Trending:

Country houses for sale

A former stud farm that’s now a leading equestrian centre – and a wonderful family home

Penny Churchill

The American-style house was rebuilt in 2014 and benefits from a separate entrance to the equestrian section of the estate.

First-class stabling and training facilities are essential to success in all fiercely competitive areas of international horse sport, says equestrian-property specialist George Windsor Clive, who quotes a guide price of £7m for the pristine 122-acre Attington Stud at Tetsworth, in the lee of the Chiltern Hills, 13 miles south-east of Oxford and 3½ miles from Junction 6 of the M40.

Attington Stud Farm

‘With buyers few and far between at this level of the market, presentation is key,’ he advises.

‘Today’s busy purchasers don’t want to spend time, money or effort on an equestrian property that’s probably not their main residence and will expect a substantial discount on anything that’s less than 100% perfect.’

Such concerns are unlikely to be an issue in the case of impressive Attington Stud, a former Thoroughbred stud farm, which has been developed by its dedicated owners, Kate and Frank Jarvey, into one of the leading centres for sports horses in the south of England, with a professional management team headed by international Irish event rider Austin O’Connor.

Attington Stud Farm

American-born Mrs Jarvey first brought competition horses to England in 1976. Since then, she’s spent most of her time in England and Ireland, in the pursuit of her passions for hunting, eventing and the breeding of top-grade sport horses.

She shares a lifetime of equestrian experience with her husband, a keen National Hunt supporter who breeds and sells National Hunt young stock and has been associated with many good horses over the years.

American know-how is evident in the design and layout of Attington, where the original house was replaced in 2014 by a substantial new, Georgian-style country house designed by an American, which lends itself equally well to both entertaining and modern family living.

It features an impressive 9,500sq ft of stylish accommodation on three floors, including six reception rooms, six/seven bedrooms and bathrooms, a staff flat/offices and garaging.

The house and stables enjoy separate access, giving a well-defined division between the residential and equestrian elements of the property and, with the equestrian facilities paying their own way, a new owner may wish to continue the present arrangement.

Attington Stud Farm

With an excellent manager’s house, superb stabling, both indoor and outdoor schools, a popular cross-country schooling complex and a mile-long oval gallop, Attington offers everything a trainer of top-class competition horses could ever wish for.

Attington Stud is on sale with Windsor Clive at a guide price of £7,000,000. Click here for more information and pictures.