Who Is Rigid Global Buildings?
- Updated by Page Martin
- Metal Building Kits > Agricultural > Indoor Riding Arenas
Rigid Global Buildings is an AISC-certified manufacturer of pre-engineered metal building kits and holds IAS-AC472 accreditation, serving equestrian training facilities, competition venues, and private horse properties across all 50 states. For riding arena applications specifically, these certifications matter — clear-span frames spanning 60 to 150 feet or more must be engineered to documented structural standards that account for the dynamic loads created by horses moving at speed inside the structure, not just static dead loads.
Every indoor riding arena kit from Rigid Global Buildings is designed by in-house engineers, fabricated to project-specific dimensions, and shipped as a complete package — framing, roof panels, wall panels, trim, doors, and accessories — ready for erection on your site. Local building code and load requirements for your county and state are built into the engineering before the kit ships.
Start Your Estimate — tell us your discipline, target width, and project location to get started.
What Is an Indoor Riding Arena?
An indoor riding arena is a pre-engineered steel structure that provides a fully enclosed, weather-protected riding and training environment for horses and riders. The defining structural characteristic is a clear-span frame — no interior columns interrupting the riding surface — which gives the entire floor area to the horse and rider without obstruction.
Unlike conventional wood or post-frame construction, a pre-engineered steel riding arena is designed as a complete structural system. The frame, roof, walls, and connections are engineered together to achieve the wide clear spans that equestrian facilities require. Rigid Global Buildings designs riding arena kits from 60 feet wide for private recreational use to 150 feet wide and beyond for competition and commercial facilities.
Design Your Riding Arena — share your discipline requirements and we’ll configure the right span and eave height.
Steel Indoor Riding Arenas Built for Year-Round Use
The fundamental value of an indoor riding arena is simple — it eliminates weather as a variable. For private horse owners, that means riding and training regardless of rain, heat, wind, or cold. For professional trainers and lesson programs, every bad weather day without an indoor arena is lost revenue. For competition facilities, it means the ability to host events on a predictable schedule year-round.
Rigid Global Buildings designs every riding arena kit around the specific requirements of the operation — discipline, rider count, event use, climate zone, and any attached facilities like stabling, tack rooms, or spectator areas. The clear-span frame is the foundation. Everything else is configured around how the arena will actually be used.
Get a Quote for Your Arena — enclosed, covered, or open-air, we’ll size it for your operation.
Arena Types and Configurations
Fully Enclosed Indoor Arenas
A fully enclosed indoor arena has a complete roof and wall system that creates a climate-controlled environment regardless of outside conditions. This is the most common configuration for training facilities, lesson programs, and competition venues in regions with significant weather variability — cold winters, heavy rain seasons, or extreme summer heat. Fully enclosed arenas can be insulated and climate-controlled for maximum year-round comfort for both horses and riders.
Rigid Global Buildings designs fully enclosed riding arenas with ventilation as a primary engineering consideration — ridge vents, sidewall louvers, and door placement are all planned to manage the heat, humidity, and ammonia that accumulate in an active equine environment.
Covered Arenas (Roof Only)
A covered arena — sometimes called a roof-only or open-sided arena — provides overhead protection from rain and sun while remaining open on the sides for natural ventilation and airflow. This configuration is well-suited to milder climates where full enclosure isn’t required but weather protection is still valuable. Covered arenas are typically lower in cost than fully enclosed structures and provide excellent natural light and air circulation.
Many covered arena projects in warmer climates incorporate partial sidewalls — closed on the prevailing weather side, open on the other — to provide protection from driving rain without sacrificing ventilation.
Connected Arena and Barn Facilities
Many equestrian properties connect an indoor riding arena directly to a horse barn via a covered walkway or direct attachment. This allows horses to move from stall to arena without exposure to weather — a meaningful quality-of-life improvement for daily training operations. Rigid Global Buildings designs connected arena and barn facilities as a unified project, ensuring the structural connection, eave heights, and door placement between the two buildings are coordinated from the start. See our Metal Horse Barns guide for stall sizing, aisle width, and barn design guidance.
Price Your Arena Configuration — enclosed, covered, or connected to a barn, we’ll build the quote around your layout.
Arena Sizing by Discipline
The single most important decision in riding arena design is width — and the right width depends entirely on the primary discipline. Building too narrow for your discipline is a problem that can’t be fixed after construction. Building too wide adds cost without adding value. The following guide covers standard sizing by discipline used by Rigid Global Buildings when designing arena kits.
General Pleasure Riding & Multi-Use
- 60×120 feet — Suitable for recreational riding, basic flatwork, small group lessons, and general training. The most accessible entry-level indoor arena size for private properties.
- 66×132 feet — Matches the standard small dressage arena footprint (20×40 meters), making it a versatile choice for mixed-use facilities
- Eave height: 14 feet minimum; 16 feet recommended for comfortable clearance
Dressage
- 66×132 feet — Standard small dressage arena (20×40 meters); suitable for schooling and lower-level competition
- 66×197 feet — Full-size competition dressage arena (20×60 meters); required for FEI and upper-level competition tests
- Eave height: 16 feet minimum; 18 feet recommended for extended trot and canter movements without visual restriction
- Surface note: dressage horses require a stable, consistent footing with good grip — plan the footing system alongside the building design
Jumping & Hunter/Jumper
- 100×200 feet — Accommodates a full course of jumps with adequate approach distances and landing room
- 100×250 to 150×300 feet — Competition-grade jumping arenas with full course flexibility and spectator accommodation
- Eave height: 18 to 20 feet minimum — vertical clearance is critical for jumping; 20 feet is the standard for serious jumping programs
- A rule of thumb: add 20 feet of length for every jump in the course
Reining & Western Disciplines
- 80×150 to 100×200 feet — Adequate for reining patterns, cutting, and working cow horse with room for rundowns and stops
- 100×200 feet minimum — Standard for competitive reining; allows full rundown distance without approaching the end wall at speed
- Eave height: 14 to 16 feet is standard for Western disciplines
Roping (Team & Tie-Down)
- 120×250 feet — Standard roping arena with adequate run for the header and sufficient chute-to-scoring-line distance
- 150×300 feet — Full-size competition roping arena; accommodates team roping, tie-down roping, and steer wrestling with spectator seating
- Roping arenas require a roping chute, return alley, and catch pen — plan all supporting infrastructure before finalizing the building footprint
- Eave height: 14 to 16 feet standard
Barrel Racing
- 100×200 feet — Minimum for barrel racing with standard barrel pattern dimensions and safe fence clearance
- 150×250 feet — Preferred size for competitive barrel racing; provides safe distance between barrels and fence and adequate run-in and run-out lanes
- Eave height: 14 to 16 feet standard; 18 feet recommended for competitive facilities
Get a Quote for Your Discipline — tell us your discipline and we’ll confirm the right width, length, and eave height for your operation.
Key Design Considerations for Indoor Riding Arenas
- Clear span width — The most critical structural decision. Rigid Global Buildings engineers clear-span frames that eliminate interior columns across the full riding width, regardless of span. Never accept interior posts in a riding arena — they are a safety hazard and a functional limitation.
- Eave height — Determines vertical clearance for riders and jumping horses. Plan eave height based on the tallest activity in the arena, not the average. Jumping programs should never compromise on eave height.
- Ventilation — Active horses generate significant heat and humidity. Ridge vents, sidewall openings, and door placement should be engineered for continuous airflow. Poor ventilation in a riding arena causes respiratory issues for horses and rider discomfort.
- Natural lighting — Skylights, translucent roof panels, and window placement reduce artificial lighting costs and improve the riding environment. Plan natural light sources on the north and south walls to minimize glare at different times of day.
- Door sizing and placement — Large end-wall doors (16 feet wide minimum for most arenas) allow equipment access for footing maintenance. Sliding doors are standard; overhead doors are used where clearance is limited. Pedestrian doors at strategic points improve daily traffic flow.
- Footing — The footing material and depth are outside the building structure but must be planned before the foundation is designed. Different disciplines require different footing — sand depth, fiber additives, rubber content, and drainage all vary by use. Plan footing alongside the building, not after.
- Spectator areas — If the arena will host clinics, lessons, or competitions, plan a viewing area or spectator rail into the original footprint. Adding spectator space after construction is significantly more expensive.
- Attached stabling — If horse stalls will be attached to the arena, plan the structural connection, ceiling heights, and door placement in the original design. See our Metal Horse Barns page for stall configuration guidance.
Start Your Arena Estimate — bring your design considerations and we’ll build the quote around your operation.
Common Indoor Riding Arena Sizes
These are the most commonly requested configurations. All sizes are starting points — Rigid Global Buildings engineers every kit to the customer’s actual dimensions and site requirements.
- 60×120 — Entry-level indoor arena; private recreational use, basic training, small lessons
- 66×132 — Standard small dressage footprint; versatile for mixed-use facilities
- 80×150 to 80×200 — Most popular range for private training and small commercial operations; accommodates most disciplines
- 100×200 — Full competition standard for most Western and English disciplines; the benchmark for serious training facilities
- 100×250 to 120×250 — Large competition arena; accommodates jumping courses, roping, and rodeo events with spectator seating
- 150×300 — Full-size rodeo and competition arena; team roping, steer wrestling, and large-scale events
- Custom widths and lengths — Rigid Global Buildings engineers every kit to the customer’s specified dimensions; no standard size limitations apply
Price Your Arena Size — request a quote with your dimensions and discipline to get accurate project pricing.
Indoor Riding Arenas Available Nationwide
Rigid Global Buildings designs and ships steel indoor riding arena kits to all 50 states. Every arena is engineered to the local building code and load requirements for the project location — wind, snow, seismic, and hurricane zones — before it ships. Equine building activity is particularly strong in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, California, and throughout the Mountain West and Midwest. For region-specific engineering requirements see our Agricultural Metal Buildings by State guide, or view all 50 state pages.
Part of the Agricultural Metal Buildings product line. Also see our Metal Horse Barns guide for stall layouts, center aisle design, and connected barn planning.
Get a Quote for Your State — every kit is engineered to your local building code and load requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
An indoor riding arena is a fully enclosed, pre-engineered steel structure that provides a weather-protected riding and training environment with no interior columns interrupting the riding surface. Rigid Global Buildings manufactures indoor riding arena kits as complete structural packages — engineered steel frames, roof and wall panels, trim, doors, and accessories — fabricated to the customer's discipline-specific dimensions and shipped for on-site erection.
Width depends entirely on the primary discipline. General pleasure riding and basic training work well in 60 to 80 feet of clear interior width. Dressage requires 66 feet minimum for the standard small arena (20×40 meters) and 66 feet for the full competition size (20×60 meters). Reining and Western disciplines typically need 80 to 100 feet. Roping arenas generally require 120 feet or wider. Barrel racing performs best at 100 feet minimum with 150 feet preferred for competition use. Rigid Global Buildings sizes every arena to the specific discipline requirements of the project.
The standard small dressage arena is 20×40 meters — approximately 66×131 feet. This size accommodates schooling and lower-level competition work. The full-size FEI competition arena is 20×60 meters — approximately 66×197 feet — required for upper-level tests. Rigid Global Buildings recommends building to the full competition size if there is any possibility of hosting or competing at higher levels — retrofitting length is significantly more expensive than building it correctly from the start.
Eave height should be determined by the tallest activity in the arena, not the average. For general riding and Western disciplines, 14 to 16 feet is standard. For jumping programs, 18 to 20 feet is recommended — vertical clearance is a safety requirement for jumping horses, not just a comfort consideration. Rigid Global Buildings recommends 16 feet as the minimum for any enclosed arena and strongly recommends 18 to 20 feet for any facility where jumping will occur.
An indoor arena is fully enclosed with a complete roof and wall system, providing a climate-controlled environment regardless of outside conditions. A covered arena — also called a roof-only or open-sided arena — has a roof structure but is open or partially open on the sides, allowing natural ventilation and airflow. Covered arenas are generally lower in cost and better suited to milder climates. Fully enclosed arenas are standard in regions with cold winters, heavy rain seasons, or extreme summer heat. Rigid Global Buildings designs both configurations.
A standard roping arena is 120×250 feet, which provides adequate run for the header and sufficient chute-to-scoring-line distance for tie-down and team roping. For competitive team roping, 150×300 feet is the preferred size — it accommodates full roping runs, a return alley, catch pen, and spectator seating. Roping arenas also require a roping chute, header and heeler boxes, and run-out lane — all of which should be planned before finalizing the building footprint. Rigid Global Buildings recommends discussing the full supporting infrastructure requirements when designing a roping arena.
A minimum of 100×200 feet accommodates standard barrel pattern dimensions with safe fence clearance for training. For competition barrel racing, 150×250 feet is the preferred size — it provides safe barrel-to-fence distances for experienced horses running at speed and adequate run-in and run-out lanes. The critical measurement in a barrel racing arena is the distance between the barrels and the fence, not just the overall footprint. Rigid Global Buildings sizes barrel racing arenas around the specific pattern requirements of the operation.
Arena foundations differ from barn foundations because the riding surface — footing — is typically not concrete. The most common approach is a concrete perimeter grade beam or concrete piers to anchor the building columns, with the interior left as compacted base material or engineered footing. The footing type (sand, fiber-blend, rubber, or composite) is planned separately from the building structure but must be coordinated with the foundation design to ensure proper drainage and depth. Rigid Global Buildings provides anchor bolt plans with every kit so the foundation contractor has what they need before the kit arrives.
Riding arenas accumulate heat, humidity, and dust from active horses and footing disturbance. The most effective ventilation strategy combines ridge vents at the roof peak with open or vented sidewall configurations, large end-wall door openings, and a natural stack-effect draft. Rigid Global Buildings engineers ventilation into every arena kit — ridge vent sizing, sidewall opening placement, and door configuration are all designed for the specific building dimensions and climate zone. Mechanical ventilation or fans can be added but are rarely required in well-designed passive ventilation systems.
Natural light is the most cost-effective lighting solution for arenas. Skylights, translucent roof panels, and window placement on the north and south end walls minimize glare while providing even illumination during daylight hours. For evening use, LED arena lighting mounted at eave height or on the frame provides consistent coverage without shadows. Rigid Global Buildings recommends planning both natural and artificial lighting in the original design — conduit runs, mounting points, and electrical rough-in are significantly less expensive during construction than as retrofits.
Yes — connected barn and arena facilities are a common project type for Rigid Global Buildings. The structural connection, eave height transitions, and door placement between the two buildings must be coordinated in the original design. Rigid Global Buildings designs connected facilities as a unified project so the structural and functional elements work together. See our Metal Horse Barns page for stall sizing, center aisle width, and support room design guidance.
Yes — spectator areas, viewing rails, and bleacher seating can be incorporated into the original building design or added as a lean-to extension on the side of the arena. Planning spectator accommodation in the original footprint is significantly more cost-effective than adding it post-construction. Rigid Global Buildings designs spectator areas as part of the original project when they're identified as a requirement during the quoting process.
Yes — Rigid Global Buildings designs and ships indoor riding arena kits to all 50 states. Every building is engineered to meet the local building code and load requirements for the specific project location. View all locations we serve.
At minimum: your primary discipline, target width and length, intended use (private, training, competition), your project state and county, and any attached facilities (stabling, spectator area, storage). Rigid Global Buildings will work through discipline-specific sizing requirements and configuration options with you. Request a quote here to get started.