About Performance Footing®
Riders Building Better Arenas
Performance Footing® engineers plant-based arena systems for riders, trainers, and facility owners who demand more from their surfaces. Founded by a competitive dressage rider who refused to accept that good footing was a matter of luck, the company has grown to serve facilities across the United States and internationally — with every system designed around data, built from natural materials, and supported from first assessment to daily drag.
2011
Serving Arenas Since
Nationwide
U.S. Service & Consultation
100%
Plant-Based Materials
9
Disciplines Supported
Our Approach
A tuning system, not a product
Most footing companies sell a product. You buy a pallet of fiber or a truckload of rubber, spread it on your sand, and hope it works. If it doesn't, you buy more. The product was never designed for your sand, your climate, or your discipline — it was designed to be sold in volume.
Performance Footing® works differently. We start with your sand — literally. Every project begins with an in-house sieve analysis in our lab and a detailed arena profile built through our ArenaSpec™ platform. We measure particle size distribution, assess grain shape and mineralogy, and map your arena's specific conditions: discipline, traffic, base construction, moisture management, and maintenance. Only then do we design a footing system — selecting the right combination of FIBR (plant fiber for traction and stability), FLEX (plant-based elastomer for cushion and shock absorption), and LOCK (plant-derived moisture retention and dust control) calibrated to what your sand actually needs.
We don't stop at delivery. Every system includes maintenance guidance, groomer recommendations, and ongoing support to keep the surface performing. Because footing isn't a purchase — it's a system you tune over time. And every tuning adjustment is smarter when it's built on data.
Material science, not marketing
The equestrian footing industry has relied on three materials for decades: polyester geotextile, crumb rubber, and petroleum wax. All three are petroleum-derived. Polyester sheds microplastics. Crumb rubber comes from waste tires that the EPA classifies as hazardous material. Petroleum wax degrades and re-hardens in temperature swings.
Performance Footing® replaced all three with plant-based alternatives. FIBR is made from coir (coconut husk fiber) and hemp — 100% plant origin, fully biodegradable, zero microplastic. FLEX is a plant-based elastomer that carries USDA Certified Biobased Product status at 99%. LOCK is 99% plant-derived, formulated from lignosulfonate, saponin, soybean oil, and pine tar oil — no salt, no synthetic polymers, no corrosive chemicals.
This isn't a marketing angle. It's a material science decision. Plant-based fibers don't leach. Plant-based elastomers don't off-gas. Plant-derived dust control doesn't corrode your equipment or damage your soil. Your horse eats hay off this surface, rolls in it, breathes the air above it. The materials matter.
Founded by a rider who builds what riders need
Performance Footing® started because Jennifer Brinkman was tired of footing that didn't perform the way riders needed it to. A USDF Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalist with decades of competitive dressage experience, Jennifer understands what a Grand Prix horse needs under its feet — and what happens when the surface falls short.
But she's also a coach. Her IEA teams have won national championships at both the junior high and high school levels. That dual perspective — elite competitor and youth program director — shapes everything about how Performance Footing® approaches surface design. She knows what a competition horse demands from a surface, and she knows what a lesson program demands from a budget. Both matter.
Too many arenas were being built with generic materials, maintained with the wrong equipment, and designed without understanding what each discipline actually requires. So Jennifer built a company around a different approach: data-driven assessment, natural materials, engineered blends, and the support to keep it all performing long after installation day. Today she's still riding, still coaching, and still testing every surface Performance Footing® builds — currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, three Weimaraners, and two dressage horses.
The Team
People who know footing
From sales and logistics to construction and product development — every team member understands what it takes to build and maintain a great arena.
Nick Walz
Sales Director
Works directly with facility owners, trainers, and property managers to understand what each arena needs and match them with the right footing system. Nick is the first point of contact for new projects and the ongoing relationship through the life of the surface.
John Ayers
Director of Product
Oversees product development and formulation — from raw material sourcing to additive blend engineering. John ensures every FIBR, FLEX, and LOCK formula meets performance standards and upholds our commitment to plant-based, sustainable materials.
Brendan Fashing
Head of Arena Construction
Manages complete arena builds from site assessment through final installation — coordinating base systems, drainage engineering, laser grading, and footing installation as one integrated process. Brendan's field experience across hundreds of builds ensures that what the lab designs, the ground delivers.
Desiree Waite
Logistics Manager
Coordinates sourcing, blending, and delivery logistics across the supply chain. Desiree ensures the right materials arrive on time and in spec for every project — whether it's a single-arena private facility or a multi-phase commercial build.
Andrew Bradford
Growth Manager
Drives strategic partnerships and market development — connecting Performance Footing® with new facility types, regions, and opportunities to expand the reach of plant-based footing systems.
What We Do
Four areas, one integrated system
Performance Footing® works across four areas — and most projects involve more than one.
Footing Systems
Sand analysis, ArenaSpec™ profiling, and custom-blended FIBR + FLEX + LOCK formulations tuned to your discipline, climate, and sand. This is the core of the company: a tuning system, not a product.
Construction Specifications
ArenaSpec™-driven design, written specifications, drainage guidance, BaseCore HD planning, and base/footing material packages for new builds. Performance Footing is a manufacturer and consultant — physical construction is performed by the contractor the client hires. If a client requests an introduction, we can connect them with an independent partner such as Ground Shapers; the client contracts with the builder directly.
Facility Products
PF Rubber Pavers for barn aisles and walkways, PF StallCushion™ for orthopedic equine rest, and PF Rubber BaseMats for ground stabilization in paddocks, walkers, and high-traffic areas.
Ongoing Support
Groomer selection, maintenance protocols, annual sand re-analysis through ArenaSpec™, and the ongoing tuning adjustments that keep a surface performing year after year. We don't walk away after installation.
Who We Work With
Surfaces engineered for every demand
Performance Footing® systems are installed in private training facilities, university equestrian programs, professional competition venues, therapeutic riding centers, breeding and rehabilitation operations, and commercial boarding and lesson barns. Our surfaces have also been engineered for non-equestrian applications including zoo enclosures for large animals that require cushioned, hygienic flooring — because the same material science that protects a dressage horse's joints protects a giraffe's too.
We serve nine disciplines: dressage, hunter/jumper, eventing, reining, barrel racing, western, polo, driving, and multi-use facilities that need a single surface to perform across multiple demands.