Designing and Operating a Successful Equestrian Facility: The Essentials of Programming

By Jennifer Donovan for Equestrian Services, LLC

Horses appeal to many people for many different reasons. For some, it is their sheer magnitude, presence and beauty. For some, it is the pursuit of the inter-connectedness that is possible through riding. And for others, horses represent natural open space with minimal human manipulation. Horses, open meadows, and the woodsy bridle paths remind us of our connection to the earth, and to the life outdoors.

Whether the private individual desires to bring their horses home, or a resort or community is looking to add an equestrian amenity, the Programming phase is an essential first step to designing and operating a successful equestrian facility. Many can design a barn (this is actually the easy part); the complex and key component to success is understanding precisely what the barn and any associated facilities are to achieve. By effectively and accurately developing a program that meets a client’s individual goals, it is possible for the remainder of the design process to proceed more directly and with fewer iterations, and for construction to proceed with fewer changes, while permitting the establishment of a well-defined framework for operations from the design phase. This adds value by reducing both the time and cost of the overall project.

Starting the Process

First, in order to achieve success with any equestrian project, it is necessary to think about it from the end to the beginning. Decide on your ultimate goals before you begin to design your facility. For example, if you need your facility to cover its expenses or turn a profit, what kind of equestrian program will you need?

It is also important to consider what limitations you may be faced with. Total acreage available for the facility, budgetary constraints, and municipal regulations are just a few of the items that can affect programming and design criteria. It also is crucial that you begin your programming phase with a fully detailed operational analysis.

Other questions to consider in the analysis phase include:

• What would be the most lucrative equestrian discipline to cater to?
• How aggressive will your marketing campaign be?
• How many stalls should be allocated to lesson horses and to boarders?
• How many barn hands and instructors will you need to employ?
• Can your area demographics support this program?
• What are your costs for operating the facility, including labor, electricity, water, manure removal, hay, feed and bedding?
• Have you allocated funds for repairs and maintenance?
• What are your payments on the tractor, truck and horse trailer?
• What about replacement costs down the road?
• What will your insurance costs be?

Answering all of these questions before you begin the design process will help establish the design criteria for the project. Why build a 40-stall barn if there is a chance that you may not keep it filled? Other options may be to build a 20-stall barn for current needs, and then design it so you may expand later. It’s better to have a fully-successful operation with a healthy waiting list than empty stalls.

Understand your competitors so you can price your product competitively, and also consider ways to set yourself apart. Consider offering a la carte services for red carpet treatment, or the scheduling of mounted and unmounted clinics. In providing these types of services, you will draw people to your program.

A business plan is ideal, even if you aren’t planning to go to a bank for financing. This process can help put a dream on paper and get you thinking from a business perspective. Many are fortunate enough that they need not be concerned with the potential financial drain a facility can produce. But even so, why not consider at least breaking even?

When programming for a resort or equestrian community, there are many other considerations to account for, which are essential and paramount to success. 

Questions to answer include:

• Will you create equestrian estate lots and/or a community equestrian center?
• Will the facility be open to the area at large, or only to residents of the community?
• Will you need to create trail easements?
• What will the rules be for community members?
• How much will you need to assess the Home Owners Association (HOA) to help cover operational costs?
• Is your community seasonal?
• Are they second homes? If so, how will you plan for the seasonal or weekend influx of members and guests?
• What are some of the key components that will need to be included in your Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions, as well as the Certain Rights and Easements?

For example, a recent tour of an equestrian facility at an upscale resort recently demonstrated that it was both planned poorly and overbuilt. There were three to four very small paddocks for turn-out, a very small outdoor riding arena, and a beautiful (but essentially empty) 40-stall barn with four horses in the stalls, even after being open for three years. The planning was such that the center was land-locked, with no possibility of expanding the pasture and turn-out area. Horses that are not turned out regularly become unhappy, neurotic, and sometimes dangerous. This is a prime example of a design plan that had either ineffective or no programming analysis.

Design Phases

Once you have identified your Programming parameters, including defining your market and its needs, as well as your financial requirements, you are ready to begin the Design Phase. From the time spent on programming, the “pie” of possibilities should now be reduced to only a slice or two. Additionally, your comfort level with the direction you are proceeding should be very high, because the designs now being created are directly linked to the goals you established previously. Rather than exploring broad options, you can spend your design budget carefully refining the narrowed range of options that will truly meet your objectives.

Accurate base-mapping data is an important prerequisite to the design process. This typically will include scalable aerial photography with topographic contours (generally at one or two-foot intervals) for the site. It is wise to have your equestrian land planner produce at least two different designs, which will allow you to view different representations of your concept. Often, all of the site objectives cannot be met in one plan, and this will allow you to compare and contrast how the various elements are presented. Through discussions with your land planner, you will select elements from each, which are then incorporated into a final drawing. This becomes the Master Plan, upon which all construction phasing is based. It is important to note that plans should be designed with expansion potential in mind, if possible - even if you don’t envision it happening now. Allowing flexibility in your design today presents options for the future. And remember, you cannot have too much space for pasture. A good starting point is to allocate one acre per horse.

Construction Drawings & Construction

In thoroughly programming your equestrian facility, you will have worked through several preliminary construction budgets and possibly identified possible contractors. You will already have a realistic set of expectations related to the cost and time-table for building your facility. From the programming phase, it will likely be decided how best to proceed into the construction phase.   Equine structures are very specific in nature and require the expertise of an equine professional. There are many architects in the world; very few are qualified to design for equine use. Using an equine architect for the structures will appropriately provide for the health and safety of the horses and riders. The drawings provided by the architect would then be used to solicit bids from contractors, and construction would then proceed.

On projects requiring a somewhat less-sophisticated design, another option would be to work with a barn design/build firm. There are many excellent firms of this type. One advantage of using a design/build firm is that the design and build processes work together seamlessly. Another advantage is that the “design” portion of the work is generally included with the “build” portion, so that the cost of an architect can be avoided.

Operations

The ultimate reward for spending the time and money to effectively program your equestrian facility is that it runs well. It meets financial expectations, it operates efficiently and safely, it offers the appropriate level of services, and you and the barn clientele are happy.

While the construction problems arising from poor programming may seem disruptive and costly at the time, they are really only acute one-time events. From an operations standpoint, the chronic problems associated with a lack of or ineffective programming can be more costly overall, and they may ultimately lead to the failure of the facility.

With proper programming, operating expenses are carefully considered long before the first horse arrives, or even before the first post is set. Riding-program expectations and their ramifications are understood. Labor needs for the barn and grounds are considered, and the list of services offered is defined. The entire operations process has been thoughtfully evaluated and, while not a guarantee for success, this provides a much greater potential for a facility to thrive.

From the simple example of setting a fence line where it “should” go the first time, to the consideration of the complex relationship between facility size, boarding or lesson program offered, residential lot size and cost, and investor return, the value of programming in the design and operation of an equestrian facility is in developing a true goal-based plan. This is accomplished through the exploration of creative and innovative concepts, which are critically evaluated to ensure they meet the stated goals. Initial (and expected) iterations and modifications occur during an early cost-appropriate period (in discussions and on paper, not when in the ground). The final product is a facility that best meets the clearly and fully-defined (and often somewhat at-odds) objectives.