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The Sunflower Farms
fabric riding arena in
Bristol, WI is 72'W
& 200'
L.
Sunflower Farms is a
private dressage facility located on 50 acres of pristine land near
Bristol, WI. For equine enthusiasts dwelling nearby, the facility is a
haven to appreciate their passion for horses and the disciplined beauty
of dressage. "Some of our clientele drive an hour and a half to get here
because of the surroundings and services we offer," says Phillip May,
general manager.
To attract clientele, Sunflower's investment and management team
researched every aspect of the facility requirements and expectations of
horse and rider. Great pride was given to create the beautiful
surroundings and conveniences to meet the most discreet tastes. "We have
about 10 acres of pasture land so horses are able to be out on grass
most of the year which is important for horses. The value of these
horses can range from $3,000 to $200,000 apiece," says May.
To provide the convenience and safeguard for sudden weather changes,
the Sunflower management team researched numerous types of indoor riding
arena buildings. "During our research, we toured numerous equine
facilities. In the tornado belt of Oklahoma, we viewed a number of
conventional buildings that were blown down or blown off their
foundations by a tornado but their fabric buildings remained standing
through the whole thing," says May. "The interior environment of
the fabric covered arenas was so different than the conventional
arenas we viewed. When it came time to build our indoor riding arena, we
decided it was going to be a fabric building."
Prior to constructing the indoor riding arena, eight inches of limestone
screenings were put down for the base of the footing. When the base
surface was complete, construction of the fabric covered riding arena
was ready to begin. It is a 72' wide x 200' long fabric building.
Once the building arrived on site, it took about 10 days to install it.
The Sunflower Farms project had some unique customizations. |
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The motorized side wall curtains
allow the riders and horses to feel like they're outside even though
they're inside. The fabric arena has four foot eaves which keep rain and
snow away from the sides of the building and eliminate the need for a
drainage system to keep water away from the building. Once the
installation of the fabric building was complete, kick boards were
constructed to keep horses away from the rail and to make it easy to
grade the surface and pull the sand off.
Of course, the convenience of having an indoor riding arena allows
equine enthusiasts to ride in any type of weather, but what makes the
fabric covered riding arena unique is the pristine environment it
provides to horse and rider in every type of weather. "It doesn't seem
to matter if it's really sunny or if it's raining, it's always nice,"
says May. "No matter how hot it is outside, the building is always cool
and there's always plenty of natural light. During the summer we can
have the fabric building's sidewalls rolled up and it's just like
having an outdoor arena with a cover on it. I think it's a lot better
than just having a solid wall indoor arena because the horses can see
the outside activity just as if they were in the show ring. The footing
has stayed wonderful, all the dressage people really like it," says May.
"We really think that fabric buildings are the way of the future."
The arena is customized
with a motorized
curtains so the rider
can raise or lower each
sidewall by simply
pressing a button.
"We really think fabric building arenas
are the way of the
future." says Mays.
The four foot eaves keep
rain and snow away from
the sides of the
building and eliminate
the need for a drainage
system.
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