Special Ranch

11th August 2017

The tradition of housing horses in beautiful buildings goes back a long way, as anyone who has seen Goodwood’s 18th-century stables knows. But the practice continues, with a new wave of modernist equestrian architecture springing up across the world. 

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Last year French actress Léa Seydoux and fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier touched down in Mexico City with a haul of Louis Vuitton. They headed straight to the ranch of San Cristóbal, and while horses were mustered as extras, Seydoux modelled the fashion house’s pre-AW16 collection against the ranch’s brilliant pink and purple walls.

Designed in 1968 on a seven-acre plot in the north of the capital, San Cristóbal has graced as many covers as the 32-year-old Seydoux. Its creator, the late Mexican architect Luis Barragán, was a horse lover, and in addition to the main house, guesthouse and stable block, he created two L-shaped swimming pools, the largest of which was for the horses, not their owners.

For centuries, great emphasis has been placed on the design of “horse houses”. In 1754, Georgian architect John Carr invented the “grandstand” at his Grade II-listed York Racecourse (parts of which have been recently been refurbished by Phelan Architects), and Goodwood’s stable block, built between 1757 and 1761 by William Chambers, is, some say, more architecturally distinguished than the main house. 

For the past 50 years, though, Barragán’s iconic compound has been a major reference point for contemporary equestrian architecture. Last year, when Argentinean polo player Nacho Figueras opened a breeding centre and stables on his 30-acre ranch outside Buenos Aires, he recalled Barragán’s use of water features as inspiration. Argentinean architect Juan Ignacio Ramos (who also created the polo player’s nearby family home) used concrete, wood and iron to conjure a striking modernist landmark in which Figueras houses his 44 world-class polo ponies.

Construction took three years. “We wanted to create a place that was practical, yet as inspiring as an art museum,” says Figueras. “Seeing our vision come true and our beloved horses in a place that few could dream about was a great moment.”

Oblivious to the architectural pedigree of their surroundings, the beasts graze on a grass roof and drink from sculptural pools before bedding down at night. “My favourite thing to do is sit on the stable roof at sunset with my friends and a bottle of wine. When you’re there, you forget about anywhere else.” 

Stable blocks make good homes for humans too. The no-frills template of an agricultural outbuilding – the lack of decorative detailing and an uncomplicated layout – lends itself to a pared- back redesign. Andy Ramus, founder and director of Winchester-based architect AR Design Studio, loves working with agricultural outbuildings: “They were not built for aesthetic reasons, so the challenge is to create beauty from their functionality.” This he has done with great success at Manor House Farm in Hampshire. The 400-year-old country pile and its outbuildings are Grade II-listed, so when Ramus was asked to convert the one-storey stable block into a modern home, he kept everything, right down to “the big old nails that the tack was hooked around”.

The former horse stalls now house three bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, lounge and bathroom. Ancient wood panelling, doors and original drinking troughs converted into basins contrast with white walls and slick, contemporary furniture. “We wanted the historical elements to shine,” says Ramus, who christened the stables Lovely Cottage, in honour of the 1946 Grand National winner of the same name who was stabled there. 

Stable buildings are often in stunning remote locations, so there’s the potential to go off-grid too. For his bestselling book Cabin Porn, author Zach Klein spent six years collecting photos and stories of more than 12,000 handmade cabins. Their simplicity and location in some of the world’s wildest spots tap into our primeval urge to have a hut in the woods. Enter a crumbling stone stable in the middle of nowhere in western Spain. Madrid architect Studio Ábaton converted it into a family home that is heated by solar panels and relies on two nearby streams for its water. Limestone floors, concrete walls and iron beams coexist with well-worn stone and weather-beaten wood.

Similarly remote is Crackenback Stables in the Snowy Mountains of south-eastern Australia. Sydney-based Casey Brown Architects redefined the classic corrugated shed to make a two-bedroom property, staff accommodation and stables for five horses. Wrapped in a shiny metal shell, its futuristic form has won it countless design awards. Providing sophisticated shelters for our four-legged friends is still clearly something of a tradition. 

Written by Emma O’Kelly / Photography Andy Barter

This article is taken from the Goodwood magazine, Summer 2017 issue

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