Which Is the Ideal Arena Surface?
Well, the ideal arena surface is somewhere in between too hard and too soft. If the arena surface is too soft, it makes the horse work harder and so its muscles can easily become fatigued. This can only lead to muscle injuries, so you will want to avoid that. Instead, the arena surface must offer some resistance to let the horse easily push off.
But, a too hard arena surface can have negative consequences too. In this case, the toes of the horse cannot penetrate the surface, which can lead to an imbalance of the horse when its leg hits the surface. The angles of the joints will change and so his muscles and ligaments will be overwhelmingly burden.