Lozeau/Quartz area prepares for riding arena

SUPERIOR – A new outdoor equestrian arena, larger than others in the area, is almost complete and is expected to begin hosting events in the near future.

The arena will be in the Lozeau/Quartz area and has been described as bigger than the one near Johnson Creek, with measurements of 160 x 190 feet. It was built by Don Felstet, the owner of the land, but will be managed by Butch and Janet Neville.

Felstet said the new arena would be used for Native American horse games and could support county events. If events from neighboring counties could be brought in, Felstet is confident there would be more than enough space.

“It’s a pretty good sized arena,” he said.

While the space could be used for full-sized rodeos, Felstet felt such events would be further down the road. He figured it would be a couple years before it was used for anything of that nature.

According to Janet, the eventual plan would be to hold state and national events at the arena. The space could also be used for high school rodeos and barrel races. Because of it’s size, the arena would be perfect for events, which require participants to build up speed. Despite the focus on events, the arena would be available to equestrian enthusiasts of any discipline.

“We’re going to try to make it welcome to everybody,” Janet said. “Sportsmanship is going to be our key thing, where everybody…treats their animal and the people they compete with well.”

Janet said the arena would have memberships so people could bring horses to ride or exercise. Pens will also be available for people to keep horses in for a short time, whether for convenience or to provide board while on the way through the area. However, people who keep a horse boarded at the arena will be responsible for the animal’s care. Feed and other supplies will be available for sale, but the owner would be responsible for everything. This is different from other equestrian centers, many of which have staff members care for boarded horses.

Janet believes the arena will mesh well with the other equestrian centers in the area and should not pull business away. Because the equestrian center at Tarkio is indoors and mostly used for horseback riding, Janet does not believe the new event-based arena will offer much competition for customers.

“We’re hoping to work with the other groups here and have the arena used as much as possible,” Janet said.

The arena will be open-air and will have all the amenities. Felstet said the facility would have stalls and corrals for horses, judges’ stands, parking and running water. He said the builders had done a good job on it.

No specific figure was available on how many spectator seats would be available at the facility. Felstet said there would be a more accurate figure of capacity closer to the end of next year. However, he said there was plenty of parking, with an estimation of almost 20 acres.

Events are expected to begin sometime in the early spring. According to Felstet, the arena is approximately 90 percent complete and should open around April. Janet added she hopes the arena is ready to host events by late March.

Due to the arena’s open-air layout, it will likely have seasonal hours of operation. Janet estimated it would be open from the start of April to the start of November when snow and ice could cause problems for riders.