Share Ideas and Photos of your Personal Indoor Arena?

[King_s_Ransom]

I think we are moving ahead with building the indoor arena. We finally decided against the fabric building and are in the planning stages with a local contractor who comes highly recommended. He has done a site inspection, given me the low-down on the County regs and now we’re deciding what we can afford, LOL.

I’d love any input / feedback / warnings / advice / and PHOTOS from your experience building an indoor for personal use.

Our size is a bit limited in width by the property setback and the amount of dirt work required, so we’re sticking with 80 feet wide. We are more flexible on the length, limited primarily by budget.

We are looking at a steel building, will have electric service run to the building, lighting installed and will be set up for a big circulating fan. So far, we are planning overhead doors on each end and man doors at the front and rear of the building. Wall lights (not sky lights) along the top of both of the long walls. We will insulate the roof and walls.

Right now my biggest concern (besides budget, of course) is avoiding the big white box syndrome. I really want an inviting, attractive building. Not crazy, luxury or pretentious, but also not crazy ugly and ruins-the-view (My parents added a huge steel building to their once-lovely lake home years ago, and it just looked so awful and destroyed their resale value … so I’m trying not to make the same mistake!)

Photos, ideas, etc. most welcome – especially any budget-friendly tips for making the building more inviting and attractive without adding a huge cost.

Thanks!

[Skeegee]

For an exterior color scheme, I like off-white and green. Last month I drove by a farm with 6-8 outbuildings of various sizes, plus the house, all with off-white walls and medium green roofs and trim. It was very attractive.

Our neighbor just painted an old wood barn dark brown and added a dark green metal roof. When he described it before starting the project, I didn’t think I would like it, but it turned out very nice. It has sort of a lodge look. He’s going to put a few pine trees around it to add to the lodge theme.

I think it’s a good plan to do the sidelights. Insulating the roof and walls is smart also. I only insulated my roof and have always wished I’d done the walls too. Have you considered investigating spray-foam? I’m not sure about the cost difference, but I’ve heard it makes a barn feel very cozy.

[csaper58]

Not sure where you live, but here we get drenching rain.

It has ruined a few local arenas that did not plan for water running off the roof, or blowing in and soaking the footing (that doesn’t dry due to lack of sun).

If you garden, saving the run off from the roof can give you lots of water to irrigate with.

I would also reco solar panels on the arena roof if that is possible.

Landscaping can help ‘the big white box’. Especially if you use small trees like Crepe Myrtle or Cleveland Pear.

[King_s_Ransom]

csaper58 – We are integrating gutters and a drainage plan for that very reason.

Thanks for the ideas so far!

[OTTBs]

Are you planning any windows or doors on the sidewalls for ventilation? I would recommend them, I have 4 windows and a center door on each side of mine. The doors are blue like my trim, so maybe that breaks up your white box effect? If you get windows, I recommend they be 6 feet off the floor so horses can’t see out them and spook. As I said in another thread, Lester Builders never bothered to discuss height with me and put them at 4 feet. Then charged me $3000 to put them where I’d always wanted them.

[ToN_Farm]

Here is what my private 200x80 indoor looks like. I suppose it qualifies for the big white box as it does impact the view a bit. It matches my barn, which can’t be seen in the photo. It has 22 or so windows that open. Putting up the indoor 13 years ago was the best thing I ever did. I wish I would have done it sooner.

[ElementFarm]

ToN–I love it!!

My goal is to someday be able to afford my very own indoor. Of course by the time all the other bills/mortgage are paid off, I’ll be so old I wont be riding much any more… lol

[King_s_Ransom]

ToN – your arena building is lovely! I hope I can come even slightly close to something that nice!

[Pocket_Pony]

ToN, your place is gorgeous!

I have a covered arena that is attached to my barn. It has one solid wall and then two half-walls and then the back wall is two solid walls with full (tall) double doors that I could close if I wanted to.

http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s654/PrincessFishCheeks/New%20House/IMG_0651_zps08d1a7ad.jpg

It isn’t very big, though. It is big enough to get some basic work done if/when I don’t want to go outside, but not big enough that I like to do an entire schooling session in there. The footing should be re-done; it is on my list of things to change, but it isn’t a high enough priority right now.

If I could water in there then the footing would be better. I don’t know what the base is. Last winter when we had a huge snow, there was lots of snow that blew in sideways into the arena and it stayed for days!

All in all I’m happy I have it, but I’d love to extend it to be longer and put in better footing and lights.

[kashmere]

Nicely spaced/ sized windows really help with the “big white box” factor - in the summer/spring you can pop flower boxes on them, and seasonal decorations in the winter/fall if you want to get fancy

Many, many skylights/clear panels in the roof are key. Huge cost savings in electricity if you only need the lights when it’s truly dark, and it’s nicer to ride in natural light.

[Bluey]

I would not put skylights, but on the E and N wall light panels.

Where the OP is, hail is a serious concern, skylights just keep being beaten up.

Also, any skylights where the sun pounds down inside in warm weather makes the arena an oven, more than it can help in the winter warm it.

I would ask the electrician about using T5 for light, they are super efficient and give tremendous amount of diffuse light, no shadows, great for riding.

For those with open sides, consider wind/rain screens, that will let air and light in, but keep most of the wet out.

[Pennywell_Bay]

To those with their own, personal indoors: I can’t be friends with you.

Signed,

Pennywell Bay, I’m so jealous heading into winter

[King_s_Ransom]

Bluey – you are so right about the skylights. Also, great tip about only on the E and N – I was going to have them on E and W, but that W side in the afternoon could be awful!

I will ask about the T5, thanks again!

[King_s_Ransom]

Pocket Pony – how large is your arena? If you could make it bigger, would you want wider or longer or both?

Thanks!

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8926279]
Bluey – you are so right about the skylights. Also, great tip about only on the E and N – I was going to have them on E and W, but that W side in the afternoon could be awful!

I will ask about the T5, thanks again![/QUOTE]

You can always put shades on the windows.

Our covered arena is still a work in progress, we are using it already, but is by far not finished yet.
For 80’ wide, lights on the sides will probably be fine.
Our only solid wall is in the West and has a big overhead door we can open for extra air and light, but in the hottest times, closed or mostly closed gives us less heat in there.
The North side, with the cattle return alley, is most of it 70% wind/rain screens over a solid 5’ pony wall.

We prefer a covered arena to an enclosed building for where we are, because we can ride in most cold and it doesn’t last long, but the heat is more our problem the rest of the year.
Past the 36th meridian and up to where you are, enclosed probably makes more sense, just be sure to provide sun protection and airflow for those hot, muggy summers also, unless you are counting on riding outside then.

Be sure to touch base with your contractor about consulting with the engineer that will draw the certified plans for the foundation, which has to be a local firm, about the grading, where to divert the water, etc.

That is so important for the future wellbeing of that barn and anything around it, a step many miss and later have to spend much more money to remedy those problems with extra swale and drainage ditches and flooded barns or lower structures.
For a few more hundreds of dollars, a good plan before even breaking ground on the site can be money well spent.
Your contractor will know if you need that.

We used the help of our local USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources people to flag a diversion terrace above where we were going to build, so no water from above would come down thru there, was diverted to the pasture near it.

[Pocket_Pony]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8926283]
Pocket Pony – how large is your arena? If you could make it bigger, would you want wider or longer or both?

Thanks![/QUOTE]

I think it is 80x100 or so. I’d make it bigger in all directions if it were my main arena. I have a dressage arena outside and also trails on my property and BLM across the street, so the indoor is actually my least favorite place to ride.

[Bluey]

As far as lights, the way we read the specs, most arena lights, like the T5s, will cover, at 16’ high, a 20’ x 30’ feet area.
Those truly are the best lights for horses and humans in an arena and cost much less to run than the old round type.

We have 25’ from column to column, so we used one in each bay.
Our arena is 120’ wide, so it took four per 25’ bay.
It is like daylight in there, more than plenty.
If we had put three, rather than four, it still would have been enough light, I think.

On 80’ wide, I think you can get by with lights on the sides, but you are missing a whole half those lights could give you more by putting them there.
If it is not enough, you can always add a row down the middle later, but mention it to your electrician, so he adds a place to put one more trunk thru there if necessary later, easier and cheaper to do that now than add that later.

As far as the arena size, go as wide as you possibly can, that is where most of the cost is, the length you can add to later if that necessary.
Width will help a horse not be continuously making such small turns.
60’ would be a minimum, 80’ acceptable, 100’ a nice size for basic riding.
The more people that will ride at one time, the more room you will need.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Fun!

My friend’s arena is now about 10 years old and the skylight panels are starting to leak. This seems to be a common problem. I would do 4’ clear panels under the eaves and the clear end wall(s) like Bluey mentioned.

As far as “looks” go, if you can have a foot or two of soffit, it does improve the look of the building. I realize that is $ though.

My favorite arena to ride in was a Morton-style arena (steel would be great too) with the 4’ clear wall on top (under the eave). She didn’t have the clear end walls, but under the 4’ on the south, 1/2 the east (part not connect to the barn) and the long west side, there was maybe 6’-8’ that was plastic wall that rolled up (like a confinement barn–running the whole length) and then the bottom was metal with the wood kick board. This is what I would do on my west side that faces the trees (not the house) and my south that faces a corn field if I built an arena. She was able to get great airflow and cross ventilation from big doors on the north end and and having most of the other sides open in the sweltering heat, but in the winter she got a greenhouse effect from having a plastic wall there. There was no insulation, but it was warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than anywhere else I rode.

I third (or fourth) the drainage. I have had SEVERAL friends build beautiful arenas, and they were built up from the surrounding ground level, and they still had water back into the footing from outside the wall in heavy rains or during the frost heave in the spring. I don’t know the specifics, but I can think of three off the top of my head.

80’ minimum is a good plan. Another friend started with a 80x145 and has now expanded to 80x205 a few years later. The base grading or pad was already done at the beginning for the full length, but she wanted to see how the smaller size worked and save $ initially.

If you don’t have enough airflow, arenas are hellish in the humidity imo.

[mellsmom]

I am hoping to be among those!!!

Pennywell,

I am about to commit the homeowners folly and build myself a damn indoor so I can cope with the Indiana winters. You can come play in it! It should be up by March in time for the last 3 snows and torrential spring downpours.

[QUOTE=Pennywell Bay;8926275]
To those with their own, personal indoors: I can’t be friends with you.

Signed,

Pennywell Bay, I’m so jealous heading into winter[/QUOTE]

[Arelle]

Could you do covered instead of “indoor”? (IDK where you are)

My favorite riding spaces in the winters in Texas are covered with screens for the sides. They’re open and airy but keep the majority of the weather out. My favorite ever was a smaller arena - with a viewing area situated along the entire north wall to block the wind.

Example (on a much, much larger scale): http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3555-Sauls-Rd_Aubrey_TX_76227_M70301-91532#photo13