By Chrissy Saylor
Horse people like to try new gadgets that can save time or money. Survey whiskers are bundles of brightly colored plastic straws, about 6 inches long, gathered at the bottom by a metal band with a loop on the side. They are intended for use by surveyors to attach to wooden stakes for marking survey points, but are equally useful staking out arenas.
Anyone who has ever spent the time to measure out an arena in the grass will appreciate these. If you don’t have a permanent arena boundary, you can mark it with cones, flags, spray paint, or dressage letters that stake in the ground. They work fine until it’s time to mow the grass, your markers are removed by Mother Nature, or a mischievous horse takes off across the pasture with a cone in his mouth.
The solution? Survey whiskers can be staked down into the ground, providing a low profile, highly visible marker so you don’t have to drag out the tape measure again. They won’t fade in the weather; they can be ridden over and stepped on by the horses without injury, and can be mowed over.
To install, just pick up some large nails with a wide head, insert the nails through the metal loop at the base of the bundle, and hammer down into the ground sinking the base into the dirt. They can be pulled up to move, and may work their way out of the ground over a long period of time. But they are so easy to see, easy to check on.
Survey whiskers are inexpensive and available online. Construction Safety Products Outdoors sells Stake Chaser brand Marking Whiskers for $2.75 for a bundle of 25. They are available in several high visibility colors. Visit www.cspoutdoors.com for more details. (Thanks to Joanna Wilburn of Nashoba Carriage Association for sharing this little discovery with us!)
Horse people like to try new gadgets that can save time or money. Survey whiskers are bundles of brightly colored plastic straws, about 6 inches long, gathered at the bottom by a metal band with a loop on the side. They are intended for use by surveyors to attach to wooden stakes for marking survey points, but are equally useful staking out arenas.
Anyone who has ever spent the time to measure out an arena in the grass will appreciate these. If you don’t have a permanent arena boundary, you can mark it with cones, flags, spray paint, or dressage letters that stake in the ground. They work fine until it’s time to mow the grass, your markers are removed by Mother Nature, or a mischievous horse takes off across the pasture with a cone in his mouth.
The solution? Survey whiskers can be staked down into the ground, providing a low profile, highly visible marker so you don’t have to drag out the tape measure again. They won’t fade in the weather; they can be ridden over and stepped on by the horses without injury, and can be mowed over.
To install, just pick up some large nails with a wide head, insert the nails through the metal loop at the base of the bundle, and hammer down into the ground sinking the base into the dirt. They can be pulled up to move, and may work their way out of the ground over a long period of time. But they are so easy to see, easy to check on.
Survey whiskers are inexpensive and available online. Construction Safety Products Outdoors sells Stake Chaser brand Marking Whiskers for $2.75 for a bundle of 25. They are available in several high visibility colors. Visit www.cspoutdoors.com for more details. (Thanks to Joanna Wilburn of Nashoba Carriage Association for sharing this little discovery with us!)
