Bear Excavating Ltd

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to travel to Juniper Hill Equestrian in Kelowna B.C, to install the first shipment of TravelBright footing!! (Manuf...actured by Footing First LLC) This is exciting news as they have now started mixing on the West Coast and their footing is readily available for purchase to Western Canadians. Check out our before and after pics!! If your in the market for new footing contact us we have samples www.juniperhillequestrian.com www.footingfirst.com

So excited about this!!! Thanks Karen

Boys working hard before the rain last week

DAY 10: Research. Over the past 9 days we have provided helpful guidelines to follow during the early planning phase of your arena project. Research and asking... questions will help you not only better understand the process but allow you to make the best decision on your investment. We are confident in not only our products, but our install and maintenance crews throughout the country. We’ve tested our products thoroughly with the help of the following industry leaders in scientific testing: Mick Peterson of Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory from the University of Kentucky, Jeffrey Thomason of Ontario Veterinarian College at University of Guelph, Sport Surfaces Testing and Consultants at Labosport who tests for FIFA and World Rugby, and Sarah Jane Hobbs University of Central Lancashire. The FEI is involved with many of the above in testing equestrian surfaces. Through years of perfection, we have dedicated everything to developing not only a well tested product, but a well trusted network of professionals to take care of our clients from start to finish. Visit our website www.footingfirst.com for more information and research articles. @outsiderein @bearexcavating @gnash203 @ballard_construction @carolina.arenaequipment @tritonventuresllc Matthew Donohue Photography @mattiastromp See more

DAY 9: Maintenance is a key factor in determining your footings performance and longevity. We have some recommendations that we encourage our clients to follow ...once the footing is installed and our job is done Grooming: The amount of arena grooming required is dependent on the footing. A footing that compacts easily will require more dragging, which also means burning more fuel, more wear and tear on your tractor, worn out teeth on your groomer, etc. It does add up. Dust-free footing generally requires less grooming, but of course all grooming depends on use and weather. -Lawton Adams of LAC. For water-dependent products, daily watering with harrowing is essential. We work closely with @carolina.arenaequipment who supplies us with all of our DragNFly harrows for a perfect finish. Laser Grading: Annual laser grading by an experienced contractor is crucial. Laser grading will keep your footing at a consistent depth, protect your base, and prevent injury. Consult with your contractor during your annual laser grade to ensure you are maintaining your footing properly and to address any questions you may have. @outsiderein @gnash203 @bearexcavating @ballard_construction #lawtonadamsconstruction #footingfirst #arenamaintenance #carolinaarenaequipment #dragnfly #harrow #groomer #horsearena #footing See more

DAY 8-Additives European geo-textile (EGT) fiber provides traction, cushion, and water retention to footing. EGT is used in almost all of our signature pre...-mixed products. For existing sand arenas, EGT can be added to help stabilize and improve performance. Traditionally it works best with finer sands and is recommended to be installed by an experienced contractor. RubberWe offer two types of rubber which add cushion and help loosen up compacted footing. This is one of the more cost effective methods in amending your arena, but both EGT fiber and rubber together are superb for revitalizing an old arena. Rubber is easily added to footing, and creates voids in the sand particles so they dont compact as much, giving a bit more spring to footing that may need some rejuvenation. We use only virgin rubber so there are no recycled materials involved. Rubber is also found in our dust-free blends TravelRight and TravelBright #footingfirst #EGTfiber #europeangeotextile #horse #ridingarena #ring #performance #additives #travelright See more

DAY 7: Mats Matting systems for your arena have become the newest and most innovative addition to riding arenas. There are many different mats on the market c...urrently, and all serve a different purpose. OT-40 mat. This is an excellent mat that will help reduce concussion and improve drainage. It is useful over a free draining base outdoors, as it allows water through the mat very quickly and adds stability to your base layer. We have also found this mat especially useful in round pens and small arenas where added strength and traction may be needed. Both of these products need 5 inches loose of footing overtop to preserve your mats integrity. Pictured first is an installation by E=MC2. Our EBUS mats, also named the Equestrian Buffer Underlayment System have been a game changer in the world of equestrian footing. They can be installed both indoors and outdoors, and enhance the performance of our excellent footing products. Added cushion, reasonable cost, and easy installation are all benefits of these mats. Through extensive scientific testing, these mats have shown excellent results to improve your horses performance and reduce risk of injury. @blumanequestrian Grids are another type of mat that we generally use over interior drains within the arena. They are amazing for dry paddocks, around watering systems in fields, and on any steep grade where erosion may occur. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but are solely used for drainage and stability, adding no concussion value to your riding arena. #horse #riding #arena #blumanequestrian #e=mc2construction #mattingsystems #OT40 #EBUS #concussion #grids #drainage See more

DAY 6: Outdoor Arena Drainage. Ultimately, an arena is built to absorb and handle only what falls from the sky onto the arena, so drainage capturing water fro...m the surrounding landscape is imperative. You do not want to have water entering the arena from the outside. Always look at your outdoors positioning to see where the water flows and try to work with it as best as possible. Dry wells may be needed, curtain drains, and swales are all means of redirecting water away from your arena. A free draining base arena as we mentioned yesterday will handle the rainfall the very best. You will not miss a day with a free draining base however, you still need good drainage within the base. Pipe needs to be installed to send the water to which ever area you have decided can handle the extra flow. We call this daylighting, and this is where the pipe will open to the grass and natural grade which will flow towards a water source like a pond, lake or a dry well. With a traditional base we add what we call interior drains and they are added close to the edge so as the water flows across the arena to the drain. We often use grids over the drains to allow the water out quickly and keep the footing and the small stone separated. The intricacy of drainage is well executed by a knowledgeable installer See more

DAY 5: Outdoor Arena- Bases. There are multiple ways to build your outdoor arena from high tech ebb and flow watering systems to a traditional stone dust base w...ith basic drainage. The most important thing is that the arena is built with the properly compacted materials at the proper grade. The two types of base we generally install are traditional compacted stone bases, or a free-draining base. A traditional stone dust base with the proper pitch is very functional and works mostly with surface drainage. Additional drainage is often added to the interior sides of the arena to direct that water elsewhere A free-draining stone base is a loose aggregate base that is porous, so the water is able to flow straight down through the footing and base to drainage below. This drains much quicker and is more effective after a heavy rain fall. A properly constructed base with adequate drainage will keep your arena rideable throughout the year. Tune in for day 6 as we dive more into effective drainage. #footingfirst #horse #arena #footing #base #stone #aggregate #construction @gnash203 @bearexcavating @ballard_construction See more

DAY 4: Water-dependent footing. Our high performance water dependent product SRS, Superior Riding Surface, is widely used throughout the industry by many top pr...ofessionals such as @mclainward.official, @danielbluman, @alex_granato and more. The benefit of a water dependent product is that you are able to manipulate and dictate footing performance based on the moisture content applied. We offer different water dependent sand/egt fiber products, depending on the geographic location for affordability. We are also able to send our SRS throughout the country from one of our many mixing sites. A proper irrigation system is needed as these products need to be watered daily :@gnash203 @outsiderein #footingfirst #10daydreamarenachallenge #mclainward #danielbluman #alexgranato #fei #olympic #riders #srs #footing #irrigation #horsearena See more

DAY 3: Surfaces Part 1, Dust-Free. We have been creating dust free footing for over 13 years. Through years of continuous research and development we have mast...ered each product to fit specific riding disciplines. Not only do our dust free footings create safe and durable riding surfaces, they also require minimal maintenance. No more dragging hoses, expensive irrigation systems or mag applications. Spending less time maintaining your footing allows you to spend more time doing what you love, riding. Helping you get the absolute most out of your footing. To find out which dust free product is right for you, reach out to us at FootingFirst. #footingfirst #dustfree #footing #horse #equestrian #riding #horsebackriding #arena #nodustnofuss See more

DAY 1: Picking a contractor. Having a reputable, experienced contractor build your arena is imperative. A contractor who has experience using the proper materia...ls, techniques and equipment will make all the difference in the success and longevity of your arena. Gather references and as much information as possible to ensure you have selected the right contractor for the job. We have installers throughout the US and Canada that we work with regularly to ensure that our product is being installed properly on a quality base. Fields and Footings in Massachusetts, Ballard Construction with multiple locations throughout the US, Lawton Adams Construction in Weschester County, NY, Bear Excavating of Calgary, and Viridian Landscape of Toronto, to name a few. Contacting us for a reputable installer in your area, is the first step in the process of building your dream arena! @bearexcavating @casey_viridian @ballard_construction @gnash203 #footingfirst #horsearena #contractor #footing #installer #horse #arena #caterpillar #kubota #levelbest #fieldsandfootings #ballardconstruction #bearexcavating #viridianlandscape #lawtonadamsconstruction

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY Starting tomorrow, we will be introducing a series of daily educational posts of what to know when building your dream arena! Whoev...er gathers the most engagement between tagging friends and liking our posts, will win apparel from FF and some of our installers: Fields and Footings, Ballard Construction AND a 5% discount on a footing product of their choice. @gnash203 @ballard_construction #footingfirst #giveaway #horse #equestrian #horsearena #horsefooting #building #your #dream #arena See more

We just had our first ride in the immaculate indoor and Q feels markedly better! I cant tell you how happy I am. Its like equine heaven at your farm. -Nick ...of Three Barn Farm left us a very fulfilling message after we re-did the arenas at her facility @threebarnfarm #footingfirst #equestrian #footing #horse #arena #dressage #showjumping #dustfree #travelright #horse #equestrianlife See more

Hey Everyone this is a little late, but we have a winner for the Bosss Birthday Contest!! In light if everything going on we would like to spread some good cheer The total number of M&Ms in the jar was 251. Andrea Carstairs your guess was 250!!! You are the lucky winner. I will PM you to arrange claiming your prize

Its the Bosss Birthday today!! Help us celebrate by playing our fun give away Guess how many of the Bosss favourite candies are in the jar? like our Facebook Page.... Like/ share our post. Winner will receive a 50.00 movie card and some Bear Excavating swag!! Contest open to everyone! Winner will be announced Monday March 16/2020. Thanks for celebrating with us

When getting a bigger hammer always works.

Monday morning move getting a early start, thanks Wade.

Another TBT to 2001!! This was one of our first jobs, love the smile

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!! We are blessed everyday and have many things to be thankful for

Happy Friday!!! This is for all the heavy equipment operators out there

Some great septic tips that we can always keep sharing even though septic sense week was a couple of weeks ago

Playing with another toy this past summer!! The Go Pro!! This video courtesy of our son Austin Berry

Happy Monday!! Hope its a fabulous one

Completed this outdoor arena the end of August it was 130x 230

TBT!! This is how it all began in 2001

Trying out the new toy!!! Watch for more videos of our jobs from above

Some helpful tips to prepare your garden for winter this fall https://pin.it/46i25wwhcdczej

Happy Monday!!!

Havent done this in a while.

Thinking of building a riding arena? Did you know we build and maintain arenas!! We can also work with you to find the best footing for your needs. Contact us for information

Cant beat the view today!!

Happy Canada Day from the team at Bear Excavating Ltd!! Hope you all enjoyed the first official long weekend of summer

Looking forward to summer

Lunch break and safety meeting!!

Isnt this the truth

Did you fill out your daily Field Level Hazard Assessment

Did you know we install and maintain arena footing? Contact us today for a free estimate. We can also work with you to find the right footing that works for your needs.