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Whether you are a lifelong equestrian, an admirer of the
horse sport, or someone who just loves the equestrian look, having equestrian style in your home adds character and tradition. Home interiors done in an equestrian style have a special allure, even to those not into horses.
No doubt the equestrian style was popularized when
Ralph Lauren hit the fashion world by storm. He made the two most expensive sports in the world - nautical and equestrian styles - livable for mainstream people. It became possible and affordable to have the sporting lifestyle look. And while many people suddenly took up stirrup pants and hunting jackets, decorating with equestrian style has been around for hundreds of
years.
I'm familiar with the sport because my daughter Sarahjoy Crain, shown at top, has long competed in hunter jumpers and she is fortunate to be able to work at what is also her passion, as a horse trainer in Dallas, Texas at
Elmstead Farm.
Two Divine Equestrian Ranch Estates:
Belgian Thoroughbred Home In Flanders -
From
Architectural Digest: Interior Designer Jean-Jacques Hervy who studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and apprenticed with Parisian antiques dealer
Didier Aaron before opening his own business in 1970 was brought on board for this special project, developing a house out of a barn - that wasn’t designed to be lived in.
The owners, a leading Belgian industrialist and his wife, a member of the French and Belgian Olympic dressage teams, developed a 30,000 square foot barn structure. They used the infamous
Calumet Farm in Kentucky as their design scheme, including cedar boards painted white and trimming of red lacquer.
Belgian Thoroughbred Home In Flanders
The first floor had stalls for twenty-four horses and a manège; other areas were designed as meeting rooms for seminars on equestrian topics, with the couple living in another building on their property.
After the death of her husband, however, the widow decided to make the barn her home, transforming the meeting rooms, which held up to five hundred people, into living quarters. It was at this point that Interior Designer Jean-Jacques Hervy was called in. About the style he developed he says,
"I did the house in le style Rothschild but still comfortable enough for jeans and boots."
Hacienda Yokdzonot Equestrian Home
Hacienda Yokdzonot - is a hacienda of Old Mexico, hidden in idyllic isolation that has been
restored and is now a favorite spot for dining and entertaining guests. Owners Christopher Holder and Margaret Andrews worked the property into their wedding plans and eventually their daily life.
Yokdzonot (meaning built over a natural underground well) is home to twenty magnificent horses: ten are broodmares and the others are in training and used for show jumping. Their most illustrious horse is A. Beulgari, the son of Abdulla, who won second place in the L.A. Olympics. The property features two riding rings; one is a large grass ring that sports many jumps.
Hacienda Yokdzonot is a famous bed and breakfast in Yucantan Mexico and has been featured in books and been used for various television dramas and documentaries because of its outstanding landscape gardening and interior design.
Click here for more info, or Email at:
info@ecoyuc.com
If you would like to bring some equine style into your house, whether you are a barn person or just a lover of horses, your love for horses doesn't need stop at the barn. Equestrians enjoy having decorative horse elements in the home.
The equine sculptures shown at left are available from the Something Beautiful Shoppe.
No equestrian space would be complete without a showing of a bit of horse tack, the equipment leather goods used in riding and training horses. Whether you choose stainless steel stirrups or bits, old horseshoes, or leather strap goods, these pieces strategically placed are key elements to bring your space to life.
A favorite is a silver mint julep cup used to hold pens or flowers. Stirrups make good bookends. Harness brasses can be framed or mounted cleverly over light plates. Snaffle bits can serve as window panel tie backs. Equestrian books are another design element that is readily available and brings authenticity to your space. These books are available as novels, training books, or picture books.
To add softness and comfort to your space, yet still maintain style, consider adding needlepoint or horse themed equestrian pillows. Throw pillows come in many styles and colors. Look for traditional fabrics and authentic embellishments like fox hunt buttons, harness brasses, or other pieces of horse equipment.
Bringing equestrian style to your home or space adds character.
For more
Equine Art And Decor, click here.
Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad
If you're a broccoli salad fan, you'll love the combination of these colorful ingredients.
Be sure to cook the pasta al dente so it's firm enough to hold its own when tossed with the tangy-sweet salad dressing.
Yield: Makes 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 of a 16oz. package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
- 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
Preparation
- Preheat oven to to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan to 5 - 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, halfway through.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.
- Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl ; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta and grapes and stir to coat.
- Cover and chill 3 hours.
- Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.
“Each piece stands out, even if it’s a table. I even avoid lamps whenever possible."
Speaking of the Cape Cod summer home she purchased three years ago, ”My children 
