AN EQUESTRIAN centre has invested in a new arena – and plans to bring it undercover.

Parley Equestrian Centre’s new facility covers almost 13,000 sq ft (around 2,400 square metres) and supplements a bigger outdoor manege used for competitions.

It plans to put a roof over the arena under a second phase of the development.

An investment programme has seen the Dorset centre expand rapidly and it now has more than 100 horses, including 11 full liveries, more than 50 DIY liveries and more than 30 grass liveries.

The centre, opposite Bournemouth Airport, added 16 extra stables just before Christmas, bringing the total to almost 70, and plans more.

Jane Wyatt, who manages the centre and has taken two horses to victory in the national Horse of the Year competition, said: “The indoor school will really set us apart.

“The first stage of construction is now complete and when it is covered it will be of great benefit to everyone.

“Horses will then be able to practise jumping, dressage or anything else on a super surface and out of the way of the elements.

“This winter has been awfully wet and to have an indoor facility will make a massive difference.

“The new school will really enhance what we can offer and shows how determined and ambitious we are.”

The equestrian centre was launched in 2009 and is set in an 800-acre estate next to the River Stour.

It hosts regular showjumping and dressage events and its facilities include a competition level, floodlit 60m by 40m all-weather arena.