Milestones Building & Design

Fabric Building Structures: 

Commercial Equestrian Riding Arenas, Stables and Barns

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Thunderbird Show Park Location: Langley, BC Building Size: 72' x 210'; 72' x 72'; 100' x 200' Application: Riding Arenas & Stabling Barn   Fabric Covered Building Top Choice for Equine Show Park   The Thunderbird Show Park is an 85-acre horse show facility centrally located in the heart of the Fraser Valley, just 45 minutes east of Vancouver. The park holds five major Hunter & Jumper show tournaments a year and hosts a variety of different equestrian events and shows. The  facilities  at the year-round park include three fabric covered steel truss buildings used for stabling, a warm up arena and stalls, with plans for another fabric building for manure storage. "Our tournaments attract the best riders in the world with horses valued well over one and two million dollars," says Chris Pack, manager of operations and tournaments. "When those riders come, we need to take good care of them. So that's why we like to put them in preference stabling and we give them preferential treatment. This year we have stabled all our international riders in our new fabric covered building."   During the shows, the park is packed with around 800 horses and the arena can stable up to 120 horses. "Our fabric building is the ideal place for people, they actually request to be stabled in the peaked fabric covered building because of the feel and the coolness during the hot summer months," says Pack. "And the open air is just exactly what they like to ride in. The horses don't spook in it and it's just their preference on the property." In August, the horse park has two nationally televised Grand Prix shows on TSN, one being The Keg Steakhouse and Bar $50,000 Grand Prix. George Tidbull, founder and one of the partners of the Thunderbird Show Park is the owner of The Keg restaurant chain.   Even though the park has a large steel structure, it continues to use the fabric covered buildings year-round. "It's a lot more feasible as far as lights are concerned and it just comes down to cost per square foot and the feedback we've had from our other fabric covered buildings," says Pack. "It's been foggy, rainy, and quite dark for the past week and we still don't need to put any lights on. It lets in so much natural light, visitors can't believe it. We only have 3 lights in this whole building, because that's all it needs to light it up. It's great because the lights actually reflect off the fabric and it's a lot more condensed light than in a steel building where you seem to lose light and there are so many dark spaces. Whereas this building, because of the pitched roof, the frame and the shape of it, it's perfect."   The fabric covered building technology has provided many further advantages to Thunderbird Show Park from the temperature moderation, to the footing, and the sound. "From the cool temperature to the height of the roof, these features allow the horses to not feel claustrophobic in this arena," shares Pack. "There's always a nice breeze running through it and we've installed vents as well to keep the air circulating. It doesn't get hot in here like it does in a steel building where the heat seems to radiate on people and it really cooks them. And we've found with these fabric buildings that the moisture stays in the footing. So it's a lot less time needed to maintain the footing in these arenas. Another great feature about the fabric covered building is the sound. We only have 4 speakers in this entire building, and there is no echo, and these are very key for us during our horse shows."   When people ask Thunderbird why they have repeatedly chosen fabric covered buildings as their equine building of choice, they always have the same answer. "Basically it comes down to feedback from the riders, feedback from people stabled here and total cost," concludes Pack. "They're the most cost effective building out there right now and that's why we keep adding more, because there are no drawbacks to the cost effectiveness."     Two of the fabric buildings at Thunderbird Show Park.   "They're the most cost effective building out there right now and that's why we keep adding more, because there are no drawbacks to the cost effectiveness," says Chris Pack.   In August, the horse park has two nationally televised Grand Prix shows on TSN.   During competitions, athletes request to be stabled in the fabric covered arenas.

 

Brooklyn Stables   Location: Kelowna, BC Building Size: 70' W x 260' L Application: Riding Arena with Stables   An Equestrian Arena and Stables Dream The Brooklyn Stables equine training facility, including an 18,200 square foot fabric covered arena, has attracted the interest of hunter/jumper enthusiasts throughout their region and beyond. Suzanne Cullen and her husband Sean Carroll are pursuing their dream with the development of their commercial equine facility. "Our reason for creating a training facility was based on our personal interests as well as identifying a demand in the local riding community," says Cullen. "Our first major step was the purchase of a 20 acre site on the outskirts of Kelowna. From a business point of view the location was a good investment and the area required minimal site prep which is important when you live a mountainous province like British Columbia," says Cullen. Cullen is a hunter/jumper amateur competitor and has competed in the A-Circuit for more than 20 years throughout Washington, California, Alberta and BC. "We compete against an elite group of hunter/jumpers. There is no time-off in this sport," says Cullen. "Both horse and rider need to be mentally and physically focused to be successful. Over the years, we've trained in every type of indoor arena you could imagine, so when it came time to constructing our own indoor arena, we knew what we wanted." "After doing some research and having the opportunity to train and compete in numerous riding arenas during our travels, the indoor riding arena we decided to purchase was a fabric covered building. Its an arena that we want every  horse enthusiast to see and experience." Suzanne Cullen The indoor riding arena that was constructed on the Brooklyn Stables site is a 70 foot wide by 260 foot long fabric building. “In years past we've trained in several fabric buildings at various stables and horse shows like Spruce Meadows and Thunderbird Show Park. A fabric building was recommended by several other people in the industry," says Cullen. "We chose a fabric building for two reasons; first, we love the brightness inside the building, the interior environment is natural to both horse and rider. Our second reason was that the cost of the structure was less expensive than a metal or wood building. How can you go wrong with a building that creates a better atmosphere for horse and rider and is less expensive," says Cullen. The present use for the 70 foot by 260 foot fabric building is stabling and training but eventually Cullen hopes to build a much larger fabric building training arena and use the existing fabric building as a warm-up arena. "For now, the results have been very positive. I'm able to train anytime and can schedule appointments without any weather concerns. The quality of our training has improved and we've been able to more easily retain our competitive edge. Its been a good investment," says Cullen. The dream of building a complete equine facility is becoming a reality with a fabric building!               The equine training facility at Brooklyn Stables includes a 70' wide x 260' long fabric covered arena.   "A fabric covered building was recommended by several other people in the industry," says Suzanne.   Box stalls are located at one end of the building.   Suzanne and Sean are pursuing their dream with the development of a commercial equestrian facility.

 

Lang's Oakhill Farm   Location: Lockport, IL Building Series: Arch Building Sizes: 72' W x 200' L, 62' W x 130' L, 32' W x 30' L Application: Riding Arena, Stable and Connecting Breezeway   Building an Equestrian Dream When Ingrid Lang decided to build her own world-class equine facility after 25 years traveling the world and training in dressage, she had a clear vision of what she needed and wanted to accomplish. Lang wanted to create the ultimate training environment for horse and rider, but at the same time, a facility that was functional. Lang decided fabric covered buildings were the solution for her equine facility dream. "After seeing hundreds of different riding facilities and talking with thousands of owners and trainers, you can't help but formulate your own idea of what works best for a training facility. I knew finding the right structure was the crucial first step,"� says Lang. The result of Lang's vision led to the expansion of Lang's Oakhill Farm in Lockport, Illinois which includes a riding arena, stable and a connecting breezeway, all housed in three fabric covered buildings. These buildings are fabric-covered, steel-framed buildings that are ideal for equestrian applications. The clear-span space is optimal for a training arena and flexible stable layout. "The response that visitors have when walking into my facility is 'Wow!'  Guests call my facility the Ritz Carleton." Ingrid Lang The building's natural light, which is made possible by the buildings unique fabric, is what initially sold Lang. "Encasing the natural outdoor environment indoors was what really excited me about a fabric covered building. On a night with a full moon, I require little or no artificial lights at all to check my horses,"� says Lang. She has also noticed a difference in grooming her horses that are now in the fabric covered stable versus her other stables. Her horses are shedding less hair which she attributes to the natural light. Lang worked with local fabric covered building dealer, to ensure her dream was achieved. "Ingrid has done a tremendous job finishing her buildings,"� says Dan Friedman, Friedman Distributing owner and operator. "She definitely had a vision throughout the entire process and I believe she will enjoy her facility for years to come." Lang's Oakhill Farm is now the site of four annual dressage clinics with trainers attending from around the world including New Zealand, Germany and the United States.                     The clear-span space and natural light inside the fabric covered riding arena provide the optimal solution for dressage training.   The naturally bright stable requires virtually no artificial lighting.    White fabric allows the maximum natural sunlight inside the stable and riding arena. The wide aisle is ideal for grooming horses and moving equipment.