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Signature Property - The Spring Farm Pt1
This article is from the October 2019 Horse Deals magazine.
Article: Anna Sharpley.
The horses never have to walk on a hard surface. There is a central track and a riding track around the perimeter of the property. Photo: Julie Wilson.
The Spring Farm, home to Springside Warmbloods is both functional and beautiful. Nestled in Victoria’s beautiful Yarra Valley, the 58-acre property boasts both natural and man-made beauty thanks to the aesthetic understanding of architect and owner, Daniel Ash. “We have been here four years now,” says Daniel, “and when we arrived, there was an old house at the top of the hill and a couple of sheds on the rest of the property and that was it. We put in everything else over those four years including planting about 3,500 trees.”
Dan has made the functional, beautiful and there is a real wow factor about the development of the stud. Seldom have we been to a property where there was something very pleasing on the eye at every turn. Dan is a keen amateur rider, property developer, architect and Warmblood breeder, so elegant design is factored into the practical conduct of the daily operation of the stud.
See the November issue of Horse Deals to see more of this spectacular property.
“I wanted something that did not feel like a normal barn. I wanted to put my stamp on it and have it bigger, brighter and breezier,” says Dan. The central automatic roller door with keypad access surrounded by cypress pine panelling houses the tack room, kitchen and laundry. Photo: Thomas Ryan
Equinabuild built the main structure for the barn and cleverly incorporated the huge skylights, which are polycarbonate sheet. The horses have external as well as internal doors. There has been a lot of thought put in to plantings around the property. The shrubs are chosen for their architectural and decorative qualities and are mostly water wise natives. Photo: Julie Wilson
Custom sliding doors from Killahy Equine provide an alternative to roller doors for the main barn entries whilst maintaining a consistent aesthetic with the stable panels and dividers used elsewhere. Photo: Thomas Ryan
The use of imaginative skylights gives plenty of natural light. There are six 4.2m x 4.5m boxes and two big boxes at the far end that have a swinging panel that allows it to be opened up to one huge foaling box or hospital box. Interestingly, the stables imported from Europe by Killahy Equine are made from sustainable bamboo. The wonderful rubber bricks were also imported by Killahy Equine. Every stable has automatic water and a fan. There is a mister cooling system in the barn. “When it gets really hot, we turn the misters on and open the doors to allow cross ventilation. It works a bit like refrigerated air conditioning with the temperature 8-10 degrees cooler in the barn.” Photo: Thomas Ryan
The wash with a safety escape either side. Notice too the recessed shelves for shampoo etc, the rug rail either side and the wonderful rubber bricks. Photo: Julie Wilson
The recessed shelves in the wash bay. Photo: Julie Wilson
Resident stallion, ‘Stedinger’ imp enjoys the comfort and aesthetic qualities of The Spring Farm. Photo: Julie Wilson
The two cross tie saddling areas with an escape route down the middle. Notice the boot storage behind. Everything at The Spring Farm is “efficient, functional and attractive.” Photo: Julie Wilson
“I try to find a way to make things tidy and easy to look after” says Dan. Indeed! Photo: Julie Wilson
The Haygain tub allows a slow and constant access to hay and prevents any wastage. Photo: Julie Wilson
The crush. Photo: Julie Wilson
If a horse starts behaving badly in the wash all you have to do is slip behind the safety wall. Photo: Julie Wilson
The two boxes at the end of the barn can be turned in to one enormous box by sliding the wall on wheels to one side or the other. Photo: Julie Wilson
The recessed opening handle prevents any clever escapers. There is also a kick bolt at the bottom of the door. Remember too that the panelling is bamboo. Photo: Julie Wilson
If a horse starts behaving badly in the wash all you have to do is slip behind the safety wall. Photo: Julie Wilson
The two boxes at the end of the barn can be turned in to one enormous box by sliding the wall on wheels to one side or the other. Photo: Julie Wilson
The recessed opening handle prevents any clever escapers. There is also a kick bolt at the bottom of the door. Remember too that the panelling is bamboo. Photo: Julie Wilson
The Comfortstall rubber flooring in the boxes goes partly up the wall to prevent any leakage under the rubber. Photo: Julie Wilson
The central keypad operated roller door opens up access to the tack room, kitchen and laundry. Photo: Julie Wilson
No exceptions here, the tack room is as stylish and functional as the rest of this special property. The spiral staircase leads to an upstairs storage space yet to be completed. Photo: Julie Wilson
The horse’s wardrobes neat and tidy. Photo: Julie Wilson
The barn kitchen has everything you would need on tap. Photo: Julie Wilson
The well organised and neat as a pin laundry. Photo: Julie Wilson
With 16 horses on the property, it is important to keep track with the mandatory white boards. Bridles, bits are neatly stored for ease of use. Photo: Julie Wilson
A corner of the tack room. Photo: Julie Wilson
The feed room, again with white boards indicating the different dietary requirements of the horses. Photo: Julie Wilson
No dirty, or clean laundry to be seen in public at The Spring Farm. The clothes line is located behind this timber return. Photo: Julie Wilson
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