In honor of the 143rd Run for the Roses on Saturday we thought it a fine time to highlight some top-shelf equestrian properties, well beyond the Kentucky Derby’s Churchill Downs paddocks.
Even if you’re not a horse rider or breeder, these grand equestrian properties usually offer a wealth of amenities that would pull any property well ahead of the rest of the field. These include a glam swimming pool, woodland trails for hiking and biking as well as riding, fruit orchards, fishing ponds, elaborate gardens and a tennis court or two. Best of all, these horsey haunts offer a dialed-down country pace and lifestyle.
But horses are still front and center at these equestrian estates. In fact, sometimes the stables and barns are as nice as the house.
Conyers Farm Estate, Greenwich, Connecticut
Listing Price: $35 million
Once a working farm, this 80-acre historic equestrian estate is in the prime residential enclave of Conyers Farm, the largest gated community of its kind in Greenwich. It was the heart of the original Conyers Farm property and is graced with a fairytale apple orchard, tennis court, swimming pool, and a cottage that once housed the estate's firemen, along with four other cottages.
The exceptional grounds have colorful gardens, riding trails, meadows, and magnificent polo grounds for seasonal world-class polo matches. For equestrians, there is a 22-stall stable that opens to paddocks surrounded by white board fencing. The 8,000-square-foot Shingle-style main house was designed by Donn Barber with extensive updates by Alan Wanzenberg and Alex Antonelli and an exquisite interior layout by decorating giants Parish-Hadley. The floor plan encompasses eight bedrooms, including two master suites, as well as a formal living room, a two-story library, a large solarium and eight bathrooms.
More:Putting the Horse Before the House
Redens, Lodsworth, Petworth, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Listing price: £5 million (US$6.5 million)
The private and peaceful seven-bedroom country house known as Redens is situated in the South Downs National Park and lies between Lodsworth and Lickfold with easy access to London.
Redens has benefitted from substantial additions in the 1920s and ‘30s and has undergone major refurbishments and further extensions in the last few years. The most recent extension has created a leisure wing with guest accommodations, an indoor swimming pool and gym complex.
Features of the house include a spacious entrance hall with a galleried landing and a large drawing room with many windows and views of the grounds and landscaped gardens. There is also large fish pond with a pergola surrounded by paddocks and woodlands.
The substantial equestrian facilities consist of a spacious stable yard with staff accommodations, manège, lunging ring and a large barn complex with further stabling and storage.
More:A Historic Victorian Mansion in the Countryside of Wales
Atalanta, 89 Martin’s Lane, Rhinebeck, New York
Listing Price: $22 million
This Hudson Valley estate features 290 acres in the heart of Dutchess County horse country with a 16,000-square-foot Georgian manor house. The estate, which offers museum-quality details and dramatic Hudson River views, was originally built in 1851 as the home for FDR relatives Franklin Hughes Delano and Laura Astor Delano, on land received as a wedding gift from part of the Astors’ "Rokeby" estate. An additional two wings were added to Atalanta in the late 1800s.
Amenities and outbuildings include a Greek Temple-inspired pool house with a 75-foot pool, tennis court, three-bedroom guesthouse, three-bedroom farm house, a stone gate house, carriage house with storage and two second-floor apartments, a charming two-bedroom Victorian gardener's cottage, and a commercial grade greenhouse.
Impressive equestrian facilities include an eight-stall barn with office, full bath, tack room, feed room, heated indoor ring with man-made footing, and an outdoor dressage ring.
The six-bedroom, six-bath manor has a first-floor staff wing and a private second-floor guest wing. The lower level features a glass enclosed 5,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room. Outside, the manicured grounds at Atalanta feature sweeping lawns dotted with specimen trees and formal walled gardens.
More:A 15-Acre Florida Equestrian Estate Set to Hit the Auction Block
Cuadra San Cristobal, Federal District (DF), Mexico
Listing Price: $13 million
Boasting the modernist architectural touch of Pritzker Prize winner Luis Barragán, Cuadra San Cristobal is a triumph of geometry, simplicity and water. The indoor and outdoor spaces are constantly intertwined, and floor-to-ceiling windows offer vistas of the lush and precisely landscaped grounds. The interior offers 2,493 square meters of living space, with four bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bath.
Abstract structures and water connect the otherwise separate zones. Throughout the 30,245-square-meter estate, fountains and cool azure tones contrast against the terracotta, crisp whites and surprisingly accommodating pink of the exterior walls.
The property also includes a two-bedroom, one-bath staff quarters, a guest apartment also with two bedrooms and one bathroom, and a three-bedroom, one-bath exterior apartment at the stables.
The equestrian owners have added stables within the grounds, and there is a belief that the horses should roam free throughout the space, just like the guests. Two pools are right by the house–a smaller one for people and a larger one for the horses.
More:A British-Style Equestrian Estate in Canada With Vineyards on Both Sides
Twin Acres Ranch, 1753 Hidden Valley Road, Thousand Oaks, California
Listing Price $13.5 million
Twin Acres Ranch sits in the heart of Hidden Valley, one of Southern California's most coveted celebrity hideaways. Hidden Valley is the perfect weekend getaway from the city or for a full-time equestrian lifestyle. The primary residence in this large family compound is a five-bedroom, five-bath house built in the 1920s style reminiscent of the Will Rogers estate in Los Angeles.
The 41-acre ranch features extensive landscaping and a large fruit orchard, with more than 150 fruit-producing trees. For equestrians, there are 18 paddocks, a five-stall foaling barn with an observation room, a ranch office, a shop, tool storage, two bunkhouses and a manager's cottage. Other amenities include a tennis court, and a swimming pool with a pool house.
More:Sprawling Florida Equestrian Compound On the Market for $45 Million
Full Throttle Ranch, Carbondale, Colorado
Listing Price: $13.6 million
Full Throttle Ranch includes a 5,991-square-foot main house with six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bath and a 2,202-square-foot guesthouse with three bedrooms and two baths. A 2,400-square-foot gym is in a separate building.
The 6,682-square-foot heated barn has nine horse stalls, one wash stall, one grooming stall and two powder rooms. The property also has an attached garage and a 2,504-square-foot barn apartment with two bedrooms and two baths.
Cattle Creek runs through the property, along with a picturesque pond, landscaped grounds and a working vegetable garden. You can go horseback riding, fishing and hunting without ever leaving the 222-acre property. The ranch also boasts one of the area’s only private helipads.
More:A Luxe Colorado Ranch Hits the Market for $28.5 Million
45 Cross Road,Colts Neck, New Jersey
Listing Price: $8.9 million
This gentleman’s country estate, built in 1985, has 45 pristinely manicured acres that are in farmland preservation. The 10,284-square-foot house features nine bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half baths. The grand reception hall is flanked by a ballroom and dining room with wood floors, soaring coffered ceilings, custom moldings, and hand carved marble fireplaces. The breakfast room has views of the paddocks. Rear stairs lead to the staff quarters.
The equestrian facilities include an eight-stall barn with a fly misting system, a riding arena and a jumping area. There is also a concrete 75-foot swimming pool with pool house, tennis court and a caretaker’s cottage.