Fibar started with an idea: Wouldn't shredded wood fibers be a better horse training surface than dirt or sand? The question occurred to company founder Robert Heath, because, as an avid horseman, he saw that conventional surfaces were hard on horses' legs.

Wood fiber, on the other hand, was naturally springy, good to look at, and never turned to mud. The next step was development work that eventually resulted in Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF), which he called "Fibar." That was in 1979. Within five years, the company turned Heath's idea into a thriving business, which has supplied the surfacing for 2,000 horse facilities in the United States and Canada.