Northland centre aims to attract the horsey set

The freehold land and buildings in Mangapai have been developed as an equestrian centre. Photo / Supplied

A burgeoning equestrian centre designed as a stabling and dressage arena training facility for young horse riders in mid-Northland has been placed on the market for sale.

The freehold land and buildings at 12 Parry Rd, Mangapai - south of Whangarei - have been developed over the past four years as a show-jumping venue and a short-stay horse accommodation business.

The 4.15ha property features three horse box stables, an adjacent large high-stud implement shed and workshop for potential configuration as a tack room facility, a 65m x 35m arena with jumps, and a two bay implement shed which can be used to store feed and maintenance equipment.

The property and infrastructure assets are being marketed for sale at auction on March 31 by Bayleys, Whangarei. Salespeople Vinni Bhula and Catherine Stewart says the venue had considerable opportunity to ramp up the number of horses which could be accommodated on site, and develop a regular clientele for utilising the show jumping arena.

Bhula says income analysis on the revenue potential for the property showed each stable could be let for between $150-$250 per week, depending on the level of services provided to the tenant animal - ranging from feed through to regular exercise and training programmes.

"Additionally, there is the potential to accommodate a further five or six horses in the paddocks. A generally acknowledged fee for grazing and hosting horses outdoors is between $50 and $145 per week, again dependant on the level of animal service provided," Bhula says.

"Pasture throughout the property has been re-sown over recent seasons with a specific horse grass mix to minimise the amount of rye under foot. Paddocks are variously separated by a mix of four-strand electric fencing and established wind-break hedging."

The property and infrastructure assets are being marketed for sale at auction on March 31 by Bayleys. Photo / Supplied

Bhula says the arena could be hired for $10-$15 per hour per horse, or up to $60 a month on a regular usage contract. The property also has a 122sq m three-bedroom home and a large area suitable for storing up to five horse floats for clients.

"The flat topography of the property allows for easy pasture grazing management.

"There is also ample space for the addition of a staff dwelling on the property and for the expansion of the existing stabling infrastructure to potentially treble the number of stalls available, as well as space for adding in a covered training facility," he says.

"While the genesis of the infrastructure to support an equestrian business is installed and operational, the opportunity is being left up to a new owner to complete the venue's potential.

"To date, no business entity has been established - leaving the way open for any new owner to pursue their own avenue of expertise in this field."

Stewart said Northland's most famous equestrian - television personality Vicki Wilson, who was a central character on the reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kaimanawas - had demonstrated the region's potential for establishing a horse-based business.

Vicki Wilson's Showtym Sport Horses equestrian centre is based at Hukerenui, midway between Whangarei and the Bay of Islands.

"City-dwellers from Whangarei are increasingly looking to maximise their personal recreation time, and to that extent are ever-more looking for a "lock up and leave"" valet-type leisure services - whether that be for the boat, the car... or the horse," Stewart says.