You can get along with a lot of arena conditioners but, especially for pattern classes of any discipline, Kiser makes the best drags out there in my opinion. You can easily control depth, aeration/compaction, water content, flatness of surface/base and smoothness. I can’t think of any other disciplines that require footing as consistent and as difficult to achieve as reined cowhorse and reiners and Kiser does the best job in both of those. I think Richard has one, so maybe he can talk to the specifics. Ask any good equine leg vet about arena footing regardless of your discipline. Footing is one of the few things you can control that makes a difference to the happiness, performance, and longevity of your horse.
If I were going to buy here is what I would look at and why
1. Kiser – Not cheap but they do the best job if you care to learn how to use them. The best thing is that they are long from front to back.
2. TR3/Red master Harrow – they do a pretty good job and would do a better job leveling if they were longer. Getting consistent aeration is a bit harder than with the Kiser. Also, when you have a set up that is rigidly attached to the tractor the way these are, the corners don’t give you the same footing as you get in the straight sections of your drag. Also, sharp corners can give you considerable wheel scrub which can cause ruts as you push the footing around.
3. Large round roto drags. I think that these do a good job and, if it’s big enough, it’s pretty hard to get it to dig in. If you have TopNTilt you can do a good job of moving dirt. The small ones with multiple spinners are not long enough front to back to really level. The other thing, and don’t discount this, is that if you hit the fence with them they tend to roll around them rather than catching. I hate to say this but I can personally vouch for this.
4. Flexible tine harrow. Inexpensive, easy to use but you only have a couple of ways of controlling the depth of your dig. Not great for pattern classes where you develop ruts or depressions from working in the same area. It also puts about the same amount of pressure on the footing where there are wear patterns and where there are not. This tends to loosen up footing where it has been pushed away and makes that area wear quickly.
I have used every product mentioned in this thread and I think the Kiser nets the best results although all of the above are good and will serve your needs. Also, you can make a pretty good knock off of the Kiser, with water, for not much money if you have a little time.
Mark
