The Barn
he barn at Manor Minor is C shaped, with stalls facing an open courtyard space, with a wide "aisle" in front of them. We liked this style of barn, more common in Europe, for its superior ventilation and for the way it allows all the horses to see each other, rather than just bonding with the horse directly beside them—and, we have to admit, because it appeals to us aesthetically.
Stalls are 12 by 12 feet, with rubber mats and ceiling fans. The wash stall in the center of the barn has a heat lamp and hot and cold water.

The Arena
Our arena is a standard Olympic size, twenty by sixty meters, with a stone dust base and a well-maintained sand footing, which we hope to upgrade to sand and rubber. Set behind the barn in a clearing backed by large oak trees, it has a serene, private feeling that allows undistracted training sessions. We worried at first that this quiet setting would make it more difficult for young horses to cope with a hectic show atmosphere, but that seems not to be the case—our young horses have handled their first outings very well, perhaps because they are accustomed to focusing on their rider calmly.
The grassy area overlooking the arena is a pleasant place to sit and watch lessons or clinics or relax with a cold drink; in the works for 2009 are an arbor to shade viewers and a patio near the arena. We especially enjoy developing the garden on the bank above the arena, with an accent on plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds—and give riders something to look at other than their horse's ears.



Turnout
We turn out horses singly or in small compatible groups; new horses are always turned out alone until we (and owners) feel comfortable partnering them with another horse. Our outer fences are board; dividing fences are electric tape, to minimize risk of injury when horses socialize. We feel that it's important for horses' mental and physical health to get plenty of turnout, so we bring horses in only during the workday in the winter (horses are appropriately blanketed against winter weather) rather than having them spend the long winter nights in stalls; in summer horses stay in as long as necessary to protect them from sun and flies.

Trails and Open Space
We are very lucky to be connected to a network of trails kept up by the Deep Run Hunt Club, which hunts from the farm across the road from us. Without crossing any roads, we have access to big wide-open pastures that invite a long canter, a variety of woods trails, and opportunities to jump and cross small streams or wide sandy creeks.
In addition, we use our own sandy bottomlands as a serene place to work, with a network of paths mowed into the meadow. The back pastures leading down to the bottomlands are a great place for hill work; we are adding some low cross-country type jumps here to offer gymnastic conditioning and an invigorating change of pace.