Farm Tour: A Financially Feasible Horse Facility

How do you make a small fortune with horses? Start out with a large one! At least that’s the way the joke is told. It’s no joke that this landowner is working to make her horse property financially sustainable, something many horse businesses are not. Join in on this tour to learn how this equestrian property real estate broker has made unique adaptations to her boarding business to attract clients—and care for the environment.

Misfit Farm

Misfit Farm, in Redmond, Washington, is a 16-acre dressage training facility that neatly boards 18 horses. Owner Teri Herrera has carefully organized and put together a business plan for her place that makes the facility appealing to her client base. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Keep Long-Term Maintenance in Mind

All modifications and improvements to new structures are done with long-term maintenance in mind. The covered dressage arena is sized correctly for the discipline and has several mirrors for riders’ use. Overhead sprinklers maintain the correct moisture for the silica sand footing. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Arena Viewing Area

Herrera has made new additions with thought to client comfort and ease. For example, an arena viewing area is equipped with a cell phone charging station. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Tack Room

A comfortable owners’ tack room was finished using reclaimed materials from old barns and wood products sourced off Herrera’s land – cost-effective and sustainable choices. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Indoor Wash Rack

The indoor wash rack has additional lighting placed low so veterinarians and farriers can see horses’ legs. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Feed Room

A well-organized feed room has exceptional lighting for reading and measuring ease, as well as chore-efficient labeling and storage. A specialized sink allows for washing out water buckets and feed tubs. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

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Barn Interior and LED Lighting

The barn’s interiors are finished with lumber sourced from the property. Using a grant from her power company and at no cost to her, Herrera installed all LED lighting throughout Misfit Farm, dramatically reducing her power bill. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Horse Paddocks

Paddocks, designed for horse health along with chore efficiency, contain crushed granolithic rock over geotextile fabric. Crushed rock provides a well-draining, puddle-free footing for horses and makes manure removal easy. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Bedding

Herrera acquires bedding, which she uses on top of her rubber stall mats, for low cost from a nearby cabinetmaker. It is low-dust, made from nontoxic wood products, and comes in easy-to-store and -transport, weather-proof bags.| Photo: Alayne Blickle

Composting Bins

Large-scale composting bins are needed for 18 horses that each produce 50 pounds of manure per day. These roofed compost bins keep rainwater from turning the compost into a soggy mess. A concrete apron at the front of bins allows for easy tractor access and chore efficiency. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Utilizing Finished Compost

Finished compost is used in pastures, gardens, and flowerbeds—including a pollinator hedgerow, which provides an important habitat for native pollinating insects. This is just another way that Herrera makes her place attractive while “giving back” to the environment. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Horse Condos

Individual horse “condos” with mud-free paddocks (a miracle for horses in the wet Seattle area!) are another attractive feature that allow for horses to move freely but still have shelter. They include client storage lockers. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Poultry

Poultry are kept on the farm for weed and slug control, as well as for eggs—and for the all-important job of desensitizing horses. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

Outdoor Wash Rack

An outdoor wash rack gives horse owners additional bathing options. | Photo: Alayne Blickle

A Chore-Efficient Horse Farm

Misfit Farm’s approach to horse-keeping is chore-efficient, horse healthy, client-friendly, environmentally sensitive, and good for business.| Photo: Alayne Blickle