Warm Season Turfgrass Equine Sports Surfaces: An Experimental Comparison of the Independence of Simple Measurements Used for Surface Characterization.
Authors: Blanco María Alejandra, Di Rado Facundo Nicolas, Peterson Michael Mick
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Warm Season Turfgrass Equine Sports Surfaces Turfgrass arenas offer superior performance characteristics compared to synthetic alternatives, yet their management remains complex and poorly standardised. Blanco, Di Rado, and Peterson (2023) evaluated five accessible field-testing instruments—time-domain reflectometry, rotational peak shear device, impact test device, soil cone penetrometer, and Going Stick—to determine whether they could reliably characterise warm season turfgrass surfaces and detect the influence of subsurface drainage and geotextile reinforcement layers. Volumetric moisture content emerged as the primary discriminator between treatments, whilst the soil cone penetrometer proved sensitive to geotextile presence, and the Going Stick detected interactions between geotextile and drainage components. Strong negative correlations existed between moisture content and both penetrometer and Going Stick readings, with positive correlation between those two instruments themselves. Whilst moisture and sod composition introduced measurement variability, these portable, low-cost instruments show genuine potential for routine surface quality control and maintenance monitoring—provided practitioners maintain consistent protocols for moisture assessment and maintain detailed records of sod establishment and composition at their venues.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Use affordable, readily available tools (TDR, SCP, Going Stick) to monitor and manage turfgrass surfaces for equine sports, focusing on controlling both moisture levels and sod composition
- •Soil cone penetrometer readings and Going Stick measurements can help detect the effectiveness of geotextile reinforcement and drainage packages in arena construction
- •Regular moisture content monitoring is essential, as it significantly affects all surface characterization measurements and can mask or enhance the detection of structural improvements
Key Findings
- •Volumetric moisture content (VMC) was the most sensitive measurement for detecting the presence of drainage packages in turfgrass equine surfaces
- •Soil cone penetrometer (SCP) and Going Stick (GS) measurements were positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with VMC percentage
- •Geotextile reinforcement was primarily detected by SCP measurements and the interaction of geotextile with drainage package by GS measurements
- •Affordable lightweight testing tools show potential for quality control and maintenance monitoring of equine sports surfaces when moisture content and sod composition are controlled