So about 10 or so years ago, when I was visiting Up North, there was a sign claiming a new "Equestrian Club" was to be built.
Of course, I was obsessed.
This past trip with my Husband, we were touring a lot of Up North Michigan, this was the first time I went in to FINALLY check it out.
Wow, it was nothing short of very impressive.
The biggest and best surprise were the calm, sweet horses that were on turnout or in stall, well taken care of and seemingly looked very happy.
And how fresh, crisp and clean it smelled...everywhere.
Upon entering...
The snob in me LOVES a gated and rock pillared entranceway.
Ahhhh...Heaven, is this you?
So, the barn of all barns.
One of the pastures...every pasture was lush, with shelter and there were 1, 3 horses in each of the LARGE pastures. There is a lot of land here.
Also there are miles of trail access and I THINK, not sure, that you could access Lake Michigan to take your horse swimming (oh how I would love to take Laz there swimming...such a beautiful clear lake)
Not sure what this was...a side garage? Beautiful anyway
The main outdoor arena...huge. Sanded and grass (nice to have the different footing I thought) and a gazebo for hot parents to watch in shade.
Full view of outdoor
The young girl was getting a lesson and the trainer seemed patient and kind and very positive on her cantering.
Entrance to the stalls
Inside:
Front reception room, and indoor thru the barn doors
To the left (and right) when you walk in are four wash rack areas (HUGE again) on each side
Also..this place was SO clean..not one hint of urine smell
Stalls, glorious stalls...I would imagine a 12 x 14, or 14 x 14...HUGE
This was a large Andalusia X horse
If you stall your horse, how nice to have the stall matts and this thick bedding (cleaned every day)
...well we do have that at Laz's barn :)
This gentle giant took a nice roll after I rubbed him face and coo'ed at him for a good 5 minutes
We took the stairs up to view the indoor from above
The club room on 2nd floor
View from above, of the large indoor.
Look at the ceiling height...no choking on dust in this arena
Watching another one bite the dust into horse love
Club room again
Club room
One of the trainers taking her horse out to pasture after his lesson
I loved how serene this barn was...I swear every horse was calm and happy.
This guy just kerplunked after her to get to his pasture
To me a sign that the horses are not deprived of turnout
Huge dressage arena too, outside
On our way out....I didn't want to leave. How sweet that my Husband even said "well, if we ever moved up north, maybe you could work there to get Laz to stay there." LOL!
I would shovel some major SH*T no problem.
For more info on this facility, click HERE
I will say the staff I met, briefly, were incredibly warm, welcoming and informative...I think a minority when it comes to barns this nice, so that was a great surprise.
The full board is $925 a month
Pasture board is offered at $500 a month (May-Oct only) with access to full facility. (I thought THAT was a great deal)
If I win the lotto and move up north, I think Lazarus and I would adjust quite well here. ;)
Wow........
Do any of your barns look like this?????
Ummm... WOW!!! That place is amazing! I can't belive pasture board is only $500 per month. With full access it seems like it would cost much more.
ReplyDeleteWonder how many stalls I'd have to muck to get stall board down to about $400 per month? :)
To answer your last question . . . er no! That place is absolutely gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteThe prices make me choke in surprise, but I live down south and things are a lot cheaper here I guess because there is more space and more horses (a guess). Pasture board down here is about $300 a month and that's with a stall for feeding.
I would definitely like to live there . . . um I mean board there. :D Thanks for sharing.
My trainers barn where I am riding looks like that. I love it there! You know it is a fancy place when the clinicians who have been all over the world come in and say "WOW". And all of the horses get excellent care, which is of course the most important thing. Her barn only has 16 stalls though so it is a big difference! And the lounge in the indoor is way smaller.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I think I need move to somewhere else in the country because I don't think $950 for board with an indoor is bad at all! The going rate by me for any place with an indoor is $450 for turnout board and $900 for a stall. That is why my retired Gen is not at an indoor!
Very nice - no, my barn looks nothing like that - we have decent stalls and all day pasture turn out in herds, but no indoor and a not so great outdoor arena, but the people are nice, the horses are happy and we have 12 miles of trails.
ReplyDeleteWow, Seriously! I want to go to there!
ReplyDeleteI looooooove the outdoor, with a sand track around grass. I long for a nice grass arena to work. And the indoor? With that balcony? Good lord...if I'm going to ride, I'm at the barn a MINIMUM of 2 hours, and that's with a 40 minute ride and rushing everything else. If Miles and I were at that estate, I might as well pitch a pup tent across the road because I would never leave:) Thanks for sharing! Off to check out the website...
Sigh!!!!!!! I think those gates did lead to Heaven!! Could it all be for real? It reminds me of that section of James Herriot's Dog Stories when he describes how he imagines his life as a dog surgeon in a gleaming white surgery and then...how it really went...out with the cows, and horses and pigs in the rough country villages. I think I thought I would grow up and ride at a place like your photo essay...and instead...well my farm is muddy and mucky and...wonderful!
ReplyDelete*whispers* Hey, everyone; if we get enough people to gang up, we could overtake that place pirate-style! Lol. ;-) You know it's worth it!
ReplyDeleteNo, my barn definitely does NOT look anything like that. However, I have seen tons of drop-dead gorgeous facilities in Wellington and the accompanying Loxahatchee. I have a friend whose barn is in Loxahatchee and, while it's not quite as fancy as that place, it's reall, really nice (has been on the cover of Dressage Today because Jessica Tate rents it out for the winter). I think her board is about $1,2oo for full care (which includes grooming, tacking up, etc.).
Wow what a beautiful facility! Much too ritch for my blood... er bank account! I wish though! For one month there I can keep Honey in a 1 acre pasture for nine months! Granted it's not as posh as that stunning center, but it's clean, safe and 5 minutes from my house (if anyone in the San Diego area is looking for affordable pasture board let me know! There is room for three more horses, large round pen, arena and trails). Maybe one day I'll be in a barn like that... just maybe!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place. My one barn does. The man who owns it has a tanning company though.
ReplyDeleteVery awesome!!! You should one day take a trip to Lexington KY and take a barn tour trip. I swear some of those TB's live like queens and kings. Huge stalls, gigantic pastures all manacured to the tea! All stainless steel waterers. Not a single drop of sawdust in isle ways and the barns were sooo beautiful I cannot even explain with even stained glass horse windows to die for!!! But put that on your bucket list. It's definalty worth the drive even for a weekend trip! Then go over to the KY horse park for some extra fun!
ReplyDeleteWow - what a place! No barns like that anywhere around here. $500 for pasture board with those facilities is pretty darn good. Most people pay $400 on average here for outdoor or basic indoor board and I haven't been too or heard of a barn that has all of the amenitites you listed.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't look like that here either. I do have stalls, indoor, outdoor, paddocks, pasture. No lounge, but that's okay 'cuz I live here and it's mine. And paid for!
ReplyDelete