FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Guests at Arabian Nights may not even notice what kind of surface is in the arena where they watch 50 horses perform, but to the horses and performers the type of surface is very important. Recently, much research and planning has gone into getting a new surface installed.
The excavation of 960 cubic yards of footing and installation of 420 cubic yards of new material began at 9pm on Thursday October 28 and was finished by 9 am on Friday October 29, 2010. This initial installation will be supplemented with an additional amount of Fibar during the month of November. However, the project has been in the works for nearly 6 months.
The variety of riding disciplines and the acrobatics in the Arabian Nights show make choosing a surface material a tricky task, requiring a concussion-reducing footing that also allows horses to perform specialty maneuvers like a sliding stop, where they should cut through the top layer of footing. Add to that the difficulty of removing the existing surface and putting in a new surface without closing for a day and it becomes a daunting project.
After much research by the Arabian Nights Barn Manager and Technical Director, it was decided to use Fibar, a surface that was the original footing at Arabian Nights when it opened in 1988. The Fibar product chosen by Arabian Nights is Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF), a specially formulated mix of wood fiber engineered from selected woods that form a firm, yet springy surface that’s warm, dry, naturally clean and pleasing to the eye. The low dust and versatility of the surface make it an ideal choice, and because Fibar was the original footing used at Arabian Nights when it opened, the durability was also known.
After selecting the surface, a date was chosen for installation, which was just as complex than choosing a surface. The installation had to occur between shows because Arabian Nights is open 365 days each year. It was decided to start excavation of the old footing following a 6:00pm show and have installation finished by the following day before an 8:30pm show so that the horses and riders could practice before the performance.
In addition to the surface replacement, the arena wall was also stripped, restructured to hold its current fog system and repainted. A time-lapse video of the project is displayed on the Arabian Nights Facebook page for fans to view.
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