A 44,250-square-foot covered arena powered by rooftop solar panels is debuting at Galway Downs in Temecula. The structure is one of the biggest clear-span arenas in the West, according to Visit Temecula Valley.

The arena was built over the former warm-up ring for the Grand Prix Arena at 38801 Los Corralitos Road. Its riding area measures 152 feet by 250 feet, with an adjacent hospitality space. The project took about a year from conception to an anticipated opening party in late August or early September, according to the announcement. Construction began in fall 2025.

The roof's solar panels are estimated to generate 747,539 kilowatt hours of energy per year. That is enough to cover 100 percent of the 240-acre property's electricity needs, based on past usage. The roof's apex is off-center, creating a larger south-facing surface where the panels sit. Solar incentives helped make the project financially viable, according to the announcement.

"It's still a gamble," owner Ken Smith said of the project's scale.

Smith said the idea clicked when he noticed solar-panel canopies over high school parking lots. "The solar aspect is what drove the size of the covered space, and how it made financial sense to do it," Smith said.

Smith and his wife, Tina, bought Galway Downs in 2010, rescuing the property from bankruptcy and possible residential development, according to a profile by the United States Eventing Association. The venue, originally opened in 1968 as the Rancho California Track and Training Center, has since built a reputation in hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage competitions.

The covered arena puts Galway Downs in select company. A handful of other Southern California competition venues have covered arenas, including Del Mar Horsepark in San Diego and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Both were built in the 1980s and 1990s.

Robert Kellerhouse, equestrian manager at Galway Downs and a Visit Temecula Valley board member, said the addition changes what events the venue can attract. Some equestrian event producers will not consider a venue without a covered arena, Kellerhouse said.

Rebecca Rigdon, an international dressage competitor based in San Diego, said she hopes the arena helps bring international dressage competitions back to Galway Downs and draws more riders from Canada and the Pacific Northwest during winter months. The arena is not fully enclosed like European indoor arenas, but Rigdon expects it to create a quieter, more contained space for horses.

The Galway Downs International Horse Trials are scheduled for Oct. 28 through Nov. 1, with new CCI4*-S and CCI3*-S divisions available, according to a Galway Downs Instagram post.