Equestrian Surfaces
Correct On-site Aftercare
General Information

1. To ensure peak performance and a long service life, your Melcourt equestrian surface must be installed and maintained in accordance with the following simple instructions.
2. The initial installation of your Melcourt equestrian surface must be watered and well rolled before use. The surface material will compact down by 15 – 20%, which is quite normal and a feature of these types of products.
3. The surface will take between 3 – 10 weeks to reach peak condition. Rolling must continue daily, together with watering, until the surface is ‘firm’ but not yielding.
4. Every day after use, the surface must be levelled, either by hand raking or mechanically with a grading mesh or roller mounted tines.
   A constant surface depth must be maintained to ensure uniform footing for the horse.
5. Rolling is best carried out after each levelling.
6. Watering is essential for the surface to remain firm. Natural rainfall will normally be sufficient. As a precautionary measure, water artificially if more than 75mm / 3” of the surface depth becomes excessively loose.
7. The surface should only require topping up when the product is fatigued.

Maintenance Requirements

Daily
1. Remove all solid droppings
2. Rake and level all deep depressions
3. Level the entire surface with a grading mesh or with roller mounted tines, taking care not to penetrate the surface depth by more than 50mm / 2”. Alternate the direction of each grading.
4. Roll the surface evenly and thoroughly.
5. If the surface is used for jumping, the jumps must be re-sited daily to enable take-off and landing areas to resettle to a firm surface before jumping on again.

Weekly
1. In the event of the surface not having been used for several days, give it a good extra rolling, preferably after a shower of rain.
2. Walk over the area to ensure that no hard or soft spots have developed.
   If hard, add additional material. If soft, check the drainage or whether the surface is too dry.
   

Six monthly
1. Sample check the surface by digging small inspection holes down to the membrane layer. If the surface is less than 150mm / 6” deep, a top up quantity must be added. Replace excavated material and thoroughly compact each hole.

Topping Up
1. If sections of the surface have been severely worn, i.e. practically to dust, this material must be removed before new material is added. Maintain the surface as for a new installation.

Freezing
1. Melcourt equestrian surfaces have a high tolerance to zero temperatures. However, should extreme temperature conditions prevail, these adverse effects can be minimised by spreading ½ kilogram of sand free agricultural salt per square metre of surface.