Hidden in Southwest Miami-Dade is one square mile of Horse Country, land zoned for agricultural and residential use.
Co-founder and principal of Avatar Real Estate Toni Schrager is trying to bring awareness to the area. Schrager, a horse enthusiast and owner of a ranch in the area, said that horse country is unknown to most. The 640-acre area is between Southwest 40th Street and Southwest 72nd Street, and Southwest 118 Avenue and Southwest 127 Avenue in Kendall.
Schrager is listing a property two farms north of her ranch, at 5895 Southwest 125th Avenue. A tour of the equestrian center revealed two laser-graded rings with geo-textile footing, tack room, a 27-automated-stall barn, laundry machines, a manager’s apartment, groom’s quarters, an incomplete owner’s apartment, a riding trail and a cross-country trail.
It’s on the market for $2.4 million. The barn features chandeliers and a rubber footing, which is better for a horse’s hooves.
“There’s money to be made here,” Schrager told The Real Deal. “You could enclose the whole back area and make that a two-bedroom, two-bathroom.”
Sunrise Equestrian purchased the 4.5-acre site for $700,000 in December 2009. Jorge and Diana Valle-Riestra own the company, according to corporate records, and Schrager said they’ve invested more than $1.1 million in the barns, laser-graded rings and the irrigation system. Currently, stalls rent for about $1,100 a month. The owners are looking to sell as soon as possible.
Schrager, who was “horse-crazy” as a child, said the area is closer to metropolitan Miami than the Redlands and Wellington, the latter of which is known for its elaborate equestrian estates and the Winter Equestrian Festival.
“Some mornings, I get out there in 12 minutes [from Old Cutler Bay],” she said.
For buyers looking for more of a second home than a horse farm, the Redlands might be a better fit.
Redlands equestrian estate and David Siddons of EWM
EWM’s David Siddons and Jill Balli just listed an 8.5-acre equestrian estate in the Redlands for $4.9 million, TRD has learned.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom estate has 10,383 square feet of interior space and includes a large gourmet kitchen, sauna and a partially covered courtyard. The backyard features a six-horse stable, a fenced-in area for horses, a covered bar, a pool house and a koi pond.
Siddons told TRD that the ideal buyer is someone who’s looking for a weekend escape. The current owners, Robert and Darleen Roth, live on Allison Island in Miami Beach and use the Redlands estate for their weekends. They paid $1.4 million for the property, at 17175 Southwest 232nd Street, in 1999.
While it does have a six-horse stable, Siddons said “there is so much more to it than that. The house itself is a work of art. It looks like something out of the 1920s, Great Gatsby-style.”