So many social media formats, so little time… did you know that my firm, Blackburn Architects, has a Facebook page? We post photos of projects throughout the design process, let you know what we’re working on at the office, and share information about equestrian architecture as well as happenings in the world of horses. It’s a nice format for things we’d like to share while keeping it short and sweet (unlike a certain blogger here). So, if you haven’t “LIKED” our page yet, I hope you will! I promise it will keep you informed and, like my blog, invite you to use the page to ask questions and share your own stories.

In other self-promotional news (sorry, must be that kind of day), The Chronicle Real Estate Supplement for Winter 2012 features the Blackburn-designed facilities at Sheik Island Farm in Dade City, Florida. The luxury farm, which covers over 300 acres just outside of Ocala, is officially on the market. If you’re interested, the website also offers a virtual tour of the farm. When we designed the farm back in the late ’90s/early ’00s, the farm was used as a training and show facility for hunter/jumpers and polo ponies. The tree-filled, picturesque property has two barns: a 16-stall barn for hunter/jumpers and a 10-stall barn for polo ponies. Other amenities include an outdoor riding arena, a stick and ball field, a service storage building, and an office/caretaker’s residence. The barns are designed with deep overhangs and continuous ridge venting to keep horses cool during steamy Florida summers.

Sheik Island Farm - barn interior