beset by problems due to the recent hard going. On the advice of course-designer David Cole, all the major show jumping classes — including an Area Trial — were cancelled on the Thursday before the show. The showing judges were also warned that galloping should be kept to a minimum.

In previous years, the Melton Mowbray airfield venue has been a mudbath and a new drainage system was installed after last year’s show.

“I feel so sorry for the organisers, but few riders would have been prepared to jump big fences on that going,” said David Cole, who will advise the committee on ground preparation for next year’s show.

www.leicestershire-county-show.co.uk

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Badminton organisers vowed to take a serious look at the future of the event after hard ground conditions prompted the withdrawal of more than 25% of the field.

Most of the withdrawals were Britons still to secure Olympic qualification, including top riders William Fox-Pitt, Daisy Dick and Zara Phillips. Only two of last year’s World Games GB squad elected to run, and even then not on their top horses. The going elicited a storm of criticism from riders when they arrived on site to find it extremely firm and, in places, rough.

Irish rider Jonty Evans summed up their feelings when he said on Radio Badminton: “This is a case of too little, too late. We expect more of an event at this level.”

Daisy Dick, who withdrew her world silver medallist Spring Along, in part because of a frustrating dressage test, said: “I’m not a person who withdraws — this is Badminton for heaven’s sake — but Spring Along is a horse of a lifetime.”

Event director Hugh Thomas conceded that he had relied too heavily on the weather forecast.

“We produced a course of which I was not proud on Tuesday. These were freak [dry] conditions for which we were not prepared,” he said. “We’ll certainly be looking to make sure this never happens again.”

Badminton final scores

Read this news story in full in today’s Horse & Hound (10 May, ’07)

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Eventing Ireland (EI) is to launch an investigation after a large number of riders withdrew before the cross-country at Ballindenisk International Horse Trials last weekend.

Hard ground resulted in the organisers aerovating the ground for 36hr before the event. Despite this, only nine combinations from 39 opted to run across country in the CIC*** class.

EI has requested information from the International Equestrian Federation in order to conduct its inquiry.

In a statement, it said: “It is most upsetting that the event has ended in such controversial circumstances.”

Ballindenisk event director Peter Fell told H&H: “We’re extremely disappointed that so many chose not to run their horses across country, especially as we had made superhuman efforts to make the best of the situation.

“We understand many riders specifically came to Ballindenisk because they expected soft ground, but nobody could have predicted that we would have five weeks without any rain.”

Don’t miss Horse & Hound’s full report from Ballindenisk International Horse Trials in today’s magazine (26 April, ’07)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now