A Dream Come True

Along Interstate 15 in the Helena valley, Montana, reside Sid and Janet Erickson.  The Erickson's dream of the day they can retire and enjoy their passion for horses full time.  Janet has been a schoolteacher for more than 25 years and her husband Sid is a veterinarian, chiropractor and acupuncturist that travels all over the country.  "I've taught Health Enhancement for 25 years; I still love kids but my passion is horses," laughs Janet.

In the fall of 2003, the Erickson's made one more step to fulfill their dream with the purchase of a 24,000 square foot Cover-All® riding arena.  For more than a year, the Erickson's researched and visited numerous types of indoor riding arenas prior to making their purchase.  "What impressed us about the Cover-All buildings we viewed was the light, the natural environment and the reputation of Bill and Michele Abney, (the authorized Cover-All representatives for Montana)," says Janet.  "We toured numerous Cover-All customer locations.  The response we heard about the satisfaction on their building purchase and the manner in which Bill and Michele worked with them was consistently positive.  Sid also liked the idea that we can add on to or relocate the building in the future if we need to," says Janet.

After their year of research and planning, the Erickson's placed the order for a 120 foot wide x 200 foot long Cover-All TITAN® arena and began construction.  "When we finally decided on the type of indoor arena we wanted, I couldn't wait for it to be constructed."  Much to Janet's wishes the speed at which the Cover-All® arena was constructed was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  The Cover-All® install crew arrived on site on Tuesday and by the following Saturday, the Erickson's were doing a final building inspection.  "When the Cover-All install crew arrived, they worked around the clock," says Janet.  "I remember one night I went outside to check the progress and was so overwhelmed with the size of the structure, the way the lights lit up the framework, it looked like a coliseum.  In tears, I phoned my husband who was out of state working, crying ''It's beautiful; I never imagined it would be so big.'' It was the greatest gift my husband could have ever given me," says Janet.

The response from the Erickson's horses has been equally enthusiastic.  "The footing remains perfect 100% of the time.  Our horses love the arena, they feel like they're running outside," says Janet.  "When I go to other arenas to compete, the buildings are usually dark and gloomy and have a low ceiling and the horses tend to be scared and rigid.  When I come home to my Cover-All arena, I feel like I'm on a cloud riding in this light, happy arena and my horses feel like they are free.  I put on my music and am able to ride up to six horses a night.  The acoustics are awesome, all I have for a stereo system is a little boom box, but it sounds like I have a huge PA system."

"I pinch myself daily; it's almost too good to be true.  I often lose track of time and find myself riding into the early morning hours.  The arena is my sanctuary away from work," says Janet.  "I recommend Cover-All to everyone who stops in to look at the arena.  I've had several people mention to me that whenever I'm talking about my arena, I've got a big smile on my face.  They know my comments are coming from the heart.  We couldn't be happier," says Janet.