This new weekly series invites readers to send in photos and a description of your barn (or where you board). What do you like about your setup? What would you change? There are some fabulous barns out there, from big and extravagant to quaint and workmanlike. Tell us about yours! It doesn’t have to be fancy or dressed up, in fact some of the “bare bones” no-frills barns have been my favorite for horsekeeping. Send us an email about your barn, with attached JPEG photo(s), to [email protected] with “Barn” in the title.
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Stonewall Farm, located in Midway, KY, is one of the most amazing farms I have ever visited. I vaguely remember the shiny new stallion complex and main office being built in 2005-ish, as I was attending University of Kentucky farm classes down the road. It was quite a sight to behold, bright new roofs and elaborate fountains…a little *too* elaborate for most Kentucky tastes, considered a bit tacky and gaudy for a high-class Thoroughbred farm. Most big names, including neighboring Lanes End, are plush and impressive yet still a bit conservative.
But Audrey and Richard Haisfield made Stonewall into a spectacle (and in 2010, succumbed to serious financial trouble in the tens of millions). Despite driving by the fountains, massive front gates, and matching barns on Rt 62, you really have no idea how spectacular the farm actually is until you get inside. The bank has taken over the farm, and Haisfield and Stonewall have condensed the operation to their Florida base. Still, Midway’s abandoned Stonewall Farm is well worth a visit, if only to gawk and speculate at the sheer amount of money spent to create such a wonderland.
And I do mean “wonderland.” I lost track of how many barns, exactly, on the property but it’s at least seven. And nearly every barn has it’s own covered Euro-style exercise walker, in addition to a couple covered round pens. Shredded rubber footing lies in every exercise area, including the yearling walking paths. There’s also a dirt track, part of the “racing division” portion of the farm (once Nevertell Racing). Of course there is the requisite landscaping, pretty bushes and trees everywhere…but what impressed me most was the barns themselves.
Barn 3 was my favorite. Walking up to it, you immediately notice the French doors on the outside of each stall– I mean, who has glass French doors on their horse stalls?! But that’s nothing until you see the inside… about ten stalls, some of them extra-large mare and foal stalls. The stall doors are high-dollar, industry-standard “Lucas Equine” doors, custom painted with the Nevertell silks. The stall floors are covered with thick, lightweight foam mats. The walls are lined with stained wood. The stalls are open and airy, with fluorescent lights, heat lamps, and a ceiling fan in each stall. The aisle is rubber brick, with recessed fluorescent lights trimming the arched ceiling paneled in beautiful wood. The tackroom is completely finished in matching wood, from floor to cabinets to saddle racks. The office is modern and finished, with its own exterior entrance. I would be more than happy to live in that barn!
Several other barns on the property are renovated tobacco barns– outfaced with brick, white siding, and green metal roofs. It looks neat and tidy from a distance…but again, when you get inside it’s still more than you expect. Chandeliers hang high in the lofts, fancy light fixtures adorn the aisleway, and auto waterers sit in each stall corner. One barn is traditional wood stalls, painted bright white…it’s perhaps the most “workmanlike” barn, aside from the chandeliers. (!)
The jewel of the farm is definitely the stallion complex. On a stud farm, that’s always the fanciest place, spiced up and tricked out to impress mare owners and visitors. I’ve been to Winstar and Ashford, some pretty posh stallion barns…but Stonewall is right up there, and maybe even a smidge beyond. The exterior of the Stonewall Stallion barn is beautifully designed, with appealing curves and impressive lines. Walking in the main door near the office building, you are struck by a stunning stained glass window. A little foyer sits just inside the doors, where wall curtains frame canvas portraits of their stallions. And then you enter the stallion barn.
Each stall is large and spacious, with a very open and inviting feel. The walls are concrete block, lined with wood on the inside. The metal bars are tipped with gold points. The stained wood ceiling is vaulted and airy. The stalls are arranged in block sections, with a center cross aisle designed as a “model runway” for stallion inspections and tours. Each stallion has his own wooden trunk, filled with his own brush box, grooming tools, hoof oil, and fly spray. Each stallion has his own set of brass hooks, to hang halters, shanks, and other equipment. The whole design is meant to impress and win you over– and it does.
After the stunning effect of the stallion barn, the breeding shed itself is a little more traditional. Still, no expense has been spared… four padded mare stalls surround two teaser stalls, with easy-slide large windows between. A modest-sized wash area is fully furnished and padded, and opens directly into the breeding shed itself. The shed footing is shredded rubber, and is similar to most other Lexington TB breeding sheds…padded walls, recessed closets for equipment, and doors to the lab and owner viewing area. The viewing area is plush and extravagantly furnished– par for the course on this farm!
I did not tour the office, but from the outside it looks just as fancy as the rest of the farm. A good-sized pond sits between the office, stallion barn, and the road…in its working days, two large fountains caught your attention driving by. Apparently this pond is not quite self-sufficient…rather, it’s water comes pumped up from the larger main lake, down the road near the racing complex. The lake has its own fountains, as well, and blends in beautifully to the natural scenery, surrounded by trees and limestone rock. Four or five houses are scattered around the farm, and the main house (5000+ sq ft) is as visually impressive as you’d expect. The circular driveway is lined with trees, shrubs, and flowers; the main house itself exudes a quiet air of established luxury. Awesome? Definitely.
It’s hard to say what will happen to this farm; it is for sale ($9.25M), but the Thoroughbred industry has suffered in the last five years. The improvements to this farm are remarkable, and whomever buys it truly has a turn-key opportunity. I’m ever so thankful I was able to visit…I definitely have some ideas for my own dream barn someday!
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