Buying an equestrian property in France: the house, the stables and the land
An equestrian property is chosen for the horses as much as for the house: pastures, stables, an arena, sometimes an indoor school, and easy access for the horsebox. This dossier says where to look, how to read the price and what to check before buying.
By Jean Mascla, founder of Home SelectUpdated · 5 min read
What is an equestrian property?
An equestrian property is a house designed for living with horses: fenced and drained pastures, loose boxes or a stable block, a tack room, storage for hay and straw, an outdoor arena to work in, sometimes an indoor school, and access suitable for a lorry or a horsebox. A haras, a stud farm in the strict sense, is a breeding place, with its stallions, its broodmares and dedicated facilities.
Most buyers look for a property for pleasure: their horses at home, a few hectares, facilities on their own scale. Others want an activity, livery, breeding or teaching: it is then an agricultural business, with its accounts and authorisations, which specialists support.
Where to buy an equestrian property in France?
Normandy remains the land of the horse: the Pays d’Auge, around Deauville and its racecourse, the Orne and the Calvados, their pastures and stud farms, two hours from Paris. The manor houses of the Pays d’Auge often come with stables: buying a manor house in the Pays d’Auge.
The Basque Country and the Landes, around Biarritz and Bayonne, combine a living equestrian tradition, green pastures and the ocean nearby; buyers there often look for a restored Basque farmhouse, its barns and a few hectares, rather than a stud farm. The search is fine-grained: the finest farmhouses pass down within families and rarely list.
The Sologne and the Centre offer large areas less than two hours from Paris; the South-West and Provence, around the Alpilles and the Aix countryside, draw riders who want the climate and the space. Everywhere, the quality of the soil and the water decide as much as the region.
How is the price of an equestrian property formed?
No public statistic singles out the equestrian property: the DVF register files it among houses. The price is formed on three blocks: the house, compared with the local market; the land, whose value depends on its nature, its drainage and its access; the facilities, whose age, compliance and condition can make the value vary by a factor of two.
An indoor school, a sand arena and recent stables cost a great deal to build, but they do not always resell at that cost: they are worth what they bring to the next buyer. Home Select documents the comparable sales of the region and separates what is really paid for.
Normandy -Deauville -Horses on the racecourse
Which rules apply to the land and the facilities?
The sale of farmland is notified to the SAFER, which holds a right of pre-emption; pastures leased to a farmer fall under the tenant farming regime, which protects the farmer in place and gives him a priority right of pre-emption. These rules are read before the offer.
Building an indoor school, stables or a barn requires planning consent, and the zone of the local plan says what is possible: in an agricultural zone, buildings are reserved for the needs of the agricultural activity. Health rules also impose distances between stables and neighbouring homes.
What should be checked before buying an equestrian property?
The pastures: nature of the soil, drainage, fencing, shelters, area actually usable per horse.
The water: mains connection, troughs, well or spring, and its availability in summer.
The facilities: stables, tack room, arena, indoor school, their condition, compliance and building permits.
The storage: hay and straw, with insurance suited to the fire risk.
The access: tracks suitable for a lorry, proximity of a vet, a farrier and competition centres.
Home Select checks the documents of the file before you commit; have the facilities examined and their refurbishment priced by equestrian equipment professionals, and the works on the house by an architect or craftsmen, before the offer.
How Home Select supports you
Home Select searches for the property for you alone, across the whole market: listings, rural notaires, families of the horse world, and a network of 15,000 professional partners. Each lead is qualified on documents and by video pre-viewing, pastures, stables and house included, before you travel.
Home Select checks the file, defends your offer and accompanies you to the deed; for an activity, livery or breeding, it introduces the specialists. Fees are due on success: 2.5% of the net purchase price with the Exclusive offer, minimum €10,000 incl. VAT, plus 10% of the negotiated reduction. The guide to châteaux and manor houses extends this dossier.
Frequently asked questions
How many hectares does an equestrian property need?
It depends on the number of horses, the quality of the pastures and the season: a well-drained, well-kept meadow carries more horses than wet ground. The right calculation is made with a horse professional on the property itself, before the offer.
Where to find an equestrian property near Paris?
Normandy, around Deauville and in the Pays d’Auge, and the Sologne offer the most sought-after equestrian properties less than two hours from Paris. The finest often sell without a listing, through notaires and the networks of the horse world.
Can an indoor school be built on a property?
It requires planning consent, and the zone of the local plan decides: in an agricultural zone, building is reserved for the needs of the agricultural activity. Check feasibility with the town hall before the offer, not after.
Is the SAFER interested in equestrian properties?
Yes, when the sale includes farmland: it is notified by the notaire, and the SAFER holds a right of pre-emption. The time limit fits into the timetable of the sale.
Does Home Select buy working stud farms?
Home Select searches for the property, the house, the land and the facilities, for a buyer. Taking over a breeding or livery business as a company belongs to specialists, whom Home Select introduces.
What fees for the search of an equestrian property?
Those of any search: 2.5% of the net purchase price with the Exclusive offer, minimum €10,000 incl. VAT, or 1.5% with the Confidential offer for projects of €2m and above, plus 10% of the negotiated reduction, on success only.
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