Equestrian News
Saratoga Special and HRTV: Coming Soon to a TV Near you?
I thought I’d share some news I received today for the thouroughbred racing fans out there. Starting July 24th, HRTV is airing the Saratoga Special Show live from 10-10:30 a.m. EST on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the meet. For more information, please click here and be sure to check your local listings.
A really terrific photo of the Saratoga Race Course by the Saratoga Arms Hotel. http://www.saratogaarms.com
Barn Placement: How to Position your Stables for Maximum “Green” Efficiency
Where your barn sits on your property is one of the first decisions you’ll make when planning for a new barn. Grade, drainage, proximity of service roads, prevailing winds, and barn angle in relation to the sun all play a key role in the health and safety of your horses.
Equestrian site planning can help you avoid mistakes that can have significant health consequences for your horses, as well as improve the efficiency of daily operations. Here are a few points to consider when site planning with the environment in mind.
Building orientation as it relates to the path of the sun and prevailing winds.
This single decision—where to place your barn—has a huge impact on energy efficiency as well as the health and comfort of your stabled horses. Harnessing passive solar heat energy and prevailing breezes can keep your barn cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Design decisions that include the placement of façade openings, overhangs, skylights, roof vents, and more allow a building to work with solar energy passively.
Drainage lines, water conservation, prevention of pollution.
Barns and arenas create large footprints with massive roof spaces. Water displacement should be considered so that water draining from the barn site doesn’t contaminate local streams with hazardous runoff, cause soil erosion, and water loss. Storm drainage can be collected and returned to the ground or conserved for other purposes.
Site disturbance
Construction machinery can cause soil erosion, damage root systems of timber, and destroy sensitive grassland. Stockpiles of materials can create similar damage to the natural ecology. Thoughtful placement of machinery and materials is important. Where paving is necessary, choose recycled, permeable materials. Plan adequate paddock spaces and establish a paddock rotation plan so that horses can rotate the use of outdoor areas to avoid damage to sensitive grasslands.
Glenwood Farm photo by Steve Roe
Heat Wave: How do you keep your horses cool?
It’s 10 a.m. here in Washington, D.C. and the temperature has already reached 89 degrees. In no time, I’m sure we’ll have reached the expected temperature for the day of around 100 degrees. While it’s easy enough for most people to hide out in air conditioning all day (and really, if it’s this hot where you are–I hope your time outside is minimal), horses most likely aren’t afforded that same luxury. So how are you helping to keep your horses cool this summer? How early (or late) do you turn them out? I’ve read that towels with ice or cool sponge baths can help comfort your horses, along with plenty of water, but how else do you manage?
I think a break in the weather in the form of thunder storms is coming our way later this week. In the meantime, I’m thinking cool thoughts for you and your horses.
Equestrian Professional (.com)
I was recently interviewed by Clay Nelson, a founder of the green farm design and management website, Sustainable Stables, for an article about green barn design for this month’s Equestrian Professional newsletter. You can read the article here.
SCAD
Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), the highly regarded design school, has retained Blackburn to provide design services for the improvement and expansion of the Ronald C. Warranch Equestrian Center.
Project Update: Construction Begins in California
On a recent trip to California, I had the pleasure of stopping by one of our project sites in Tuolumne County to check its construction progress. The contractor, Crocker Homes Inc., recently began the foundation work for a new residence at Seven Legends Ranch, which looks fantastic. What a view! When completed, the ranch’s program will include a main residence, a six-stall barn, and a guesthouse, all of which will incorporate heavy timber and western red cedar siding. We’re very excited to watch the progress continue and hope that the owners, at this same time next year, will enjoy their new home while relaxing in the Sierra Foothills and enjoying the breathtaking views of the snow-capped peaks of Yosemite National Park in the distance.
Preparing the ground at the project site
Excavating the site--with a view
The foundation--looking good!
Rendering by Blackburn Architects, P.C.
Baghdad Equestrian Club: NPR’s Weekend Edition
I thought this short piece about the Baghdad Equestrian Club by NPR’s Peter Kenyon is worth sharing. I’ve always enjoyed a day at the track and think it’s a tradition worth saving. For that reason, it’s uplifting to hear that, despite the turmoil that has pervaded the lives of Iraqis over the past several years, a day at the track can provide Iraqis with the same sense of escape and excitement as it does for me and others the world over.
Oakhaven Farm in Field Sport Concepts
The latest newsletter from Field Sport Concepts, a group of affiliates devoted to rural land conservation of which we are members, features Oakhaven Farm in Austin, Texas. This Blackburn-designed farm includes a 16-stall barn, open and enclosed arenas, and related structures. The vernacular of the area inspired the use of local materials, such as its “Austin Stone,” while the deep trellis provides a bit of shade for the horses and owners.
Barn Party Deux at Ketchen Place Farm: Some Photos
I posted these photos on our Facebook Page (so many social mediums, so little time!), but want to put them here as well. Blogging is my method of choice, in any case.
Over the weekend, some of my staff and I had the opportunity to visit our friends at Ketchen Place Farm, a Blackburn project in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The farm is located just south of Charlotte, North Carolina, and is simply beautiful this time of year. Ketchen is family-owned and family-run, and they couldn’t be a nicer or more generous group of folks. I’d sincerely like to thank each and every one of them for their hospitality and for inviting us to join the festivities. I’d also like to thank them for asking me to give a short speech about the barn and its design—while I could go on and on about barn designs and this project in particular, I tried to keep it short and sweet.
The party was a tribute to the new barn, a couple of birthdays, an anniversary, the Kentucky Derby, and the birth of a new foal. To celebrate, there were plenty of Derby-hat wearers, equestrians of all ages, friends, family, and the stabled horses at Ketchen. It was really nice to hear the family talk about the history of Ketchen (it’s been in the family since the 1800s), watch a jumping demonstration by a young rider, walk around the barn, and ooh and ahh over the adorable foal.
[slideshow]
Barn Party a Deux at Ketchen Place Farm
My staff and I had a great time at Ketchen Place Farm’s second annual Barn Party over the weekend! I’ll post photos and give more details soon, but I just want to thank everyone at Ketchen for a great time and their incredible hospitality. Also, congratulations on the (I believe now) 5-day-old foal– she’s an adorable addition to the horse family at Ketchen.
Best wishes!
–John