Dave's REALLY, REALLY BIG IDEA - Phase 1

For those of you who have been following this blog for awhile, you are aware that my husband can come up with some 'big' ideas, but this time I think he has outdone himself!  He saw an ad in the Farm and Dairy for fiberglass domes that have been used as covers for the Akron water treatment plant. He showed me a picture and asked me if it would be anything that we could use.  I thought hmmmmm, a 100' covered round pen could be very useful.  So after a few phone calls we went to look at them to see if it would be something we would be interested in. 

Dome at the Akron Water Treatment Plant

I have to tell you that the picture doesn't accurately portray the magnitude of this structure.  The center peak is 15' high, each of the 34 panels is close to 50' long and 9' wide at the base!  We jokingly called it a 'spaceship'. Now picture it on top of a 10' tall cement base, not at ground level like it's shown here.  I'm still having trouble envisioning that!

Now all we had to do is figure out where to put it, how to get it home, and how to get it up.  Dave made some more calls and found someone to haul it which was half of what we paid for it and get bids for building the structure to put it on.  Well all of a sudden our frugal little project is turning into a major investment!!  But still less that if we had to build something similar from scratch.

We finally decided to on a location where it hopefully won't look too out of place and be useful for more than riding. We're going to put it in the south east corner of the pasture just south of the dressage ring closest to the drive and near the barns.  It's going to be dug into the side of the hill so it won't be sticking 25' feet up into the air looking like aliens have arrived at SGF.  Hopefully that will help to keep it cooler in the summer and warmer in  the winter. We also felt that with the close proximity to the stabling barns it could be used as a shelter for people during competitions and clinics.  And let's hope it won't be protection from the rain and/or oppressive heat this year.

More room for the turn without the posts

The crew was finally ready to dismantle the structures the end of Nov. but before the first load could come; Dave had to remove a couple of posts so the semi could make the turn onto the drive.  For those competitors who have had close encounters with the posts; you'll be happy to hear that they are permanently removed, but a rock has been put near the pasture post to protect it ;)

The first of five loads

When I saw the first load coming down the road I was taken aback by how impressive it looked and I must say I would have taken a double take if I had passed it on the highway.  The picture at the left not only shows the load, but it is very close to where the dome will be erected. 

The pictures give you a little better idea of the magnitude ot the structure.  Dave had to make an attachment for his tractor so he

would be able to unload the panels

Preparing to unload the first set of panels. That's Dave on trailer

which barely could lift the top panel high enough to get it off. The window panels were a little harder to get the first couple off, but amazingly enough; it wasn't that difficult to do.  There were a few loads when the driver couldn't stay to help unload and I got the job of climbing up and  I was given the job of climbing up and hooking the chain to the panel, getting down and balancing the panel to set it aside, climbing up to unhook & repeat the process again and again.  You see there were 8 panels to a load for the first 4 loads and after we unloaded them we then had to repeat the process to stack them in place.

The pictures give you a little better idea of the magnitude of the structure and Phase 1 of Dave's REALLY REALLY BIG IDEA: getting the dome home.  Stay tuned for Phase 2: the rebuilding of the dome.

Unloading step 2

Unloading step 3

Unloading step 4

Unloading step 5 - moving them to their final location

Unloading step 6 - the stacks (this shows 2 stacks)

Close up of a panel with window

One load of windows - the done will alternate panels of solid & window

The final stack showing the two halves of the top

The 5 stacks - a little less room in the trailer parking area

The top vent

2012 Calendar & Feedback Requested

What better way to get over the end of the season blues than making plans for next season?  Today I worked on putting together a schedule of activities at SGF for next year.  There may be additions or changes, but this will get you started on making your plans.  I haven't updated the fliers yet but, other than the dates, last years' fliers have additional information.  The fliers be found on the SGF  website.

I'm toying with the idea having the dressage rings, a show jumping course and the cross country country available for schooling once or twice a month on a weekday/night. I'm thinking of a Wed as it is smack dab in the middle of the week either before or after a competition without being too close. Participants would have scheduled times where they could practice their tests and courses or simply spend the allotted time in the arenas.  It would be controlled chaos so to speak.  Additionally, instructors or Pony Clubs could be scheduled a block of time for lessons.  For those who don't have an instructor who could come with them; Kyle and I could also be available.  So what do you think?  Is that something that you would be interested in? 

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.  In the meantime, here's the Stone Gate Farm 2012 Calendar of Events.

Jackie

March 17 - 18 – Eric Dierks Clinic

April 21 ~ Dressage Show & Test Clinic

May 11 - 13 ~ Winona Horse Trials (FEH, Starter - Prelim)

May 20 ~ Jumper Show & Cross Country Pace Competition (Sun)

May 26 - 27 ~  Tri-State Region D 3 – C 1 Clinic

May 28 ~ (Mon Memorial Day) Hunter Pace

June 3 - 4 ~ (Sun - Mon) Lucinda Green Clinic 

June 23 ~ Cross Country Schooling

June 24 ~ Stone Gate Farm Mini Trials (back to original date)

July 17 - 20 ~ Eventing Camp (Tues – Fri)

July 21 ~ Combined Test, Dressage Show, & Jumper Rounds

July 28-29 ~ Mock Event / Clinic

Aug 4 ~ Cross Country Schooling

Aug 5 ~ Stone Gate Farm Mini Trials

Sept 22 - 23 ~ Stone Gate Farm Horse Trials (Starter - Prelim)

Sept 29 ~ NEW Jumper Derby

Sept 30 ~ Stone Gate Farm Hunter Pace

Oct 6 ~ Jumper Show & Cross Country Pace Competition (Sat)

Stone Gate Farm is also available for clinics and camps. 

Cross country, dressage, and show jumping schooling available by appointment.

For More Information:

www.stonegatefarm.org ~ organizer@stonegatefarm.org ~ 330-222-2089

SGF Gift Certificates for Christmas Gifts

So you don’t know what to give your children, friends, siblings or instructor for Christmas ?

How about a Stone Gate Farm gift certificate ?

Gift Certificates can be used for clinics, camp, competitions, lessons or training.

www.stonegatefarm.org

or

e-mail

Jackie@stonegatefarm.org

 Gift Certificates

Will be sent via e-mail either directly to the recipient with a confirmation e-mail to the purchaser unless requested otherwise.  Be sure to check out a sample certificate.

Name to be put on Gift Certificate: ______________________________________________

E-mail address where the Gift Certificate should be sent: ____________________________

Name of person purchasing the Gift Certificate: ____________________________________

E-Mail of person purchasing the Gift Certificate: ___________________________________

Occasion for Gift Certificate:

     
     ___ Christmas                      ___ Birthday                  ___Anniversary                          
    
     ___ Mothers Day               ___  Fathers Day             ___ No Occasion    

Make Checks Payable to Stone Gate LLC & Mail to:
                       Jackie Smith
                       31407 Schneider Rd.
                       Hanoverton, OH 44423 

Updated Blogs

I've finally had a little time to update some of the blogs.  Check out Jack & Jill's competition debut  and reports and results from the Fall Hunter Pace and the new Jumper Show & Cross Country Pace Competition.

Let the Excavating Begin and ....

Deciding to build an all weather show jumping arena was the easy part especially after the flooding rains we had at the Winona Horse Trials this spring.  After moving ALL the jumps to the dressage arenas so we could do Show Jumping my husband finally agreed that an all weather show jumping area would be useful.  Finding a location was a little more challenging.  The plan was to buy  a couple of acres from the neighbor whose land boarders ours near the stabling area and the cross country warm up but no such luck' they wouldn't part with any.  Then Dave was talking about taking the top off one of the hills in the pasture, but I nixed that one for many reasons.  So we went back to the area that my husband has been calling the new show jumping area for a few years now.   I kept telling him that it wouldn't y.work because the area was too small and hilly and that's why we were trying to buy some land that adjoins it.  But that area was only place put the arena which would be close to the stabling, not cutting into the pasture (although we had fenced that area off for additional pasture) or Dave's precious hay fields ;)

I went back to that field and starting pacing things off to see if there was enough room for a 250' x 150' ring while still having enough room for warm up and / or derby field.  We could have enough room if we could get the ground level.  Now that was going to be the  trick.  I can remember when we used that field this spring for the Lucinda Green clinic, here first comment was it was rather hilly.  Originally we were going to build another pond to get the fill dirt but the area where we would be getting the dirt could qualify as a wetlands and it had a lot of gray clay so we decided instead to dig into the hill and push the dirt into the low spots.  Before we could do that the top soil had to be removed and it was moved to the north to level up the grass warm up area.  It became apparent that Dave's little dozer wasn't going to be able to get the job done so we had to hire someone with a bigger dozer.  It probably took about a week to move all the dirt, compact it, and move more dirt.  Unfortunately it there were some delays due to the weather.

When all the dirt was moved, compacted, and leveled it was time to start bringing in the screenings to make the base. But before we could do that, we had to make improvements to the drive to handle the heavy truckloads of base material. The guy who was suppose to haul for us canceled because he had a bigger job so we found someone else who was actually less expensive.  Unfortunately he had to fit hauling between other jobs and the weather so it's taking a lot longer than it should.  But by bring a few loads a day it gave Dave the time to spread it out with his little dozer and compact it some with his tractor. By the time he's done hauling the screenings he will have made approximately 45 trips to bring approximately 1,000 - 1,200 TONS of material just for the base!!

We're getting real itchy to get this phase of the project over so we can get it leveled so that it can settle over the winter so we can see if there are any areas that need to be tweaked before adding the sand in the spring.  We're planning on using the new ring for our spring event!

Below are some pictures of the process.  It's a little difficult to get a feel for the magnitude of this project from the pictures.

Moving topsoil

Cutting into the hill to get fill dirt

Dirt waiting to be pushed to the low end

The 'Sheep's' Foot' used for compacting

Final prep before bring in the base

Gravel added to the drive do the truck wouldn't get stuck

First load of base material

Two loads don't go very far

Time to bring in the BIG truck

Let's Give Thanks

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the competition season officially over I have a little time to reflect on what I'm thankful for in regards to Stone Gate Farm.  So here goes... I am thankful for:

• living on a beautiful farm with a beautiful family
• all the friends old and new that we got to share time with at the farm this year 
• a successful season of competitions at SGF.  The competitions were well subscribed, no one was hurt and hopefully everyone (horses included) learned a little something and had fun! Even the weather disaster in the spring was a blessing in disguise as it gave us the nudge to bite the bullet to build an all weather show jumping ring
• clinics and camp that were a success.  See above for the definition of success ;)
• the riders who choose to come to SGF
• the volunteers who help to 'make it all happen' especially the Western Reserve Pony Club members and their families.
• the animals who came into our lives this year which include Jack and Jill, Bandit, Rugby, Sadie, and Wie.  Each one in their own way has enriched our lives if only for a short time; we miss you Bandit.
• finding Tintin the 'best family' ever!! 
• finally... I am thankful my family, which includes our adopted daughter Laura, for not only putting up with me but for going above and beyond to help us not only run all the activities at the farm but help with whatever  improvement projects we have going on to make the farm an even nicer facility to come to for whatever reason. I love you all and appreciate each and every one of you more than you will ever know!!

Happy Thanksgiving all and I hope to see you at our farm some time next year.  Enjoy some of the pictures.

 Jackie

Jack & Jill when they first arrived

New Jump made by Kevin & Laura

Dave's Gazebo Project

Patty Keim & Eric at Camp

Cooling off at Camp

'Bandit' - the summer's entertainment

The beginning of the new Show Jump arena 

Sadie - Kyle's new pup

Prototype Show Jumping Numbers

The last competition may be over, but I'm always thinking about ways to make the competitions a little more uses friendly and easier for volunteers.  At the recent jumper show I had the courses numbered as the Black and White courses so we didn't have to change the numbers between classes and so riders could differentiate the courses but that wasn't perfect.  During the events, since we have different tracks for the various levels, we have maps printed complete with fence names so riders can walk their courses a little easier while they are set up for different divisions.  However that still isn't perfect especially if the riders forget to bring the maps with them.  At he last event a rider was walking the course on her cell phone while a friend was at the in gate telling her which fence was next.  So I asked myself what I could do better.

I decided that we would make the numbers different colors to match the cross country numbers; that certainly would help alleviate the confusion.  So this morning I made a prototype on on the computer and printed it up and showed it to Kyle for his input.   The idea is to have the numbers on a free standing support where the numbers slide in and out so they won't blow around and as each level finishes the number gets pulled out. When I showed it to Kyle he thought having all the numbers up during the rounds (even though they were different colors) may, in the heat of competition, still be confusing for the riders.  When he was judging the jumper show a few riders did indeed get confused wile riding and went off course. In addition, with 5 levels the stand is going to be rather large. So what to do?  I still wanted the numbers up so people could easily walk the courses even if it's set for a different level.  Kyle suggested having the number up on the support for the course that is being run at the time with smaller color coded numbers below it for walking courses.

So back to the drawing board.  I think I have come up with something that I think will  work. Since I'm more of a visual person I actually had to make a to scale model.  The overall dimensions are 14" wide by 18" tall.  Below is a picture of to give you an idea.  The large number 2 is for the Beginner Novice course that is course being run and the numbers below it show what number the fence is for the other levels.  And no we're not running Advanced, we will be using the blue for Starter.  So what do you think?

Dave's Big Idea Part 2

The Gazebo awaiting the roof.

Dave got two of the metal shelters done before the Sept event and although it did rain quite hard on Fri we didn't need them for rain protection during the event, thank goodness.  However they did come in handy for someplace to sit and watch either dressage or show jumping.  The gazebo looking one that is going to go do by the dressage warm up didn't get done in time for the event.  But Dave did manage to  finish framing it in during the event.

Now all Dave had to do was put the roof on.  Easier said than done.  Actually I really don't know as I wasn't home when it was done.  All I know is that after taking a few measurements to make sure the finished product would actually fit under the garage door Dave put the plan into action.  The plan was to attach a chain to the top of the inside of  metal building, drive the hay wagon with the top on it under the chain, attach it to a chain, hoist it up, pull the hay wagon out from under the top and pull the gazebo frame under it and lower it into place.

After the roof was unhooked from the chain

Waiting to be pulled out

Apparently it all went rather smoothly and of course no pictures because all hands were busy helping.  These pictures were taken after the job was done.

Since we got the grain bin from the Van Scoys we have dubbed the structures the VS 1, 2 and 3.  Since this was the last one built this is the VS 3.  It will serve as a place for the dressage volunteers and spectators who are in the warm up area to sit and stay out of the elements.  It was put in place before the hunter pace and it served as a jusge's stand for the recent jumper show and the VS 1(the first one built and near the dressage ring and stabling barn) was used as a secretary's stand.  The VS 1 was also used for the starters and scoring at the Hunter Pace the week before.  It  made for a comfortable place to set up a table and chairs and finally a place where you could actually see the computer screen ;)

Although I was rather skeptical when Dave told be about his "big idea" and even more so when the bin was so floppy when we took it apart; we have 3, albeit unusual looking, useful structures.

              Dave & the dogs checking out VS 3                 

For those who did not read the original post be sure to check out  Dave's Big Idea Part 1.   Knowing my husband; I'm sure I'll be reporting on future "big ideas" from Dave.          

The VS 3 in place by the dressage ring

                                                  

Post Event Competitor Letter

The Stone Gate Farm post event competitor letter and a great video are posted on the Competitors Corner

Stone Gate Farm & the Area VIII Novice and Beginner Novice Championships Wrap Up Report

Kerrigan Baird & Mister Remington - Novice Champions

Wow, there must have been a lot of people praying to the 'weather gods' because we were suppose to have some rain all weekend long but ended up only having rain on Fri which watered the rings and made for perfect footing for cross country.   From what I hear we dodged a bullet as there was some pretty heavy rain not far from us early Sun morning and some rain and thunder a couple of hours after everyone had left.  But I think after the deluge that caused the cancellation of cross country in the spring; we deserved a nice weekend! The mix of sun and clouds all weekend and above normal temps on Sun were welcome by competitors and volunteers alike. Some some of our volunteers were sporting a fresh sun burn by the end of the day ;)

So enough about the weather, on to the competition.  There were 131 entries (which is about the most we can comfortable handle) hailing from KY, IN, MI, PA, NY, WV and of course OH.  Many of the competitors who came for the championship divisions had never been to Stone Gate before.  We hope they enjoyed themselves and will come back again even when we're not hosting the Championships.

New Sail Boats -  by Laura & Kevin

The championship levels saw some different, more challenging questions than the open divisions on cross country and had a different show jumping track than the open divisions.  All divisions did their Show Jumping on Sat and due to the slopping grass and slightly slippery (due to the rain on Fri) Show Jumping area riders really needed to ride positively forward in balance and rhythm.  Those who did were rewarded with clean rounds and those who didn't ended up with some penalties.  Additionally those who chose the 'scenic route' received time penalties. Although some of the standings were shuffled around after show jumping; the courses were educational for both horses and riders.

View of the Water jump from the Announcer's tower

View of the Show Jumping area and the back side of the Cross Country Course

For the most part the cross country rode really well for majority of the competitors but some of the Novice Championship competitors had problems coming down the hill to the Round Top a few strides before the water. Kerrigan Baids and Mister Remington had no problems and lead from beginning to end to become the Area VIII Novice Champions.   The Beginner Novice Championship riders didn't have problems cross country but the faster speed cross and the show jumping did shuffle the standings a bit.  Karen Berger and Lindor HB who moved into first place after Show Jumping had a clean round cross country to end up the winner of the Area VIII Beginner Novice Championships.  In addition to the lovely ribbons and awards through third place, riders who placed 1st - 5th shared in more than $700 in prize money.  In addition to the normsl awards; SGF wanted to recognize those riders who continue to compete in the sport of eventing in their senior years and to encourage the up and coming riders by presenting the youngest and the most senior riders who completed the Championship divisions with a gift certificates for a photo from Brant Gamma. Kerrigan, at 15 years was the youngest in the Novice Championships while 11 year old Helen Claire McNaulty riding her adorable 13.2 Cowboy Freckles was the youngest competitor in the Beginner Novice Championships.  The senior winners are Marianne deBarbadillo riding Myers Wonder and Lowelle Messner on Tessie's Bright Star in the Novice and Beginner Novice divisions.  We will be polite and not mention their ages, but I will say that Lowell and I are the same age ;)  We did give a best score award to the riders who are over 50 in the Novice & Beginner Novice divisions and tho winners were Sue Hines and Jan Hoover.

The biggest winner of the weekend undoubtedly was Sue Hines who won on three of her four horses and second on the fourth; finishing on her dressage score on all four horses! She won the Beginner Novice on 
Jana Tuckerman's Taconite Mike, was second in Training B on Brigette Colloca's Shoshone.  But the most impressive win(s) were in the Preliminary division when she tied for first with both Corporate Crash & Flying Four Shoes.  Talk about being consistent ...not only did they have the same dressage score and clean  jumping rounds but they had exactly the same time on both Cross Country AND Show Jumping!!!  Unbelievable...good thing I had extra awards ;)  Full results can be found at Start Box.

Kyle keeping track of horses on course and the HAM Radio operators

On a personal note; I think this was the most relaxed I have ever been during any event we have run over the last 27 years. I actually was able to watch a lot and enjoy myself.   It was disappointing that neither of my boys rode but made the stress level much lower not to mention I put them to work!!  I must say that having Kyle home to help with the ALL the prep work and having him to bounce ideas off of was invaluable.  It took a huge load off of me to have him serve as the Safety Coordinator as well.  With his recent training as a Technical Delegate and obviously knowing the farm so well he was a perfect fit for the job. The addition of the HAM radio operators also took a big load off of me.  No worries about radios not working, someone hitting their call button, transmissions getting walked over etc. etc.  They were very professional and  did a fabulous job.  I think all the radio operators enjoyed themselves and plan on coming back next year. 

I hope you have enjoyed this report and if you have any pictures or stories to share we would love to hear from you. As always we just want people to come and enjoy our farm (we think it's kind of pretty) and all of our hard work.  If we have done that, and no one gets hurt, we consider that a successful event.  Many thanks to all of the volunteers and to the competitors who chose to come to SGF and of course to the horses who allow us to pursue such a fabulous sport!


Jackie

Volunteer Schedule

The volunteer schedule for the Sept 24 - 25 Stone Gate Farm Horse trials is now available.

Keeping up with What's Happening at the SGF Horse Trials

Whether your a competitor, a friend or a family member of a competitor or you're just interested in keeping up with what's going on at the Gate Farm Horse Trials Sept 24 - 25; check out the helpful links on the Competitors Corner  for checking scores and receiving text messages. 

BIG NEWS!!!

Who would have thought that all the rain at the Winona Horse Trials this spring would turn out to be a good thing?  After moving the entire show jumping course from the grass to the sand dressage rings; (so we could safely compete) my husband finally understood why we needed an all weather surface show jumping arena. When we sold Kevin's horse Tintin he was the one who suggested putting the money towards building a show jumping area. After unsuccessfully trying to buy 2 acres from the neighbor next to the stabling area we decided to build in it the newest field where we will be having cross country warm up for the upcoming event which is just to the south of the stabling barns.  Ironically Dave always called that field the new stadium area but I told him it would never work unless it was level and an all weather surface.  He always said that would never happen because it would be too big of a project and cost too much.  Well it's still a big project and it's going to cost a lot but Dave has decided he's up for the challenge and will do most the work himself!

It is going to take some major excavation and building yet another pond to get fill dirt but the plan is to have an all weather arena that is at least 250' x 150' with a grass warm up next to it which will be approximately 130' x 250'.  Since we will be doing major excavating anyway, there are plans for banks, a ditch and maybe a small water jump so we can use the entire area for a Jumping Derby!

In order to help raise additional funds to build the stadium & derby field we are hosting a Jumper show and Cross Country Pace competition on Sat Oct 15th.  Come join us for some fun while getting good practice with your show jumping and cross country pace.

Stay tuned for updates, complete with pictures of course.  We'll be starting sometime in Oct.

Jackie

Dave's Big Idea - Part 1

Well it all started with me saying that I would like 2 small buildings for the dressage & show jumping warm ups because the tents keep blowing away and getting destroyed.  Nothing elaborate something like those at Chatt Hills.  Then I also requested a building where we had the big tent that we had this spring near the stabling and dressage rings.  Well on the first one he said that he didn't have time before the event to build them and on the second one he said we couldn't put up that big of a permanent building because it would add to our property taxes.  I said fine; I would rent a tent again.

Well I come home from officiating an event and Dave says he has an 'idea'.  I always get a little nervous when I hear those words. He said he saw something in the Farm Show paper (a newspaper where a bunch of farmers show what they have made out of things they or someone else don't need or want anymore) and he had the perfect idea for making the buildings that I wanted.  I can hardly wait. ..  but first he had to see if Van Scoy's old grain bin was still available.  Well it was and the 'big idea' began to take shape  I still wasn't thrilled with the idea, but once Dave sets his mind to something there is no stopping him.  Besides that, it was this or nothing. 

Removing the top of the grain bin

So while I was away officiating again Dave and Kyle unbolted the grain bin from its cement base and when I got home I was the lucky one to go with him as the excavator loaded it on the trailer.  Easier said than  done and without the base of the grain bin the 15' in diameter top just flopped down over the sides of the trailer.  Dave managed to find some boards to put under it for a little more support.  I led the 6.5 miles home on winding roads and warning any oncoming cars that there was a WIDE load ahead.  Somehow we managed to get it home and moved it to the hay wagon so we could go back the next day for the rest which I was told 'would go better' because it is much stiffer corrugated metal.

The top hanging off the sides of the trailer

So the next day we go back without an escort car because the actual bin will  be much more rigid and won't be hanging off the sides of the trailer.  So while Dave was cutting it in half I was busy unbolting the door.  Dave was happy because it was cutting fairly well and he didn't need all five of the cutting blades that he bought for the project. When he was almost done cutting he got the man to come over with the excavator.  I won't bore you with the details, but the corrugated metal was NOT much stiffer than the roof and things rapidly began to deteriorate  Let's just say we needed the escort vehicle as the bin did not go onto the trailer as planned.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             At one point I said that we would be further ahead selling it for scrap.  Well that was not well received; after all Dave had just paid a fair chunk of change to get all this metal loaded on the trailer and now he considered it a challenge to try to make this all work.  I knew I was doomed and had no other choice than to go along and hope it would turn out.  The Van Scoys found it all a bit entertaining to say the least.

So once it was home Dave got busy building a frame for one of the two buildings  made from the sides of the bin.  It was a plan as you go sort of thing and do as your told and don't ask questions ;)  It took a little doing, but putting the metal back up actually went better than taking it down and hauling it home.

Again I won't bore you with the details of building the structure.  I'll let you use your imagination as you look at the some of the pictures. I had some interesting captions but they really weren't fit to print ;)

So after a little time we have some semblance of a shelter that measures 15' long by 11' deep.  Not as big as the tent and a bit too large for the dressage warm up. We added two rows of bleacher seats (my idea which originally wasn't well received) and there is room for 2 tables and chairs or just more chairs.  Believe it or not there is seating for about 25 people. We're in the process of building a second one and now that Dave has already built one the second one will go a lot faster.  One will be placed where the tent was this spring near the stabling area and dressage rings and the other one is going down by the show jumping. Although they aren't quite what I had envisioned; I think they will be very useful shelters. Let's hope we'll need them as protection from the brilliant sunshine and not the R*&%.

Next up... the gazebo type structure using he roof from the grain bin.  Stay tuned for Part II of "Dave's Big Idea"