Which Dust Control Product Is Right For My Horse Arena?

When it comes to arena maintenance, one of the most common challenges we hear about is dust control. If you’re dealing with a dry, dusty riding arena and choking on clouds of sand and dirt, you know the struggle is all too real. Fortunately, Premier Equestrian has solutions to help: We offer a variety of safe and effective arena dust control products that minimize airborne particles and hydrate your footing to keep you and your horse happy and healthy.

Why is arena dust control important and where can you use our products? In this article, we’ll discuss why it is critical to minimize dust and recommend products that can help you get it under control.

Outdoor Arena Dust Control

Completely eradicating dust from an outdoor arena is almost impossible. Sand breaks down over time and the fine dust particles become airborne. But it’s important to try to control the dust as much as possible, especially for the health of the horses and riders. If there are no horse arena dust control practices in place, the dust can irritate the lungs, nose, and eyes, leading to breathing problems for anyone in the arena. Both horses and humans are prone to developing respiratory issues when exposed to dust or sand particles for a prolonged period of time. Simply put, a dusty outdoor arena is not only an unpleasant experience for trainers, riders, spectators, and horses, it’s a health issue that must be controlled.

While there are several solutions for arena dust control, such as applying water to the arena, one of the easiest, long-lasting, and most efficient methods is to use a dust control product. You might be wondering, which arena dust control products are right for my arena? How do I apply the products, and how difficult is it to maintain? At Premier Equestrian, we offer a variety of highly effective horse arena dust control products that are easy to apply, making maintenance a breeze. Read on to figure out which dust control product is right for your arena and how you can apply it.

Indoor Arena Dust Control

If you’ve ever been in a dusty indoor arena, you might have felt like you were in the middle of a sandstorm. Being in an indoor arena with poor arena dust control practices can be a miserable experience for anyone. Similar to outdoor arenas, dust control in indoor arenas is important. In fact, you could also say that indoor riding arena dust control is perhaps even more important than outdoor arena dust control. With everyone under one roof with little access to fresh air, keeping dust from floating into the surrounding environment and hurting air quality is critical.

Spectators who briefly visit indoor arenas are less likely to suffer health issues from floating sand particles. However, anyone working long hours in an arena is highly likely to inhale large amounts of airborne particles, resulting in health problems for humans and horses. While there are several ways to control the dust in the air, applying products to the footing is one of the easiest and most effective methods. The products that we offer are safe and effective for both horses and riders.

But which dust control product is right for your arena? Much like skincare, finding the right product all depends on your personal needs, concerns, and lifestyle. Read on for more information about our dust control products—Slow Dust™, Premier Hydro-Keep, and new ArenClear—and which situations they’re best suited to tackle!

Horse Arena Dust Control Products

Slow Dust™

Slow Dust is an effective riding arena dust control product that reduces watering and improves the performance of your footing. Slow Dust uses a flocculation polymer to bind microscopic dust particles back together. Tiny dust particles in your arena float into the air, and water connects the polymer and dust particles in a network, making them heavy and no longer airborne.

Slow Dust is a flocculant that is safe for both horse and rider. Flocculants are commonly used in drinking water treatment plants to bind bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, enabling them to be removed from the water through filtration. Slow Dust can add a bit of traction to your arena because of the particle stabilization qualities. Moisture will be retained and the need to water your arena can be reduced by up to 50%.

How Can Slow Dust Benefit Arena Footing?

Helps reduce dust and retain moisture in your arena
Adds stabilization to the surface
Simple and easy to install and maintain
Reduces operational and maintenance costs
Environmentally safe and animal safe
Biodegradable
Can be used if Magnesium or Calcium Chloride has been used in the past
Can last up to 16 months between treatments

Slow Dust is Best Used For:

Indoor and outdoor riding arenas
Racetracks
Round pens
Corrals
Paddocks
Slow Dust can be used with all our footing products, including rubber products and geotextile
Works well with sands that are loose and in need of additional stabilization

Learn more about Slow Dust™

Premier Hydro-Keep

Premier Hydro-Keep is a safe, non-toxic polymer crystal that can reduce your arena watering by up to 50%. The crystals expand when wet, absorbing and retaining water. Over time, as the soil dries, the crystals contract and gradually release water to hydrate the surrounding area. As an added benefit, this continuous expansion and contraction reduces soil compaction.

How Does Premier Hydro-Keep Work?

Research shows that the super absorbent polymers in Hydro-Keep can release up to 95% of the water they absorb, making this moisture available for your surface. One pound of Hydro-Keep can absorb up to 40 gallons of tap water and 31 gallons of rainwater. Thanks to a neutral pH level, Hydro-Keep will break down into nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water with no residual toxicity.

Hydro-Keep non toxic chemical crystals close up

What Are The Benefits of Premier Hydro-Keep?

Helps reduce dust and retains water in your arena
Breaks up compacted surfaces and offers cushioning
Reduces watering intervals
Lasts up to three years
Non-toxic and safe for horses

Premier Hydro-Keep is Best For:

Indoor and outdoor riding arenas
Premier Hydro-Keep can be added to any of our footing additives for enhanced moisture retention
Ideal for clay-type surfaces or surfaces that tend to get hard and compacted

Learn more about Premier Hydro-Keep

ArenaClear

The newest addition to our collection of horse arena dust control products, ArenaClear is a safe and easy-to-use agricultural product developed to help handle dust problems in riding arenas, paddocks, stalls, and other areas around your barn and farm. ArenaClear not only tackles dust problems, but also helps reduce the amount of water needed.

How Does ArenaClear Work?

ArenaClear is a unique, non-toxic proprietary formula of agricultural minerals and it creates a chemical and physical change in the soil. It allows your footing product to retain more water and to penetrate deeper into your footing, which means less watering and overall labor to control your dust problems.

What Are The Benefits For Arena Footing?

Minimizes dust and reduces watering by 50-60%
Cost effective
Wide range of coverage (one gallon will treat up to 10,000 square feet)
Easy to apply (no special equipment is needed; a hose-end sprayer will do the job)
Can be ridden on the same day you apply it to your arena
Will not wash away; one application should last at least 1 year
Non-slippery and odorless
Environmentally and ecologically safe to use

ArenaClear Is Best For:

Indoor and outdoor riding arenas
Round-pens
Paddocks
Stalls and runs
Walkways
Roads
Any areas that might have a dust problem
ArenaClear works with all types of soil and footing materials (sand/rubber, sand/clay, geotextile/mix, etc.)
Works great with clay or natural bases to help hold moisture deeper into the surface

Learn more about ArenaClear

Slow Dust, Premier Hydro-Keep, and ArenaClear are all designed to help reduce dust and watering in your horse arena, and they can all be used for dust control for outdoor riding arenas and indoor riding arenas. These products are all safe for horses, humans and the environment, and require a simple DIY process.

Premier Equestrian is Here to Help You Find the Perfect Dust Control Product

Controlling the dust in your arena will help everyone enjoy their riding time. Instead of the horses and riders feeling like they are in a dust storm, they can focus on getting the work done and having fun. Each horse arena dust control product is affordable, long-lasting, and effective.

At Premier Equestrian, we are dedicated to helping our customers obtain high-quality arena products at an economical price. Our knowledgeable and experienced team is educated on the best materials for every environment. Not sure which product will be the best for your arena? Contact us, and we will be glad to help. As a team, we are dedicated to exceptional customer service and believe our customers deserve the best care.