Riding Year-Round with Fabric Covered Buildings

With temperatures dipping below -13ºF and rising as high as 95ºF, the riding season in Ottawa can often be cut short. Not so for Ward Yaternick who rides year-round in his fabric covered building and uses another fabric building for his horse barn. Yaternick, who has been a horse enthusiast for over nine years, built an indoor riding arena and horse barn on his property in Ottawa, Ontario. "This huge 17,000 square foot tension fabric building went up in only a week. It was fantastic!"

Yaternick is impressed with the advantages of fabric buildings, which include sound dampening and durability. "The fabric material is really nice particularly when its raining or hailing because it doesn't convey the sound as much as steel or wooden buildings. If your are in the fabric building, the equestrian rider can still hear what's going on."

Another feature that Yaternick enjoys is the natural lighting. "The fabric building is also very good because it is bright and sunny most of the day. So from the crack of dawn until late at night, it is bright and we hardly ever have to turn the lights on."

"It's a huge indoor riding arena and it's perfect for anyone who needs to exercise their horse and

have a good open run,"

- Ward Yaternick

Reduced temperature fluctuations have contributed to better riding conditions inside the fabric building. "What I don't like about steel is that its damp, cold and dark all the time. I wanted it a little bit warmer. Even in the very cold, the sunlight comes through the fabric and warms the sand. Even when its 5º F in January, I can still be riding in just a polar fleece. Its actually a warmer riding experience than a wood or steel building. The material allows condensation to drop onto the sand in the mornings, which dampens it nicely and keeps the dust down," explains Yaternick.

"The width is very nice because we can set up a full hunter course or up to fifteen jumps in this arena. It's excellent for equestrian, dressage training and conditioning someone for a show. Its a huge indoor riding arena and its perfect for anyone who needs to exercise their horse and have a good open run," says Yaternick.

Yaternick has noticed that his fabric covered building's immense size has attracted a lot of attention. "The most striking thing people notice when they first walk into this building is its size. As a choice for an indoor riding building, fabric buildings make a lot more sense."