7 minute read
Staking Your Claim: Your Dream Equine Property
Your first vision of an equine-friendly property starts with dreaming of an idyllic surrounding where you can wake up to the promise of a day with your favorite polo ponies in the pasture, a run around the track, and some time spent on your private stick and ball field. Indeed, the first step is to sit down and think about your vision. When Colleen Williams decided to buy her first equine property, her first instinct was to turn to her community. “I was very nervous about buying my own place to start my own facility. What really helped me is our polo community. When they hear that someone is looking for property, everyone keeps an eye out.”
Colleen, who has been a playing member at Houston Polo Club for 22 years, grew up in a home-building family which gave her a keen sense of what she was looking for. She suggests that the important questions to ask yourself are: “What is my goal? Do I want my own private place or do I eventually want to have renters? What different disciplines do I want to host on the property?”
Colleen advises that the second step is to find a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about horses and characteristics of rural properties like soil and drainage. Jennifer Vargas of Engel & Völkers Houston—another Houston Polo Club member—is passionate about connecting horse lovers with their dream properties.
Jennifer is a lifelong rider who started playing polo when she was 9 at the El Dorado and Empire Polo clubs in California. She has worked in many Grand Prix jumping/dressage barns and spent a lot of time on the rodeo circuit. When she started working in real estate, she knew that her experience would lend to the niche of equine and rural properties. “I love looking at all different areas and different uses for land,” says Jennifer. “Animals need so many different types of soils and layouts, so it’s not just one standard property.”
Jennifer starts the process by getting her clients to answer a few key questions:
How much land is ideal (short and long term)? Is this a place to visit on the weekends or a place to live, train, and raise your horses? Are your animals going to be staying on the property full time or only turned out during the off-season? Will the property require staff onsite, like a full-time manager?
The Essentials
Equine properties can range from turnkey to raw land that can be developed from the ground up to fit the individual buyer. Two important issues that require an expert eye are soil and water availability and drainage. “Your horses cannot be standing in soggy clay or gooey gumbo soil,” says Jennifer. “You want them on a good sandy loam that drains well, and you want pastureland for producing hay or grazing.”
Just as crucial as water supply is how the land drains, adds Jennifer. One of the best ways to find out how water runs through your property is to go and see it after a big rain—you will be able to see it flow, as well as where it is just standing.
Other than observing the property in different weather conditions, your real estate agent should go down to the district and county road and bridge departments to see if any of the maps (e.g., flood maps) or requirements have changed. Jennifer also recommends that each of her clients do a Phase 1 Environmental Assessment as well as an Endangered Species Assessment—and review how rural properties are taxed, including requirements for agricultural exemptions.
“There is a lot of outside information that needs to be explored during the due diligence time frame. We have a couple of endangered toads that have shut down one of the main back roads during breeding season. So, if you were building or having deliveries during that time, it could be difficult to get to your property! That may also affect the resale value.”
Once you have found a good piece of land, it is time to look at the infrastructure on the property.
“If it already has a barn or stalls, and some interior fencing, it’s somewhat move-in ready,” says Jennifer. “The main thing I look for is: does it have good perimeter fencing? You can always add temporary inside fencing until you figure out the best layout of the land, but you need to start with good perimeter fencing before any animals are moved on.”
Once Colleen found her property, she continued to rely on her equine community as she developed it. “When I was going to build my barn, I asked, ‘Tell me what you would do different in your barn to make it more productive.’ I got a lot of people’s opinions before I built that barn.”
“Because it’s normally so warm here, my barn is very open. I took the money that I would have used by closing it all the way in and I put radiant barriers under the tin roof. My barn is so cool in the summer—air just flows naturally through it.” She also took a flexible approach to building stalls: “My stalls can be adjusted to different sizes. You may have a real big horse that needs a bigger stall, and then you might have two small ones that can go with a smaller stall. My barn is very versatile.”
She takes a similar practical tack to fencing and landscaping, opting for a horse no-climb fence stapled to thick wood posts to keep critters and predators off her property. She sticks to natural landscaping using native plants to reduce maintenance work.
Developing the property then becomes an ongoing project. “Once you buy the property, you want to see it go through a couple of seasons. You want to know: where is the rain going to go, where does the wind come from in the winter, where does the wind come from in the summer? You have to put all that together and then you have to decide where you’re going to put everything. Ultimately, the comfort and security of my horses come first. If it means a couple of extra steps but my horse is going to be happier, then we do it. It doesn’t need to look fancy—it’s there to take care of horses.”
Once you have built your dream property, it is no small feat to maintain it. We asked our friend Lewis Hintz at WC Tractor what equipment is essential for a property owner. “The most essential purchase for your equestrian property will be a tractor and front-end loader that could range from 25 to 100 horsepower, depending on the size of the property and the needs of your operation,” Lewis explained.
Some questions to consider before buying equipment:
• Will pallets of feed need to be unloaded and moved? • How many acres will be maintained? • Do I want a cab tractor to be protected from the elements? • Will round-bales need to be handled? • Will I need to maintain pastures? • Is 4-wheel drive a requirement? • Will I need to pull a manure spreader? • Do I want to use the tractor to clean out stalls?
Decisions made when investing in equipment will determine the amount of energy and time required to develop and maintain your equestrian dream. Remember: the less time you spend on maintaining your property, the more time you can spend with your horses!
WE PROVIDE CARE TO ALL EQUINE BREEDS AND DISCIPLINES, FROM ROUTINE PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE TO ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENT OF SPORT HORSES.
GUSTAVO DE CILLO, DVM LAUREN QUAST, DVM CLARA SEIWERT, DVM
BEATRIZ DE CILLO, BREEDING MANAGER
Hospitalization and Ambulatory Services / Preventive Care / Prepurchase Examinations Sports Medicine / Emergency Surgery / Elective Surgery / Digital Radiography Digital Ultrasound / Endoscopy / Regenerative Medicine / Reproduction
VISIT US AT OUR NEW FACILITY: 22121 GRATEHOUSE LANE, HEMPSTEAD, TX. 77445
