With recent continuous heavy rains, the equestrian haven of Wellington has been turned upside down this winter season. Competitions have seen delays and cancellations, and horses and riders have had to stay indoors during uncharacteristically rainy weather.
Equestrians from all disciplines have found themselves surrounded by rising water and limited from their competition plans. But some equestrians have outfitted their farms with an elite arena system that allows them to continue riding and training as normal, even through disastrous weather.
Olympic dressage riders Debbie McDonald and Adrienne Lyle, based out of TYL Farm owned by Kylee Lourie in Wellington, are among a select few whose horses have the luxury of staying high and dry — turned out and continuing with their normal daily schedules. Their paddocks are outfitted with the OTTO Sport Paddock Mat System.
Premier Equestrian, a leading innovator in arena footing and supporter of prominent equestrians such as McDonald and Lyle, is the exclusive North American distributor of the German product. With a little strategic planning, and the OTTO Sport Paddock Mat system from Premier Equestrian, McDonald and Lyle’s training facility continues to function smoothly.
The OTTO Sport system is based on its perforated mats that can be outfitted beneath riding arenas and paddocks, such as the paddocks at TYL Farm. The OTTO system provides maximum drainage, concussion mitigation, stability for horse and rider, and a proper and durable separation of footing and substructure. Drainage holes in the mat remove excess water quickly, making the arena usable soon after a storm. Built-in reservoirs hold enough water to rehydrate the footing later. These features make the OTTO system well-suited for any arena or farm in the world, and crucial in times of extreme weather.
“OTTO Sport offers a system of drainage, concussion relief, biomechanics benefits and longevity,” said Heidi Zorn, president of Premier Equestrian. “The OTTO Sport system is a proven product that has been around for over 30 years. Many riding and equestrian surfaces are still standing and performing as well as they did the first day the system was installed 30 years ago.”
Fellow dressage icon and Olympian Steffen Peters is also keenly aware of the importance of selecting a proper arena system for his training facility Arroyo Del Mar in California. Recently, one of the strongest El Niño weather systems on record pummeled California, leaving devastating conditions for equestrians with flooding in paddocks and riding rings. Paying close attention to warnings of this year’s El Niño, Peters sought out the Premier Equestrian and the OTTO Sport arena system for the facility he and his wife, USDF gold medalist Shannon Peters, use.
Peters believes that the advanced OTTO Sport arena system is essential, and his arena proved its worth throughout the series of intense El Niño storms. Peters’ team continued to train while most of California’s equestrian population saw themselves virtually stall-bound.
Today, many in the Wellington equestrian community are seeing those very same effects — and, like Peters, McDonald and Lyle, are glad to have taken the precaution of installing the Premier Equestrian and OTTO Sport perforated mats and arena systems prior to the winter competition season.
To learn more about Premier Equestrian and the OTTO Sport arena system, visit www.premierequestrian.com or call (800) 611-6109.
