Riding Arenas
If you’ve got horses, then you also need a protected space for training and riding. People don’t come to riding arenas to admire the building itself; the main draw is the animals and the riders themselves. Even so, it’s important to choose a building solution where both horses and their handlers are well-covered and well-protected.
To that end, it’s important to note that the best riding arenas are metal buildings and large metal barns. Ready to learn more? Then just keep scrolling.
Horses Are Made for the Wild, But They Thrive with Proper Shelter
Horses are perfectly content to roam the fields and pastures, but they also appreciate having somewhere protected in which to do their finest work. A metal horse barn or one of many designs of steel barns can be the perfect solution.
Horses can obviously be ridden or shown outdoors, but the issue here is that you never really know what may happen with the weather. If hosting spectators factors into your plans, you’d be better off to choose a facility that provides maximum comfort for both horses and humans alike. And that’s where steel-built riding arenas really shine.
A Survey of Horse Riding Disciplines
Before you decide what type of horse riding arena is best for you, it helps to hone in on which types of riding you intend to focus on. These can include:
Dressage
In dressage, riders lead horses through a specific sequence of movements that show a high level of control and mastery over the animals. The goal of dressage is to demonstrate that both the rider and the horse can work together in harmony to display strength, balance, and confidence. If you’re planning to design a riding arena for dressage training and competitions, you’ll want to allow plenty of room for your horses and riders to be able to perform effectively.
Roping
Roping is a western horseback riding sport where the rider chases a cow or calf on horseback, with the goal of successfully lassoing and securing the cow or calf. This sport requires both toughness and agility on the part of the horse, as well as sure lassoing skills on the part of the rider. Because roping sometimes involves the chasing of a large animal, you’d be best to plan for a wider arena than might be required for disciplines like dressage.
Jumping
Show jumping is a type of competition that requires a rider to lead the horse to successfully jump over a series of set obstacles. The obstacles can change with each competition, so it’s important for both the rider and the horse to learn how to improvise in order to be successful.
While jumping competitions don’t generally require as much space as roping events, you’ll still want a plan for an area that’s large enough to accommodate various obstacle courses for horses and riders.
Barrel Racing
Barrel racing is another type of western competition that requires the horse and rider to navigate around barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. These competitions are time-based, essentially meaning that the fastest time wins. When creating a riding arena that’s designed for barrel racing, you’ll want to allow for enough space for your horses and riders to be able to effectively navigate the barrel course without having any fear of bumping into the fence.
Choose a Steel Riding Arena
Here are just a few reasons why a steel riding arena is your best option:
- Strength of Steel
Protecting animals, riders, and spectators is all essential. A steel structure isn’t susceptible to rot or other moisture threats. Steel tubing is the strongest building framing material by weight, and it’s best engineered to withstand all the threats of extreme weather and regular usage.
- Lots of Clear-span Space
Riding arenas require a lot of open interior space, and a clear-span metal building is made to deliver. With no need for internal support posts or columns, a steel-framed riding arena is ideal for training and showing your horses.
- Fully Customizable
A custom metal building can be designed and constructed to your exact specifications. You choose the building dimensions and customizations you want, and then Metal Garage Central can come alongside to make it happen for you.
- Expandable and Adaptable
As your building needs grow or change, a custom steel structure is easier to expand or adapt with you in the future.
- Easy Maintenance
Steel building components won’t crack or warp, and don’t require any special repainting or restaining either. Steel buildings are generally much easier to clean than comparable stick builds, too.
Let Metal Garage Central Provide Your Perfect Steel Riding Arena
When it comes to metal building solutions, there’s really one name to remember: Metal Garage Central.
No matter what size of horse riding arena you’re looking for, we can provide a building solution to suit. We recently installed a 70’x160’ building that included its own tack room for a local customer, so we’re sure to be able to meet whatever needs you’re looking for in your own riding arena. All of our metal buildings are produced by local American manufacturers, and we’re happy to deliver and install anywhere within our 46-state service area at no extra cost to you. Connect with us online, or get the conversation started even faster by calling us today at (980) 223-3072.