Updating the barn and repainting soon. Going white or very dark, and we are looking to add some landscaping around our barn and ring. I’m going to add some trees in the fall to give us a little break from the neighborhood going up next to our property, and maybe a few knockout roses by the ring. Other suggestion?
Love to see photos of your farms if you can share!
Roses are delicious. 
No photos. When I moved here I thought that would be fun and horses found ways to eat and destroy everything because much of my barn/barnyard is open to them. Anywhere else just seemed like more work to mow/trim/mulch, etc.
I’d love to see others ideas though. Thinking about resale in the next few years and have some other landscaping needs that I"ll be contracting for soon.
Depends of course what zone you are in. Here in 5/6 I learned the hard way to think about snow removal when planting! Perennials look nice along the barn and walkways and are gone in the winter when you need a place to shovel snow. Day lilies are hardy and pretty, look for reblooming varieties. I’m also a fan of perennial geraniums. They have beautiful leaves, self sow, and some varieties bloom all summer. If you are interested in screening trees, you can’t beat thuja green giant. They grow fast, smell great, and are not bothered by pests or diseases and I have had zero winter kill. Another great screen is the olive variety elaeagnus fruitlandi. Mine at 14 years old are an impenetrable hedge 15’ tall and wide of arching branches with silvery leaves and deliciously fragrant flowers in the fall. Have fun with your landscaping!
My otherwise pretty unflappable horse often takes offense to these as a screen, as he thinks the noises from beyond them are IN them. I’d be careful with a full screen like that near a ring, as I’m sure other horses may feel similarly about the noises they can hear but not see.
Agree horses get nervous about what they can hear but not see! I interpreted the OP as looking to screen her property line.
What you plant depends on where you live and your soils and weather. Here in CA for example water is a very scarce commodity and irrigation for ornamental plants is something people need to seriously change their mindset on, so I would never recommend lawns or plants/trees that need water beyond what’s needed to establish them here.
For my property I’m adding stone around any solid, non moving item and using potted plants to make pretty.
I hate trimming around shrubs and they harbor rodents. Plus in the winter I can move the plants in the barn or house and over winter and not worry about the snow.
For blocking neighbors, just use a privacy fence, it’s easier and less maintenance.
You already know this, but keep in mind how you are going to maintain the ground around anything you plant, and how much time the plantings are likely to add to your farm maintenance schedule.
I am married to a plant person. She collects cuttings, roots, then container grows, and then has me plant these precious bushes and infant trees in selected spots. This has gone on over 50 years and every plant has a history and name.
I figure that mowing around, pruning, and otherwise maintaining the landscaping triples my work time, as opposed to just firing up the tractor and mowing.
Except have you priced privacy fences lately? I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to put one up for about 500 feet of property line but it would cost over $10k to do so. Instead, I think I’m going to dig up some small pine volunteers from the woods and replant them on the property line. It’s already fairly dense in the warm weather so primarily need a shield during the winter.
Could you please post your climate zone and type of soil.
I use day lilies in the corners of fencelines and have some planted around the front and (non horse) sides of the barn so I don’t have to mow there. Oldest stands are 3 to 4 years old and have filled in really well. Newer ones haven’t filled in the gaps yet, but are growing well in spite of my extremely benevolent neglect. They aren’t much to look at in the winter, but have lovely greenery the rest of the year and produce really stunning flowers during the summer with very minimal effort on my part. (I do deadhead them regularly in the mornings while they’re blooming to promote more blossoms and also because I find it kind of meditative and a nice way to start the morning). The deer do chew on them occasionally, so every once in a while I spread some Irish Spring soap around the bases.
I’ll try to get some pictures later for posting.
I also a have a few interesting hostas that I may interperse between the daylillies that haven’t filled in yet…
ETA pictures
(Forgive the weeds, please. Weedwhacking is low on the priority list and my tractor is in the shop at the moment, so we’re a bit overdue on mowing…)
I would also check this list: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/horse-plant-list
I know of one barn that planted dozens of hostas (which are on the toxic list) along the long side of the barn/arena. Eeek!
We are in the southeast. Rarely deal with temps below freezing.
Definitely a place for some of those to hide neighboring houses. Thanks!
Southeast with sandy loam soil.
LCDR - I totally get that! My husband and I would agree that it could create more work. We are wanting to plant something that won’t require much maintenance, but help dress things up and make it a little cozier. Right now we have to weed eat around the barn anyway, so creating a bed could help things look better. 
The southeast contains zones 6-11 which is a pretty wide spread. So let us know your zone. 
Without knowing exactly what zone you are in, I think lorapetalum, guarra, sage, day lillies, knock out roses, hydrangeas and sasanqua are good options.
This presumes that the plantings are safe from horses. I’ve not screened for poisonous plants.
I was surprised to read up thread that hostas were poisonous for horses. Humans and deer can eat hosta.
We are in zone 8. For what I am looking to do, the horses will not have access to the plants, but I will still keep that in consideration just in case! We also have dogs, so although we have extensive flower gardens around the house for pollinators, we don’t keep anything dangerous for them.
Thanks so much for your suggestions. 
Sorry! We are in zone 8
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