The covered arena at Gwandalan Stables.

Four practical covered riding arenas

By Equestrian Life

If you’re currently in lockdown with a little extra time on your hands to dream about future property improvements, it’s likely a covered riding arena is right at the top of your wish list!

Here, we take a look at four different — yet equally practical — covered riding arenas, built by the team at ABC Sheds. Which one suits your equestrian property aspirations?

1. Gwandalan Stables, Scone, NSW

The covered arena at Gwandalan Stables is semi enclosed.

Run by FEI dressage rider and dairy farmer, Robyne Smith, Gwandalan Stables is an equestrian facility more than 30 years in the making; when Robyne and her husband first moved to the property in 1990, it was a blank canvas. The equestrian facilities began modestly with an outdoor arena that sufficed for many years. However, every dressage rider dreams of a covered arena — and ten years ago Robyne brought that dream to life.

The covered arena incorporates a 60m x 20m arena plus stables. “It’s 66 metres long in total. I put an extra bay on the end of the arena, so you can ride in and out without getting wet when it’s raining. Off the side, there is an eight metre skillion shed, which includes a breezeway and 5m x 6m stables,” explains Robyne.

This covered and semi-enclosed arena is practical and used for everything from private training, to lessons and clinics. With daily use for the past ten years, it’s clear this arena is standing the test of time!

2. Eureka Horse Wisdom, Southern Highlands, NSW

A 30m x 20m covered arena is the central hub at Eureka Horse Wisdom.

Sprawled across 106 peaceful and serene acres, Eureka Horse Wisdom assists human and horse clients through CORE Horse Partnership and Equine Therapy. Business founder and property owner, Soo Woods, has spent a great deal of time carefully planning equine infrastructure to ensure it compliments the programs she offers.

A 30m x 20m covered arena is the central hub, and it’s used on a daily basis. It features walls on the south and west sides to protect against the worst weather, but otherwise it’s open. “It does create a completely different feel, compared to a fully enclosed indoor,” says Soo. “I originally designed the arena to be a giant shelter for the herd, and over time it’s been used more and more as an arena.”

The covered area opens onto a 30m x 20m sand yard, offering a versatile indoor/outdoor space to work with clients.

Soo’s herd of therapy horses usually has open access, and she explains that it’s not uncommon to find all 13 of them in there — 12 lying down snoozing, and one standing up to keep watch!

3. David Stuart Foundation Horsemanship, Nebo, QLD

David Stuart’s arena cover was built last spring.

Growing up on a cattle station, David Stuart was exposed to horses at an early age and eventually carved out a career training the animals he loves — one that has taken him around the world, and even to Buckingham Palace!

With Covid-19 restricting international travel, the horsemanship expert has been spending more time back home in Nebo continuing the family tradition of running cattle, while still holding clinics and offering training from his property. More time in the Queensland sun meant getting a cover built over the arena was a priority, and last spring David had one built.

“During summer it is likely to be 40 degrees Celsius at two o’clock in the afternoon, and now with the cover we might become a bit more inspired to get out there and do more in the afternoon, rather than shading up in the cool. Even in spring walking under it, it has got to be at least five or ten degrees cooler than out in the direct sun,” says David of the new covered arena, which not only provides shade but also allows plenty of airflow. And now during the cooler months, it’s of course offering great protection from any wet weather.

Stuart’s not the only one that’s pleased to have some shade during the hotter months: “When I announced to my clients that we’d built the shed, there were definitely a few clients who were glad to hear they might not need as much sunscreen as previous years!”

4. Abe Graham Performance Horses, Kabra, QLD

The covered arena was the first piece of infrastructure Abe Graham built at his new property.

Growing up on the Central Queensland campdrafting circuit, Abe Graham always dreamed of a career training campdrafters and cutters. Now running Abe Graham Performance Horses, the young horseman has been based at his own property, ‘The Big Bend’, since the end of 2020.

As he explains, the farm — which is 40km west of Rockhampton — was a blank canvas with little more than a hay shed and some old cattle yards. It was a busy few months setting the foundations so that he could begin training cutting and campdrafting horses from the property. A covered arena was the first thing he built.

The arena is not merely a patch of sand in a paddock; it features a 32m x 30m x 5m clear span fully galvanised cover. “To build the arena I have at my age, a lot of people said, ‘you’re mad investing in something so expensive so early’. I said, ‘I feel that if you’re going to be a builder, the first thing you do is go and buy decent tools’.”

The way Abe sees it, if having the arena boosts his working capacity from the beginning, it will pay for itself over time. “I’ve got a little thermometer, and as a rule it’s about an eight-degree difference between outside and under the arena. On a 45 degree day, it’s the difference between working horses and not, and making money or not,” he explains. “Plus I can enjoy it now for the next 30 years of my career!”

Abe explains that building the arena first wasn’t just about getting the right tools for the job from the get-go; it will also help to plan how the rest of the property is laid out. “With cutting horses, it’s pretty important where cattle come from; with cattle being a herd animal, when they are worked, they tend to pull from where they came from. So putting the arena where we have, it’ll dictate where we end up building the cattle yards and different things like that as time goes by. We wanted the arena to be the centrepiece of the place, and everything else will work off that.”

To find out more about ABC Sheds’ range of covered riding arenas, download their free Equestrian Building Solutions brochure here.

This article was written in conjunction with ABC Sheds.

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