COVERALL arenas. We like? We hate? Speak to me!!!

[cherham]

Just to add that any building is as good as the contractor that installs it. I have seen fabric covered buildings that are commonly referred to as the brand name “Cover-all” that are cheap copies. Inferior material, inferior installations. Then when people compare an inexpensive copy structure to the real deal they think they are all the same. They are not.

Our “Cover-all” had full steel sides and wood framing exactly as a traditional riding arena would be built. The bright Lexan windows ran the entire end and we had a patio deck and sliding doors installed in the viewing platform. There was always a cross breeze in our arena and not once in 7 years did I ever notice one drop of condensation. Ever. Our arena was not attached to our barn however and I suspect for those that are attached the humidity is probably coming from the barn not the building sweating itself.

Cover-All (the company) went bankrupt that is true. However Norseman Structures purchased the assets from Cover All in 2010 and honoured all the existing Cover-all warranties. There was no change from before. The new buildings match the old ones exactly. All parts are interchangeable including the fabric covers if needed.

We found that our arena was normally 10C warmer in the winter and at least that much cooler in the summer. Lovely riding environment.

The good fabric covered structures can be the same price or even a little more than a traditional steel and wood structure however. Anyone that says these are cheap and inexpensive structures is incorrect. Nor are they very portable (tornados notwithstanding). They are quite permanent.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=Tiffani B;8672911]
No airflow, very noisy in windy or rainy conditions, and if you’re working horses in the winter and their breath and steamy sweat gets up to the ceiling, it condenses and drips back on you. So it can actually feel like it’s raining in there if conditions are just right. I HATED it.[/QUOTE]

I agree with MysticOakRanch on this, sweating is not an uncommon thing, it is not special to the Coverall type buildings.

@MysticOakRanch;8673534

ALL metal will attract and drip - I’ve ridden in plenty of indoor arenas, and all of them sweat.

I am confused why some people consider them not a permanent structure. The barn sized models I have seen are very much a permanent structure, with large footers, etc.

[Parrs_Gold_Bar]

We were looking at purchasing a property with one. Indoor arena + 6 stalls and viewing room combo.

The original owner built it about 10 years ago, within a year a large windstorm blew the entire length over-- imagine the entire kickboard collapsing in and then pulling the coverall down with it.

The original company had just gone under, luckily the new one honoured the original warranty, gutted and rebuilt for him. We chatted with the seller and he assured us that the new company used the equivalent of commercial grade for all of their projects, so not only did the building now have a longer expected lifespan, but also a longer warranty attached to it.

We never bought the property, so I didn’t have an inspector actually look at the barn to confirm that the new construction was in fact significantly beefier, but I trust the seller as he was an acquaintance and very frank with us.

I guess long story short, the original company seemed to use weaker components and did suffer a few collapses, however it seems the construction is now almost on par with a traditional pole barn…hence price increase as well.

[BeckyS]

[QUOTE=arlosmine;8676038]
Has anyone bought or installed one recently? What’s happened to the company? I see them advertised in various catalogues and wonder how the product support works out, post-sale.[/QUOTE]

I will admit: I have no experience with using these barns as riding arenas. That being said, I do have experience using them for calves.

My sister put one up about four years ago from this company: http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/cat1a;ft_turnkey_buildings.html

She really likes it. The price was about the same as a standard metal building, but the open air design and the light is really beneficial to young calves. Almost like being outside, while keeping them in a safe environment. My family put up a fabric barn like this too–but I’m not sure of the name brand. It was put up about 12 or 13 years ago. One rip, no other real issues.

It does get a little drippy, and the whole thing flexes in high winds. Sometimes it sounds like the whole thing is going to blow up like a balloon and fly away, but that still hasn’t happened.

As far as too hot during the summer–we have a netting shade cloth that two people can easily toss overtop the building and secure. We also opted for the open sides, which is beneficial to calves, but I’m not sure how that would translate to a riding arena.

If I had the funds to put up a fabric building for a riding arena, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

[2miniB]

I was thinking of moving a couple years ago and would’ve needed a new barn. I looked at a couple of the companies that make them and ultimately settled on Norseman Structures. They’re a Canadian company and were very knowledgeable about how to engineer a safe hoop building. Snow load is a problem where I live, and that was my biggest concern. The only reason I didn’t move forward with the barn was that major issues came up with the house I was looking at.

I used to board at a facility with a Coverall barn/arena combo. The biggest issue was the sound from snow sliding off the roof. Otherwise, it was a nice barn and arena to work in. A lot warmer than the wood or steel indoors I’ve ridden in.

[saultgirl]

I rode at a barn with one and the flapping when it was windy was awful. The BO was constantly having to tighten the straps. My horse wasn’t too bothered about it but after one major disaster with another boarder’s horse, I was afraid to ride with other horses in there when it was windy.

The “brightness” factor isn’t a big selling point for me because I would be using a coverall in the winter, in the dark. I always hate riding indoors on sunny winter days because of the ice falling off the roof (with any arena that is the bane of my existence… seriously I would rather ride when it’s -25C than +2C).

I also think a traditional building is a better investment from a resale standpoint.

[MysticOakRanch]

[QUOTE=cherham;8676060]
Cover-All (the company) went bankrupt that is true. However Norseman Structures purchased the assets from Cover All in 2010 and honoured all the existing Cover-all warranties. There was no change from before. The new buildings match the old ones exactly. All parts are interchangeable including the fabric covers if needed.

.[/QUOTE]

Well, that is interesting - I had a warranty claim in, and got NO support at all. So I wouldn’t say that is a true statement - but now I’m going to contact the new company and ask about that!

As for wood framing and windows - that is not a Coverall thing, that is extras paid for when installed - you can have a contractor do all kinds of things to any structure.

[Tiffani_B]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8676077]
I agree with MysticOakRanch on this, sweating is not an uncommon thing, it is not special to the Coverall type buildings.[/QUOTE]

Yes but most steel buildings have a layer of insulation on the underside of the roof panels, preventing the sweating. Fabric barns do not.

@trubandloki;8676077

I am confused why some people consider them not a permanent structure. The barn sized models I have seen are very much a permanent structure, with large footers, etc.

Because many insurance companies and zoning regulations do not consider them a permanent structure. Not all, but many.

[beowulf]

I flipping love the one local to me. In the winter it is at least 10 degrees warmer, if not more - and in the summer it is cool and shaded.

I love the brightness and the open feel; this one has many vents and two garage doors and even in hot days the air circulates. I never felt like I was in a sauna.

We never had issues with flapping or noisy troublemaking sounds. Even the rain, while loud was really not any worse than rain splattering off of tin/metal roofing. If anything the rain was much less deafening than its metal roof counterparts.

The one thing I didn’t love was the snow when it slid off -it would cast a running shadow down the ring which did spook some horses.

However, they are not really permanent structures so it depends on your region and what you need it for. As a worker at the barn I was always concerned with snow accumulation up top, but the material seemed to warm up well in direct sunlight and we never had pools of ice or snow.

[betsyk]

I’ve ridden in two. One was hot, as others have said, and if that was the only arena available at a facility I’d have to think twice about boarding there in summer. The other is constructed with sides that roll up like a new style dairy barn, and they keep them rolled up for most of the warm weather months. It’s absolutely lovely and it’s the place you want to be on a hot day.

[rainpants]

Love mine. Wood kickboards, windows all around, big garage doors at each end and and vents at the top mean its cool and shady in summer. In winter its warm and bright. (During the day) It lights up well at night, which is good, because I use rechargeable spotlights to light it and I’m getting away with only having 4!

I got it in yellow/beige so it always feels “sunny” inside, no matter the temp or weather. Its very nice.

It doesn’t really flap in the wind, but snow does slide off the roof. But snow slides off metal roofs too and you can’t see it coming the same way you can in the fabric building! Rain can be loud, I guess. But my barn has a metal roof and is practically deafening in heavy rain, so by comparison the arena is quiet!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I like them. The downsides have already been mentioned, but don’t discount longevity.

I would offer a third idea. I rode at a barn where they had a pole-barn/steel style arena, but the sides were 4’ kick boards and then a roll-up plastic. Above that was clear panel. The arena rarely needed lights. In the summer the sides were rolled up and the airflow was great. In the winter it was a greenhouse effect and was 10-15 degrees warmer than a regular steel building.

It is not a pretty thing, but neither is a coverall. I believe the sides were developed for animal confinement barns, so the technology is all there for raising and lowering them.

This is what I would build. Or at least on the three sides not facing my house…maybe giant doors on that side.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8677667]
I like them. The downsides have already been mentioned, but don’t discount longevity.

I would offer a third idea. I rode at a barn where they had a pole-barn/steel style arena, but the sides were 4’ kick boards and then a roll-up plastic. Above that was clear panel. The arena rarely needed lights. In the summer the sides were rolled up and the airflow was great. In the winter it was a greenhouse effect and was 10-15 degrees warmer than a regular steel building.

It is not a pretty thing, but neither is a coverall. I believe the sides were developed for animal confinement barns, so the technology is all there for raising and lowering them.

This is what I would build. Or at least on the three sides not facing my house…maybe giant doors on that side.[/QUOTE]

That is called here a covered arenas, is what we have, is what many in the SW have, but those are metal barns, with one, two, three or all sides being screens for air flow but to keep birds and most water off, or plastic curtains you roll up and down, etc.

Ours is solid on the West side, but with very large rollup doors, our most winds and sun in the summer comes from there, is partly closed on the North, still with screens and airflow and completely open on the East and South, where we don’t have other than wind most of the time.

Others further South and East are open all around.

Here are pictures of all kinds of arenas, some metal, some wood some fabric covered:

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+covered+riding+arenas&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1240&bih=637&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr2_-P-_XMAhUhw4MKHQR5AW0QsAQIIQ

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Yes, like a lot of those pictured, except with the clear plastic fabric sides that go up and down (anchored to the lower, enclosed panel). I imagine in the south you wouldn’t need the sides…

Like this if the bottom 4’ was enclosed:
http://www.sunnorth.com/images/ernewein2.jpg

Hands down my favorite arena, except for heated/AC indoors, which are a whole different price point.

[khall]

This is what I covet: http://www.wecover.net/equine still the lightness with fabric but different style to coverall or the farmtek version. I live in the SE so don’t usually need sides for a covered, just the shade to keep out of our hot sun!

[dressagegirl123]

I built a Coverall in 2001 and loved it! I had the roll up curtains on both sides, and a large garage door at one end. It was not attached to the barn. No condensation, warmer in winter and cooler in the summer, as others have noted. Any indoor arena without ventilation is a sauna in the summer. This would be no different.
I’m building another one with Clear Span this year (different farm). Designed pretty much the same.
It was not cheaper then, and its not cheaper now than any other type of indoor. I just prefer it. Its like riding in a light filled cathedral!

[walktrot]

My b/o looked at Cover-alls in 2000 but put up a steel building instead. It was due in large part to her insistence at having an 80’ wide arena. That was an issue because, if I recall correctly, it requires a much extensive foundation system once you go beyond 70’. She also wanted an attached barn. It seems to me that there was a 20-25 year warranty/lifespan for the roof. When she put all the numbers together along with her list of needs and wants, the steel building (definitely not a Morton) wasn’t that much more expensive. Roof and walls are all insulated so there is no issue with condensation. Some winters there are definitely days we sit things out due to sliding ice/snow, but on the whole it is not really an issue.

The building is 120x200’ with an 80x200’ arena and a 40x200’ barn. Did she spend more than the cover-all? Definitely, but we have a fabulous facility. I think the mortgage is paid off within the next couple of years.

[FEIwannabe]

Boarded at a place that had one. It had the roll up sides that were powered so super easy to raise and lower.
SOOOOO nice to ride in the good weather months. It felt like you were riding outside, but covered from the sun.
In the winters, they would close and tie down the sides securely, so no flapping, except if it was really really windy. The light was so nice in the winter. BUT, in the snowy midwest winters, most horses couldn’t handle working in it. The snow would accumulate, and when it got sunny or just a tad bit warm, the snow would start sliding down the sides. It sounded like a really loud zipper and end with a giant POOF when the snow would hit the ground. Very loud, and threw shadows when it would happen. So if you live in a climate with no snow, or you have a truly bomb proof horse (my gelding is one) it would be a good option. My mare, bless her, could not even approach the cover-all, even on the outside when it had snow on it. She was terrified of it.

[FEIwannabe]

Duplicate post

[Heidi_1948]

Over many decades, I’ve ridden in a lot of arenas. In summer, you had to go outside to cool down; in winter you had to go outside to warm up. Decided that this was not the type of arena that I wanted to build.

Our arena (80’ x 160’) is a Megadome: similar to Coverall but better quality. 35’ high at the peak and on a concrete grade beam: definitely not a temporary structure. It was built 11 years ago, has withstood many storms and still looks brand new. We use it for turnout during extreme weather events, freezing rain, very cold rain, etc., so our horses have become accustomed, in their “I’m with my herd, I’m not confined, so I’m safe” mode to snow sliding off the roof, which is about the only sound that the arena ever makes. Rain is much quieter than on a metal roof. The gentlemen who help us build it were so meticulous in their construction that there is no flapping in the wind. The apron at the bottom of the roof where it overlaps the concrete grade beam has pressure-treated 1" x 6" inserted into a pocket which is screwed into the concrete.
On a cloudy day the arena is lighter and brighter than the outdoors.
In winter it is significantly less cold than outside. In summer there is not much difference in temperature, but it does provide some shade and we keep the tops of the Dutch doors (one is 14’ x 14’; the other is 12’ x 12’) open for ventilation.

As far as cost goes: I don’t know because I didn’t even consider building a “conventional” arena. Without the footing, which will vary considerably depending on choice and location, etc., we spent $160,000 on the structure.

No regrets. We love our Megadome arena!