Dream Farm, high end, upscale horse farm

[Angela_Freda]

I’m astounded frankly,

“Your DREAM FARM has FINALLY hit the market! This farm is a full blown, functioning massive farm with all the belles and whistles! Absolutely incredible 18 stall barn is enormous and has all the amenities of a high end, upscale horse farm. The farm is currently home to a riding school, with a very large outdoor arena. Massive grazing areas with various fencing configurations line this property. You will be shocked at the size of the ADDITIONAL office/shop/storage structure, part of which has cooling and heating. Many opportunities for this additional space. Tractor storage areas? Check. Run- in sheds? Check. Newer FIRESTONE ROOF on the barn? Check. Everything is maintained and kept to the highest level and for the comfort and safety of the horses. Huge equipment storage area with 12 Paddocks. The aisle of the barn is fully matted. In addition to this INCREDIBLE farm, there is a 4 bedroom 2 full bath home on the front of the property that is a great place to live while running your farm! The home has a new roof as well. The Well has a new pump and is fully maintained. BRING YOUR RIDING BOOTS AND HOP ON THE GOLF CART! YOU WILL CHERISH THE SPECIAL TOUR EXPERIENCE OF THIS ONE - OF -A KIND FARM! Will you be the lucky buyer of this unbelievable horse farm?”

Do people really not see anything wrong here? I know land can be $$$, but all I can imagine is the smell and the scratches

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1064-Maxim-Southard-Rd-Howell-NJ-07731/39264291_zpid/

[RhythmNCruise]

Yikes. I’m like you…I can imagine the smell of that awful mud/wet hay/manure/urine cocktail of stench that comes with such conditions. And I can imagine the scratches and thrush that have to be an ongoing issue in such a place.

[lenapesadie]

While unattractive and not how I would want to keep horses, mud paddocks are a fact of life for many farms and horses.

[Rackonteur]

I can’t get past the “belles and whistles.” I’m picturing a bevy of Southern belles and a crew of Jersey beaux who whistle at them.

[furlong47]

Nowhere in the listing does it say how many acres come with this place (seems like a weird oversight…). I’m guessing it’s not really adequate for the number of stalls/horses if you want to have both lots of turnout time and grass.

[Angela_Freda]

I believe when I looked at the sales history I saw the place is something like six or eight acres. With eighteen stalls. Nope, not adequate, but then I’m spoiled out here in the country, with space. I’m surprised zoning allows that many horses on so few acres. In my town you need two acres for the first horse, and an acre for each additional horse.

I get mud is a factor many places, but this place has zero places that aren’t muddy. And that’s not mud to me, that is fetlock deep slog beyond mud.

I can’t imagine going there looking for boarding and seeing that and being ok with it. Even if it was super cheap board.
As we all know, boarding is certainly about making sacrifices and picking and choosing what we need and want.

[lenapesadie]

I’ve seen multiple “professional” barns operate with approximately 40 horses on 10 acres. In some, that meant the paddocks were all mud or deep sand. In others it meant the horses got just an hour or two of turnout. Another common strategy I’ve seen is a couple of nice grass paddocks up front and mud lots in the back.

I dunno about NJ but around here, zoning seems to cut “commercial” farms more slack than private ones.

Again, it’s not how I keep horses and I don’t think it’s good, but IME it’s not uncommon.

[luvmyhackney]

Not enough land for the number of stalls unless you build dry lots.

[Texarkana]

When you order your dream farm from Wish.com…

Nothing is asthetically pleasing from the exterior, especially not with all the mud this time of year.

But everything looks very functional. And the interior of both the house and barn appear to be quite nice.

With some mud control and landscaping, it really could be someone’s dream farm.

As for the acreage compared to the number of stalls, that’s the reality many horse and farm owners have to deal with. Not everywhere has space for lush pastures.

[2DogsFarm]

I’ll be the Dissenter.
Some of the pics must have been taken at different times of year & showed grass.
I’ll admit the house doesn’t look like $$$$, but that can be fixed (if structurally sound) if you’ve got the budget for that property.

If you took pics of my pastures today they’d look pretty bad: dead grass & mudpits at the gates
But come back in Summer & they look good - if not ever lush.
I have 5ac total & 3 of that has 36X36 pole barn with attached 60X120 indoor, 50X100 drylot & 2 pastures that probably total 2ac.
I feed a LOT less hay when there’s grass, but do feed hay year-round.
Unblanketed horse & pony manage to bread themselves rolling. Mini is generally not that bad.
No stink, even now in mudfest season.
And no scratches even though all 3 are going through fetlock-deep mud in places.

[NancyM]

A mud hole. How depressing. Our neighbour’s farm is STILL for sale. I wish someone decent would buy it please. It is the opposite of this one in evert way. I can send the mls listing to anyone looking. We keep horses differently around here.

[Angela_Freda]

@2DogsFarm

Some of the pics must have been taken at different times of year & showed grass.

I think the green grass between paddocks has been enhanced.
If you look at the trees in all pics, there’s no foliage suggesting these images are winter.
Even my horseless lawn isn’t presently green.

I don’t see mud at just the gates, which is unavoidable, I see mud everywhere.

[amb]

Maybe I’m a terrible person but I think that doesn’t look like a terrible setup if those paddocks were scraped down to the dirt and kept that way. (I’d like some kind of shade cover too.)

[Raincityrider]

Well, it’s somebody’s dream. I’d offer them 1M and buy 200k worth of lighthoof. Actually, that still might not be enough.

The listing description is extremely optimistic but what I see is actually a place that with some elbow grease, mud management and upgrades (admittedly $$$$) would look and function much, much better. After farm shopping for years and seeing lousy fencing, lousy drainage, unlicensed additions, structural unsoundness etc. anything with good bones looks like potential to me. And I’m so very glad I’m not still looking…

[anon40672407]

@Angela_Freda

six or eight acres. With eighteen stalls. Nope, not adequate, but then I’m spoiled out here in the country, with space. I’m surprised zoning allows that many horses on so few acres.

Where I used to live, you could have up to 6 horses per acre. And if you were working horses, it was completely adequate (not the part of the country where grazing was available, anyway.) So, location dependent, really.

I’m not a fan of flat-land farms, but it certainly makes a lot of things easier.

However, it’s listed in winter, right? What does your place look like in winter? My (boarding) barn is currently a mud pit, and it’s on the top of a hill!

[luvmyhackney]

Post or DM me the mls if you don’t mind. I love looking at farm properties and getting ideas.

[Heinz_57]

@Angela_Freda

I think the green grass between paddocks has been enhanced.

I went back and looked again and it very much looks like someone photoshopped golf course grass in! It’s not realistic looking. All the grass on that side area is yellow and brown.

Waiting to list it in early summer when buyers can’t see the mud would’ve been a better choice than obviously doctored photos. And a more realistic description wouldn’t hurt, either. The barn is tidy but average, “upscale” and “high end” are a bit of an over-sell IMO.

[Angela_Freda]

@anon40672407

However, it’s listed in winter, right? What does your place look like in winter?

Not like that

ETA- I didn’t really post this to pick at the farm, but more so the realtor nonsense.

I have eyes, don’t show me mud and tell me there’s massive grazing areas.
Don’t Photoshop the grass green thinking I won’t notice.

[Scribbler]

This looks absolutely typical to me as an exurban or suburban sprawl type smaller horse property. Mud can be fixed. It would cost twice as much here.

Real estate language is always hard sell and bs. I don’t even read it, just look at the details. This seems like a functional operation that needs some sprucing up.

[endlessclimb]

It’s not photoshopped, my grass looks that green right now. There’s a clear line where I stopped my lawn treatments, both in color and in winter die off. I’m sure the realtor upped the “vivid” button on the photos, but that’s across the board - every listing, every realtor does it.

If you know what you’re doing with your lawn, it stays really stinkin’ green all winter. Someone knows when to put down their chemicals, but doesn’t care about the horses being in mud.

Here’s another house with a good lawncare program in the same area.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4-James-Hollow-Ct-Howell-NJ-07731/39269713_zpid/