Horses that operate at the highest levels of competition in dressage, showjumping, and racing are some of the best looked after living beings on the planet. These horses are often worth astronomical sums of money and their health and well-being is taken very seriously as a result. Their diet, rest and comfort is monitored very carefully and they usually reside is state of the art living facilities.
Thanks to Instagram and Social media we have increased visibility of some of the most beautiful barns, stables, ranches, and breeding centers in the world. These properties all boast stunning architecture and are often fitted out by design teams that specialize in equine builds. Technically most of the facilities cannot be classed as barns as they are world class equine facilities.
In no particular order here are 10 of the most stunning horse barns that I have come across:
Sagamore Farm, Maryland US
Sagamore farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm. It was established in 1925 and is known as one of the premier Thoroughbred breeders in the USA. It was previously owned by member of the Vanderbilt family. In 2007 the Under Armour CEO and Maryland native, Kevin Plank bought the farm. Once purchased he began a major restoration project with the help of Equestrian architect John Blackburn. The renovation included a 90-stall barn with a quarter-mile interior track.
The completed build is stunning and contains many other state of the art equine facilities. We particularly love the stunning white interior and high ceilings.
2. Grand Stables of Chantilly
The Grand Stables of Chantilly are part of the architectural masterpiece that is Château de Chantilly. They were built by the architect Jean Aubert for Louis-Henri de Bourbon, the 7th prince of Condé. The stables are often referred to as a horse palace and it is easy to see why. The stables are also home to the museum of Horse which represents the relationship between man and horse since early civilization. The stables host several international equestrian events each year and are a major tourist attraction for the region.
3. Yellow Wood Dressage, Chesapeake City, USA
Photos: B&D Builders/Jana Bannan Photography
Yellow Wood Dressage is a 600 acre purpose build equine facility dedicated to elite horse breeding and training. It is styled on the great European centers and boasts a stunning design with all the modern facilities that you would expect. It is owned by John & Leslie Malone who enlisted the help of builders B&D to do the renovation.
In the renovation one of the old barns was transformed into a 28-stall training center, and also includes an indoor arena equipped with built-seating to help host equine educational events.
Yellow Wood boasts unique architecture, with rare antiques and stunning artwork dotted across the property. The equine specific facilities include a solarium, aqua pacer, spacious stalls, and the signature half mile training track with all weather footing.
4. Nicola Baur Dressage, Bad Gastein, Austria
- 6 stables (insulated and well-aerated, rubber flooring, temperate drinkers)
- outdoor ‘alpine’ circuit 2km (sand/wood chips)
- summer meadows for turnout
- 2 all-weather sand paddocks
- Grooming box with infrared solarium, hot/cold water, automatic horse waterers with thermal water, rubber flooring
- Grooming and farrier stand with infrared solarium
5. Paso de Lis Sport Horses – Spain
Paso de Lis Sport Horses is a business that specialises in the the training and sale of sport horses. The stables were designed by the owners Juan Casares and Miguel Casares, along with architects Zara Villaverde and Jose Luis Rodriguez
The facilities include:
- five fully equipped paddocks
- 20 stalls in self ventilating stables
- mechanical walker
- Luxurious indoor viewing arena
- Client changing room and showers
- Open spacious pasture
6. Springside Warmbloods, Australia
Springside warmbloods is a boutique warmblood breeding center located in the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia. The owner is Daniel Ash, a successful equine architect who designed the entire facility himself. Daniel specializes in the design of country estates and has used all his experience in this build. The barn has a stunning exterior brick with tasteful modern design touches throughout. A large well placed skylight provides lots of natural light inside the barn.
7. Sweetgrass Equestrian, Ontario, USA
Sweetgrass Equestrian describe themselves as “Ontario’s most exquisite equine boarding facility, boasting premium horse care and sparing no expense”, and they are not wrong.
Everything about Sweetgrass Equestrian scream equine luxury, From the spacious horse stalls, state of the art ventilation system, Olympic-size indoor arena, to the stunning jumping area.
8. Godolphin Stables, Newmarket, UK
Godolphin is the private horse racing stable of the ruling family of Dubai, the Maktoum family. The stable is named after the Godolphin Arabian who is a desert horse that was one of the founding stallions of the modern thoroughbred. Godolhin stables is headquartered in Dubai and have stables in the UK and Australia.
The UK stable is based in Newmarket and is one of the most famous racing establishments in the world. The stables were built by Frederick Stanley in 1903, Stanley was was the 16th Earl of Derby. Godolphin bought them in 1988 and have owned them since. The facilities include stunning individual grazing paddocks, stallion covering barns and a foaling unit. The stables have all the other luxuries that you would expect of a world class stud.
