Latest News
TSA News > Galloping to greater use of recycled rubber
Galloping to greater use of recycled rubber
1 March 2019
A recent trial of an innovative new horse track surface, made with a mix of recycled tyre rubber, has yielded exciting results.
Late in 2018, Flexiroc Australia installed its Equine Air paving product on 550 square metres at a Racing Victoria facility, Pakenham Racing Clubs Tynong Complex. The latest test follows a successful trial installation at a horse stud in 2016. This initiative is one of 29 projects that the Tyre Stewardship Fund has committed to support.
The Equine Air, free draining, track surface has proven to improve water discharge allowing greater all-weather usage and increase cushioning to lessen the potential for injury. The test also helped to provide performance parameters for future use of the innovative material.
The Pakenham track used over 3,000 equivalent passenger units, or 27 tonnes of recycled rubber. The successful trial section presents the opportunity for the conversion of more tracks at Pakenham in the near future, with the long-term potential for the use of a substantial volume of rubber granulate as more tracks are converted. Each full track would use at least 600 tonnes of recycled rubber.
Ease of construction is another benefit of the new surface as it can be laid using conventional paving equipment. The Equine Air product can be used across many applications including for synthetic fibre tracks, sand tracks and in mounting yards and stables.
The work on Equine Air is just part of the broad range of new product development that Tyre Stewardship Australia has been involved with as it seeks to develop valuable markets for recycled tyre-derived material.