[farmgirl598]

Thought this might be a fun thread. Let's share what we would have for our horses/ourselves if money were NO problem. Would you redo your entire farm? Stop boarding and bring horses home? Build your dream barn? I'll start.... If I had all the money I needed, the FIRST thing to go up on our farm would be an indoor riding arena. (I've even thought about possibly bringing home an old used farm storage building, and converting it, but even THAT is cost prohibitive.) I would also add three rail vinyl fencing EVERYWHERE along the pastures, to "back up" our plain electric wire. Currently, we only have vinyl along the road front. What would YOU do if money were NO OBJECT????

[SharonA]

Well, I would have a farm. Several of them. I would buy old farms in New Hampshire and Vermont and restore the farmhouses and have stables/equine sanctuaries. All stalls (10' or 12' by 14') would be in/out stalls with paddocks attached, say 14 by 30. Everyone would be out on the hundred+ acres of pasture and woods from dawn to dusk. Enormous indoor or covered ring with heated viewing room. Covered access to the barn from the house so I could go do night check in my slippers, even if there was snow on the ground. I'm not sure about fencing; have to figure out what would be the most environmental/cost-effective, etc. Split rail or board or vinyl fencing. Farms will all have ponds for horses to splash in, and have access to miles of trails with perfect footing. I will have adequate staff to maintain all fencing and buildings. There would be no drama from the people. All staff would be intelligent, team-oriented, and a pleasure to work with. Will have much machinery to manage snow & ice so that winter horsekeeping doesn't seem that hard after all. Automatic, no-freeze waterers in all the pastures, even those that have clear flowing mountain streams. Pastures will all have shade as well as sun. Hay storage in a separate building. Farms could be B&B's (I can't live in them all) or see below.

Will do some organic crop growing, and will have sheep, chickens, maybe milk cows, using sustainable methods and keeping alive historical farming practices just because.

In addition to the property being a horse farm, I might build a medium-sized attractive assisted living facility for seniors who want to live on a working farm, or some sort of facility for veterans with PTSD. There would be a hippotherapist on staff, of course. I'd probably build a house for the vet to live on-property too, since there will be all these rescues coming in. I will fund a riding program with all the area schools, and provide approved transportation, trained supervision, etc. so that more kids get into horses.

[ReSomething]

SharonA, I like your plans! With money being no object I might just silent partner a few struggling lesson barns, help them with all that deferred maintenance stuff and make the prices within reach for most horsey kids without having the programs be ignorant or dangerous.

For my own farm? I think I'd live in a townhouse close to shopping and have a manager to mow and fix fence and feed at oh dark thirty - then I could go out and sit on my nice lawn furniture on my swept porch overlooking the outdoor and ride when I felt like it, instead of having to go off to work and then feed as soon as I got home.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

There is no decent show facility with decent footing in my area, so if money were no object, I would create a horse park. I would have a cross country course, grass Grand Prix field, All-Season Sand/OTTO jumper ring, and large all-season dressage arena. I would have an insulated (with radiant heat just over the bleachers) 220 x 100 steel indoor to hold winter events. Tons of natural light in the indoor. I would have lots of good parking, camper hookups, etc. I would be set up to run some events with cattle/calves as well.

Then I would have my farm, which would be next to the horse park. I would have acres of grass pasture with good deep shelters and auto-waterers and this would be for retirees (I have a particular soft spot of OTTBs). I would have retirees and my 4 broodmares (1 jumper, 1 dressage and 2 all-around types are what I own in this fantasy). I would have a foaling/broodmare barn with big stalls, stocks and vet area, a heated viewing room for sleeping in when a baby is due, etc. with turnout to individual paddocks and from that turnout to a much larger field. No-climb with a black sight board or Centaur/Ramm type flex board on top. The retirees would also have a barn (my riding horse would be there too), although ideally they would live out most of the time. Auto waterers with drinking gauge in each stall. 4 board fencing (black) or the same in a flex-board.

I want a Euro-walker and covered parking for all my equipment (including my trailer).

I am also interested in having a community outreach aspect as well. I haven't really thought that through yet. I love gardening. We already have a very nice theraputic riding center locally who works with disabled individuals as well as people with mental struggles. They have upgraded their facility recently and it is really nice. Mmmm. SharonA has some good ideas.

I would hire John Blackburn to design the whole thing. http://blackburnarch.com/projects/

How's that for big?

On a more realistic note I would like 20-40 acres. Some would be for the main farm and some would be either additional pasture, alfalfa field, a few cattle, etc. and I would ideally pay my neighbor to hay it for me. I would still LOVE to have an outdoor 200x100 all-season arena and a more modest sized, 70+ x 180 indoor (insulated with the flat ceiling) with lots of windows. I would have an area for viewing on one end and behind that I would have my stalls. Picture 4 stalls along the end wall leading to turnouts. One tack room and one wash stall/tie stall in the middle of the stall row. A small bathroom. Then cement aisle with half wall and then seating set up on the arena footing if we are hosting a clinic inside. I would love to host clinics and have a local schooling show series.

My horses would live outside, except for very bad weather. The stalls would be available for people who come to clinic. I would have the same fencing as above. I would have loads of parking.

I still want a covered euro-walker. I would also have an exercise track along the inside of the perimeter (I would perimeter and interior fencing and a gate).

I would love to find an old cattle barn with high enough ceilings to use for horses, otherwise I would just fix it up and use it for hay storage exclusively.

I am on a blacktop road in this fantasy as well as the above.

[sunridge1]

I made the leap to owning my own dream farm 18 years ago. Divorce, loss of high paying job, new DH with severe health problems leaves much to 'STILL' be done for it to be what I imagined. We are making progress but it's slow with only ingenuity and no money.

A neighbor died recently, he owned hundreds of rolling acres with a stream running through his yard with an extraordinary barn (biggest gambrel style barn I've ever seen, I so covet that barn). If I were wealthy....

[2DogsFarm]

My Dream is a lot more modest...or selfish, you pick

I have now what is my Dream Farm on a very small scale.
5ac with small (2-stall now, room for 6) barn and attached 60X120 indoor.

In hindsight I should have spent the money to perimeter-fence the acreage. Leaving the house on a small island with just enough lawn for a table and chairs and a small veggie garden.
Less mowing for me, more pasture for horses!

If money were no object let's see....

1)I'd move the Big City about 20mi closer to shorten my commute.
I need an Urban Fix every so often.

2)buy more acres to grow my own hay. And to have on-site trails to ride.
With a cross country course just for fun.

3)I'd have fulltime live-in help for the barn and to do the haying. And build a nice little house for them.

I'd still do the feeding and light mucking - which is very Zen-like for me. But in bad weather or if I just felt like sleeping in, call down to the barn: "Hello? Please see everyone is fed today, TYVM, TTFN"
And the paid help could do the mowing, weedwhacking, repairs, etc - the things no Mistress of the Manor should have to do

4)I'd hire a trainer or two.
One to work me & the Big Horse on dressage. Another to re-train my pony to the cart.
Once a week for each will do.

5)And, of course I'd have a variety of carts for said pony.

6)Might also have to spend some $$ on getting the roads in decent shape for me & pony to use

7)and get some traffic laws in place so we're safe on them

See? Selfish.
No reaching out to the community.
All About ME!!!!

[fordtraktor]

I pretty much have my dream farm setting-wise. I would add:

1. a large indoor arena with lovely footing and jumps. Lots of light panels and roll-up sides for year-round use.

2. replace all the fencing and cross-fencing with top of the line, ultra safe fence. My place came with field fence and I despise it.

3. Install the farm version of a Cabana Boy, who spends his time doing all the little projects I can dream up.

[BravAddict]

If money were no object, I would start with location (location, location) and perimeter fencing. Beautiful perimeter fencing. Stalls would connect to dry lots, which would connect to pasture. There would be no mud anywhere. NONE. No weird drainage. No annoying doors that don't open all the way without bumping into X. If money were no object, I'd be making at least one engineer extremely rich.

Lovely, separated indoor with non-dusty footing.

I'd grow my own hay, and have horsey neighbors.

[Appsolute]

Oh, I have been thinking about this lately (I am boarder - had to leave dream private farm recently as it sold – new farm… just doesn’t meet my needs as well ).

If I had GOBS of money (and who hasn’t dreamt about gobs of money)… I would build my “day dream” facility.

It would be in California, on the coast, within earshot of the ocean (love the quiet roar of the pacific… plus the cool mild climate).

It wouldn’t be a huge facility, maybe 10 -15 horses. A few of my own, and I have dreamt, that if I had the money to spend, I would like to “sponsor” some dedicated, but underfunded riders. So it would be me, awesome trainer who comes in, plus pony clubber / sponsored riders.

Dream farm would have (order of priority!)

• Turn out pastures -
  BIG (well for around here) turn out pastures, 10+ acres each (multiple ones to rotate).
  Planted with grasses specifically for horses, graded for drainage, picked daily, and fenced with white vinyl and strung with hot cord. Large trees, a small pond in one of the pastures (hey my mare loved to play in her pond).
  
  Riding areas –
  BIG no Huge! Grass riding area, with derby features including banks and hills.
  
  LARGE sand / rubber / eurofelt covered (not indoor, just roofed) arena
  
  Trails / gallop tracks – trails through the hills, and gallop tracks with footing. One flat, one hilly
  
  Barn – Tall, airy, oversized stalls. Mesh fronts with gates they can put their heads over. BIG wide center isle – rubber pavers. Indoor wash racks with hot and cold. Heat lamps, built in vacuum system.

And of course a fabulous trustworthy staff to take care of it all.

Oh yeah… and enough $$$ to pay off the coastal commission to let me build this facility near the coast.

A girl can dream right?

[RxCate]

Okay So. My Dream Farm.

I'd have one here on the eastern shore of MD. Already have the spot picked out. Huge old manor with I think the only "hills" in town surrounding it full of acres lush winter wheat right now (looks perfect to just gallop across).

I'd build a big 10 stall barn, nice and open and airy. Separate indoor arena with the rubber footing stuff. Outside grass jumping/hacking field and lighted sand/all weather footed ring for more jumping/hacking. Cross country jumps spaced through the fields as well for foxhunt practice .

Huge raised garden for DH to tinker in as well as a workshop for his recent blacksmithing (YAY!) hobby.

Ofcourse I'd have one of those awesome suped up horse vans for shows/camping too!

Nothing super crazy at this setup, just nice clean, open & airy structures, might take on a boarder or two for company. Surrounded by that lovely black 4-board fencing (don't know what the real name is for it) with electric on the inside of course for those nosy neighbors/passers by!

[SmartAlex]

I would love to find an old cattle barn with high enough ceilings to use for horses, otherwise I would just fix it up and use it for hay storage exclusively.

Money is no object. Let's jack it up and add 2 feet to the walls

[farmgirl598]

My horses are in a tall old cattle barn now! BUT it is leaking and soon will be in major disrepair. We are building a new barn on the back of the property, since the old one is beyond repair. Looks like we ALL have plans for that winning lottery ticket. I truly hope some of us can achieve those dreams!!!

[suz]

i'd go for location first too.
in my case it would be an atlantic island, probably fishers island in new tork
i want bay and marshfront with long stretches of beach for riding.
plus lots of cute little restaurants in the neighborhood for dh too.
i'd have the horses at home of course, and have a great staff apt for great staff to take care of the place.

i'd also buy trucks and trailers for as many rescues as i could and send a humungus donation to the brooke foundation.

[Blume Farm]

My dream farm already exists....it is called River Edge and where the Hassler's train out of!! The place is beyond amazing.

The only thing I might do is move it to Western NC....and then have a second one in Wellington, Fl to spend Dec-April.

[katyb]

I'm living on my dream farm, but it would be better with unlimited funds.

I lease 30 acres next door, so my first thing would be to buy it. Next would be to re-fence it. Build a big barn, with a run-in on one end, since the horses are happier out anyway. Landscape around my pond - it's a mess. Finish this dang house (foreclosure with tons of half-completed projects). If I owned the 30 acres, I'd rehab one horse at a time as a hobby and foster a couple more for Horse Haven (some cross fencing would make that a lot easier). Oh, I think I'd add a swimming pool, although that isn't farm related, it'd be fun!

[hightide]

Hm, my dream farm.
Ideally, 20 or so acres. Small, cute cape house with a screened porch and a lawn big enough (with soil rich enough) for my mom to have her gardens. Lots of pasture, with double fencing, with a run in big enough for 5 horses in each one. A 10 stall barn (with automatic waterers) attached to the house with a heated tack room so I could keep whoever needed to be in, in. A 100x200 outdoor arena with that awesome not too deep not too skimpy footing the farm I boarded at has, with a couple sets of Burlington Jumps. Another 100x200 indoor arena with the Travelite footing, with a heated viewing room and again, plenty of jumps. Somewhere along in there, I'd love a treadmill for the ponies. And some cross country jumps in the back.

[Forte]

My dream farm would be 50 acres, with a century-old stone farm house that would be meticulously restored. There would be a full dressage sized indoor with attached 10 stall barn. I want one whole short side of the indoor to have mirrors. Large outdoor riding ring, covered round-pen and a track around the property. I would like an appartment over the barn for my wonderful barn help to live in as well. There would also be a separate smaller barn with large, airy foaling out stalls, a breeding lab and stocks. I want a three sided shelter in every turnout out area as well as heated auto waterers. I want a long winding tree lined driveway with a fabulous automated gate. Just to keep my SO happy . . . there needs to be a separate driveway for the barn and two road frontages.

[msj]

I pretty much like what I have right now BUT I'd probably make a few changes to the house and I'd add a climate-controlled dome over the entire property so I didn't have to deal ever again with cold winter weather or days of rain in the spring, or hotter than Hades days in the summer.

[SAcres]

I'd like to live out west, in a colder climate, in a rural area. I'd like a private farm (mostly) with a few friends who happened to want to board with me and everyone co-exists peacefully and drama free...yea right.

I'd love to have a few thousand acres. A big fenced in 100 acre pasture for the horses with a running stream, lots of natural tree cover, and plenty of varied terrain. They would be out 24/7, come in 2 x a day to be fed, looked over, have a flake of hay, etc. For bad weather, winter, or if I decided the 24/7 t/o wasn't working for some horses (such as the fatty easy keeper QHs I would have) I would have a 12 stall barn with 12x16 stalls with stall mattresses. The stalls would be the super fancy kind, Tuscany from Ramm fencing to be exact, with a full grill door. They would have dutch doors to go out to private runs, 16x40, that are footed. Barn would have a 10 ft overhang onto these runs, and where the overhang is the runs would be matted and small mesh hay nets hung. Everyone would have treats and toys in their stalls like sugar free uncle jimmy's hanging balls and the amazing graze. No boredom at my barn! The barn would be rustic looking, reddish stained wood (horse safe of course) with exposed log beams and skylights for plenty of natural light. The roof would have a high peak but no hay loft in the barn. Probably a small alcove for 10-15 bales of hay at a time (separate building for hay), there would be a wash stall with lights for winter baths, a big feed room with wooden storage bins for grain, and plenty of shelves for storing meds, supplements, treats, etc. Oh and a big freezer/fridge for human food, apples/carrots, meds, and anything else that needs to be kept cold. I'd probably have a coffee maker and a microwave in there too. Oh, and a sink. The tack room would be beautiful, dark paneled wood, big lockers, and some leather chairs to sit in while cleaning tack. A cabinet for displaying horsey artwork, photographs, and ribbons. The tack room and feed room would be heated. The exterior of the barn would have a tan stacked stone half way up, then reddish board and batten siding. The barn is also insulated. Oh yes and stalls would have individual fans for summer (on the rare occasion they would be needed). I think I would also have a few 1 acre grass paddocks, in case we had a stallion, broodies, or anyone else that needed an individual space.
There would be a full xc course with jumps ranging from starter to prelim, an indoor arena with heated viewing area (complete with bar), and 2 outdoor arenas, 1 for dressage/flatting, one for jumping. Also have a covered round pen.
I'd also like chickens, a few milk cows, and maybe a few goats and some sheep. I'd like to make the farm as sustainable as possible. Also a nice 100 acre hay field, any extra hay could be sold to the local community, same with animal products.
I'd have a log cabin up on a hill overlooking the horse facilities and other animal facilities, cabin with a 360 degree view of the land. As far as what is in it? Hmm, a huge library, master suite, big kitchen, and a home movie theatre. Oh and a GIANT ART STUDIO!
My animals would include my 2 current horses that are going to live forever , a nice 17.1 black w/ chrome ISH eventer (we won Rolex you know ) a few cute cow ponies (make one a paint please!) a gaited horse, a draft, 2 WBs, a mini mule (or two), a Gypsy Vanner, A Friesian, and a baroque breed (not sure which though).
I'd also have a few huskies, a Dobe, a standard poodle, a hound, and maybe a pointer. Oh and a few barn cats, all very friendly, the kind that curl up in your lap and let you hold them like a baby.

Ok, I have to stop dreaming, real life to attend to!

[Jaideux]

- Buy property with historic, well-kept house and lots of land.
- Build a quality house on the property that can be modular to accommodate 2-3 live-in workers, or a family
- Build barn that can house approximately 30 horses, split into a "lesson horse" and "boarders" section
- Have several grooming stalls, at least 2 wash stalls (with hot water) with heat lamps in all!)
- Stalls with built-in supply boxes (for the daily things), blanket racks, etc
- Outlets at each stall
- Professionally installed fans for cooling
- Two really big tack rooms, climate controlled, with identical tack boxes/equipment covers
- Attach a very large indoor with excellent footing
- Landscape the land for drainage, footing near gates, install insulated spigots out there, put up black vinyl fencing, build large sturdy run in shelters near the front
- Build some quality sacrifice pastures with non-grass/dirt footing for the really wet days
- Install second indoor and outdoor, and/or covered arena with open sides.
- Hang sprinkler systems for ring watering
- Install safety/fire alarms/firewalls, etc
- Buy all the farm machinery my SO could ever want to play with
- Hire a *real* farm guy to "clean up" after my SO's playing lol
- Build several out buildings for bulk hay storage, off-season equipment storage, boarder storage, trailer storage (at least a covered port)

- Create an adjacent small barn, ring and pasture to lease to a practitioner of equine-assisted psychotherapy

And then use my largess to pay someone else that I greatly admire and trust to run this facility, teach lessons, etc. I would absolutely do some of the chores but not *all* of them *all* the time

I would also want to use this opportunity to have paid internships or post-grad opportunity so quality "future trainers of America" can get a legit, quality experience and foundation.

And I would want to be able to give kids who are low on cash but high on desire a chance to "work off" lessons, and since I don't have to worry about my bottom line of finances and can afford the best insurance, I can offer the arrangement to any kid with the right attitude (and a ride to the barn).