Four Characteristics You Should Know About Equestrian Communities

By Michael Donovan

Equestrian communities − and the specialized amenities that define them − are a growing trend in the real estate market. They offer opportunities to develop a wide variety of properties that will attract today’s sustainability-minded buyers and provide an excellent return on investment dollars. Developers seeking a new market should consider these four unique characteristics of equestrian development:

1. Equestrian communities optimize the use of the natural environment.
   
   Effectively-designed equestrian communities require minimal manipulation of the natural environment. Pasture areas typically utilize existing topography and are planted in grasses well-suited to the natural conditions. Properly planned trail systems use natural features such as gateways, anchors, and destinations. Furthermore, equestrian amenities are available for use by all residents of the community. Unlike golf, trails and paths created specifically for active amenity participants can serve the needs of non-participants as well. This is a tremendously valuable aspect of the equestrian amenity when one considers the active and environment-conscious nature of today’s buyer. In short, equestrian communities conserve the land and utilize the environment to its fullest.
   
   
2. Equestrian communities practice greater sustainability and are easier to entitle than traditional developments.
   
   As rural lands are replaced by high-density subdivisions, the desire of the public and elected officials to retain a connection to the historically agricultural nature of remaining land has grown dramatically. While no one should argue that development is necessary to meet the needs of our growing population, the nature of that development can play a significant role in minimizing the difficulties encountered in the entitlement process.
   
   Many developers find increased public support and acceptance due to the nature of an equestrian community. Equestrian communities represent a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and conservationist form of development than other types of large amenity-based communities. These practices – often a key component of an equestrian community – include maintaining horses where they have previously (and often historically) existed, reserving large tracts of open space for pasture, riding trails, cross country courses and jumping fields, effectively managing the large turf areas for horse turnout, as well as providing appropriate, low-impact uses for sensitive and/or restricted-use areas.
   
   Compared with traditional developments, these communities are almost by definition of lower density. But don’t be a victim of the “density equals dollars” mentality. Buyers will pay a premium for a lot (and often a relatively small lot) that has access to significant natural open space and provides the opportunity to interact with horses. And compared to golf, equestrian amenities can be developed for a fraction of the cost, require less land, and require far less pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to look their best.
   
   
3. Pent-up demand for effectively designed and executed equestrian communities is growing.
   
   While the equestrian community is not a new concept, it has often not been fully developed until now. Many communities feature equestrian amenities that appear to have been created simply as marketing efforts, without sufficient planning for the health and safety of horse or rider, or towards viable riding opportunities. Equestrian enthusiasts consider their horses (in whom they have often have made a substantial financial investment) part of their families, and are quickly becoming more sophisticated in evaluating the true value of a community’s horse-oriented amenity.
   
   Also consider that equestrian sports are among the five fastest-growing sports in the country*, and that riders skew heavily towards the affluent end of the demographic spectrum. Providing an effectively-planned (i.e., an interesting trail system and riding elements that target your prospective buyer) and properly-executed and marketed amenity will provide you with a unique sales proposition that will bring value and buyers to your community.
   
   
4. Development that includes an equestrian amenity may occur on land that otherwise would not be financially feasible.
   
   In many regions of the country, parcels of land are becoming harder to find. They are either significantly overpriced, have huge topographical, zoning and/or utility issues, or are simply in too rural of an area. An equestrian community project allows the developer to purchase a more remote property (equestrian buyers are often amenable to distant locations or long commutes) or one encumbered by open-space easements, wetlands or floodplains. These constraints that may make a parcel financially unsuitable for a traditional community will add value to an equestrian community.
   
   Also, many areas, generally of little or no commercial value, could be perfectly suited for pasture land and other non-structural aspects of an equestrian amenity. In many jurisdictions, equestrian amenities are classified as agricultural use, which provides increased value as well as density and conservation tax benefits not found in traditional communities or with other types of amenities. Equestrian amenities often permit a developer to include the acreage used by the amenity into the total acreage count for density purposes, allowing a project to achieve greater density than would be achieved with a golf course or another traditional amenity.

Excellent opportunities exist to bring valuable communities to market and the four points above provide key highlights of the equestrian community development process. The most important consideration in undertaking an equestrian development is to ensure the amenity is precisely programmed to the targeted buyer and rigorously executed – both on the ground and as marketed. Enlisting the assistance of equestrian-planning professionals will greatly enhance the potential of satisfying the goals of the developer, the investor, and the community resident.

* Stat according to the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF)

Michael Donovan is a co-founder and principal of Equestrian Services LLC and Equestrian Management LLC.

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Development Tip:
The Top 8 Ingredients for a Successful Equestrian Development Site

1. A feasibility study that details who the buyers are, where they will come from, and the quantity and quality of equestrians.
   
   
2. A site of 200 acres or more. Although sites smaller than this can occasionally work as an equestrian community, it is much more difficult (and sometimes impossible) to make the numbers work – this is due primarily to the fact that equestrian and non-equestrian buyers look for larger lot sizes (1+ acres).
   
   
3. At least 40 acres of relatively flat land for the equestrian amenity and associated pastures. Sites with too much topography can be a challenge for an equestrian development.
   
   
4. Proximity (within 30 minutes) to good to excellent opportunities for golf, fishing, tennis and shooting.
   
   
5. Roadways leading to and into the community, which will accommodate a truck and horse trailer, as well as large trucks for hay deliveries and manure removal.
   
   
6. A climate or proximity to attractions that will bring people from other locales to your area, in case there are not enough equestrians in the right economic bracket in the region of your site. Remember, the equestrian industry enjoys some high socio-economic markets, but many states or regions with the highest number of equestrians will not fit the economic profile of your target market.
   
   
7. The topography needs to match the market. A beautiful large site with fabulous view corridors and interesting topography (i.e., a lot of hills or steep slopes) will not work if your feasibility study says your target buyers are farmette buyers who want horse-keeping lots.
   
   
8. Beauty. Whether the site has hills and view corridors or it is perfectly flat farmland, buyers (equestrian and non-equestrian alike) buy into an equestrian community because they are attracted to the open space, the ambiance and the beauty of the horses, and the land.

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Sponsored Rider:
Lauren Kieffer

Each year, Equestrian Services, LLC sponsors an up-and-coming rider who is hoping to make an impact on his or her discipline. Our mission with this program is to give back to the industry that we love and lend a hand to those who are truly committed to all that makes riding a beautiful and honorable sport.

An impulsive birthday gift of riding lessons for a six-year-old and the tender tutelage of an aging Appaloosa named Fred were the start of a lifelong love of horses and riding for Lauren Kieffer.

Lauren was born and raised in a rural community of Southern Illinois called Mt. Carmel, where she competed in local hunter/jumper and 4-H shows for many years. At the age of 12, Lauren began training at an eventing barn and competed her own horses, as well as horses in training throughout high school. In 2005, at the age of 18, Lauren’s skill, positive attitude and commitment to her sport earned her an opportunity to begin training with Olympians Karen and David O'Connor in Virginia and Florida.

In 2005, Lauren was on the bronze-medal CCI* eventing team at the North American Young Riders Championships. She competed on the Area VIII CCI** team at the 2006 NAYRC. Also that year, Lauren won the Virginia CCI*, placed 7th at the Jersey Fresh CCI**, and placed 2nd and 4th at the Maui Jim/Wayne CIC**. By then, she was the second-place Young Rider of the Year, according to the USEA Leaderboard.

This year, Lauren and her horse Snooze Alarm were selected to be on the Developing Riders program, designed by the United States Equestrian Team to begin training future team prospects. She also has plans to compete in this year's Jersey Fresh CCI*** and the NAYRC CCI**, and to finish off the year either at the Fair Hill CCI*** or Blenheim CCI***.

Lauren’s latest results:

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Lindsey McDaniel, Junior Equine Planner

Lindsey McDaniel has joined Equestrian Services, LLC and Equestrian Management, LLC as a Junior Equine Planner. A graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, Lindsey holds a degree in Landscape Architecture with a minor in Environmental Science. Her interests regarding landscape architecture lie in land preservation and environmentally-sensitive projects. Lindsey’s experience includes work towards designing an educational and recreational park, which utilized the natural and cultural features of a 1,000-acre farm in Woodford, VA.

While landscape architecture is her first passion, horses do not fall far behind. Lindsey became a horse owner for the first time at age 15, with her first horse being an Appaloosa gelding that she showed competitively in the Appaloosa circuit throughout the Midwest. She then joined the east coast circuit when she moved from Iowa to North Carolina. During her time in North Carolina, Lindsey expanded her equestrian activities to include fox-hunting and eventing.

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In the News

Equestrian Services, LLC is making headlines and bylines again. Check out recent articles by or about us and the equestrian industry in the May issue of Stratos Magazine (a magazine exclusively written for private jet owners), as well as the June issue of The Equine Journal.

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Submit a Question:
Why are there as many unsuccessful equestrian communities as successful ones?

As with residential developments in general, developers do not always “hit the mark” in terms of creating a community that truly captures the imagination of prospective buyers. The probability of “missing the mark” is even higher with equestrian communities when you consider the vast number of rider profiles that exist in the United States.

For example, just a few of the questions a developer should ask before any design or planning begins are:

• Are the target buyers riding English or Western disciplines?
• Which specific disciplines (dressage, cutting, penning, hunter/jumper) within these broad categories are they riding?
• Will they want a central barn and the associated services, or will they want to keep their horses on their properties?
• What kinds of riding facilities will they want?
• What will they be willing to pay for them?
• What other amenities, if any, will matter to them?

In virtually every instance where an equestrian community has not achieved true success, the reason is the lack of preliminary analysis to determine exactly how and why the site should be designed. This is the reason that Equestrian Services, LLC will not work on a project without a professionally-executed feasibility study in place. Without this information, a project is being developed in a vacuum with no foundation of understanding of this complex and varied market segment.

Whatever you do with a project, do it intelligently with the support of a professional feasibility study.

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