At Sydney in 2000, the Main Arena at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC) hosted Olympic dressage, showjumping and eventing, with temporary grandstands built around the grass banks for up to 20,000 spectators.
The action went well beyond the arena. The Olympic cross-country course ran for 7.4 km, took in 42 jumps and stretched from SIEC out into the Western Sydney Parklands. More than 25 years on, the venue is still doing what it was built for: giving horses and riders a proper stage.
In 2026, SIEC went through one of its biggest upgrades since the Games. The NSW Government redevelopment renewed the Main Arena and Arena Two, including the sub-grade, irrigation, drainage and riding surfaces, as well as new fencing, work to the holding yard and upgrades to the pathways between the arenas.
The job was to keep a much-loved Olympic venue fit for modern competition, improve the experience for horses and riders, and make sure SIEC is ready for major events well into the future.
Why the horse pathways needed their own equine flooring system
Arena footing gets most of the attention, and fair enough. But horses also spend plenty of time outside the rails, walking from stables to warm-up, from warm-up to competition, and back again.
Anyone who has led a shod horse over hard bitumen or asphalt knows the noise. And there is not much give under hoof either. Add rain, sand, dirt, nervous horses, busy handlers and competition-day traffic, and the surface between arenas starts to matter a lot.
At SIEC, new asphalt gave the upgraded pathways a strong, clean base. The next job was to make those routes better for horses and riders: more forgiving under hoof, high grip in wet and dry conditions, quieter, fixed in place, and still suited to the look of the venue.
For those areas, REGUPOL equiline Walkway 21 mm was selected.
Why SIEC chose REGUPOL Walkway 21 mm
This was not a job for loose mats dropped down over the top. The pathways needed a permanent equine flooring system built around the new asphalt, with the product and fixing method working together.
Around 1,100 m² of Terracotta REGUPOL equiline Walkway 21 mm was supplied across the horse pathways. REGUPOL interlocking rubber pavers are designed for this kind of equine walkway and can be fully bonded to asphalt and concrete.
For horses and handlers, the benefits are a comfortable surface under hoof, high grip in wet and dry conditions, less harsh hoof noise and a stable route through the venue.
The Terracotta colour was a good fit too. It provides a calm, natural look, so it sits beautifully with the new timber fencing, green surrounds and arena buildings. Enhancing the area without looking out of place.
Built over asphalt
One of the key parts of the SIEC job disappears from view once the REGUPOL is installed.
Asphalt and concrete are different substrates, so the adhesive system and preparation need to suit. At SIEC, the new asphalt shaped how the Walkway flooring was specified and installed.
The pavers were fully bonded using REGUPOL's specialised asphalt installation approach. REGUPOL also provided technical support through the construction process, covering the practical details around the asphalt, preparation, drainage, adhesive compatibility, installation and curing.
On a job covering more than a thousand square metres, those details decide whether the finished floor works properly or becomes a headache later. At SIEC, the paver, asphalt and adhesive were treated as one system.
Straight into competition: Waratah Showjumping World Cup 2026
The new REGUPOL flooring had only been down a few weeks when Waratah Showjumping rolled into SIEC.
The Warm-up Weekend ran from 14-16 August, followed by the 2026 Waratah Showjumping World Cup from 20-23 August, an FEI World Cup Jumping League qualifier.
On 22 August, Tallara Cameron and Cooley Down Under won the World Cup qualifier, the combination's first World Cup victory. For a brand-new horse walkway, that was a fair first outing: competition horses, riders, grooms and a busy venue using the upgraded areas almost straight away.
The new REGUPOL flooring went straight into horse traffic, which is exactly what it was put there for.
What the new REGUPOL flooring changes day to day
For horses using these walkways, the change is easy to feel: through the treated areas, they are no longer travelling over exposed asphalt.
They move over a comfortable equine surface with more give under hoof, high wet-and-dry grip and much less of the hard clatter you get from shod horses. And handlers and spectators get the same secure, comfortable surface alongside them.
For the team running the venue, the fully bonded installation also avoids the usual loose-mat problems in the main walkway areas. There are no individual mats to shuffle around, lift or straighten, and the routes can be swept and washed down easily as a fixed part of the facility.
The Terracotta pavers finish the job visually as well. The horse routes are clear, tidy and easy to read, while still looking like they belong in the landscape.
SIEC's next chapter
Today the 96-hectare venue has 300 permanent stables, multiple indoor and outdoor arenas, cross-country facilities, a 1.1 km steeplechase track and the infrastructure to host everything from local competition to international events.
The NSW Government says the 2026 works are expected to extend the life of the facility by more than 15 years and help SIEC keep attracting major national and international competition. Equestrian NSW described the renewed Olympic Arena as the centrepiece of competition at SIEC, from grassroots events through to FEI eventing, World Cup showjumping and international-level dressage.
REGUPOL's part of that story sits in the background, which is where good flooring usually belongs. It is there every time a horse heads to or from an arena, doing the same job over and over without becoming a thing for riders, grooms or venue staff to worry about.
More than 1,100 m² of REGUPOL Walkway, additional Multi 22 mm at selected entrances and exits, a dedicated asphalt adhesive system and technical support through construction now form part of SIEC's working horse infrastructure.
The Olympic history. The new arena surfaces, the horse routes upgraded, and SIEC is set up for plenty more hoofprints in the years ahead.
