Tour a Dreamy Horse Property for Sale in Arizona

This exquisite equestrian estate in Scottsdale is modern and charming.

Erin Winkelman was born and raised in Montana. By the time she was twelve, she had convinced her dad to sell his Corvette and buy her first horse. Erin tried every discipline and started out with 4-H, small clinics and local shows at the nearby fairgrounds. She rode western on her Quarter horse mare, Gracie and did jumping and dressage on Dusty, an Arabian/Percheron cross.

As the years passed by and Erin grew up, she found herself taking a break from horses. After getting married and having two little girls, Erin realized how much she missed the equestrian lifestyle. She wanted to share her love and passion for horses with her daughters. At the time, the Winkleman family had already acquired four donkeys, but in the beginning of 2019, Erin climbed back into the saddle and started taking dressage lessons.

“I found an awesome trainer, Missy Gilliland, in Scottsdale, Arizona, who I knew would be a great fit for me immediately. I started out a couple days a week taking lessons, and within two weeks I was already signed up for my first schooling show. The next few months were just a whirlwind of training and shows, and I had decided to purchase the chestnut Appendix mare, (also named Gracie), that I had been taking lessons on.”

Meanwhile Erin started designing her dream barn when she wasn’t riding. She would sketch and sit at the computer for hours, drawing up and perfecting different floor plans and elevations in CAD, adding more square footage with every plan. Pinterest and a variety of barn books helped steer Erin in the right direction for must haves and every little thoughtful detail. These days the kids and animals take up most of Erin’s time, but she previously had a career in high-end residential interior design, which offered her a wealth of knowledge.

Erin’s design aesthetic is European style mixed with a warm country feel.

“It’s just a mix of things that I love that feel right to me and look good together. I let my gut determine my design choices.”

There are so many unique and special elements in this barn. The massive and breathtaking solid oak bifold/sliding entry doors, surrounded by authentic DC Ranch cobble stone, were the original carriage house doors from Rose Terrace (the Dodge Mansion in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI- circa 1930s- built by Anna Dodge, widow of automaker, Horace E. Dodge).

The backyard has a predator proof chicken coop with its very own swamp cooler for the hot summer months.

Completed in 2020, the magnificent 6-stall raised center aisle barn has a lifetime standing seam galvalume roof. It features 12′ x 12′ stalls equipped with interlocking rubber stall mats, top-of-the-line Nelson automatic waterers, deluxe basket fans with an integrated misting system, a NuvoH2O Manor series water filtration system and a citric acid softener.

The outdoor wash area is equipped with rubber pavers and hot and cold water.

Barn Interior

The stalls are by Rockin J Equine. They have a custom low rise European front which is exactly what Erin was looking for.

“I am very particular about details and wanted a nice, subtle curve to the stall fronts. I drew it up exactly how I wanted it, and they sent me back finished CAD drawings to approve prior to production. Rod (of Rockin J Equine) was friendly, knowledgeable and fantastic to work with through the entire process. He even personally delivered our stalls. I can’t recommend them enough.”

The stalls are 12′ x 12′. Initially there were going to be two donkeys per stall, since they were bonded in pairs, but it became clear after their first night in the barn, separation wasn’t an option. They ended up removing the wood planks for one of the stall divider sections to join two of the stalls.

The barn also includes a feed room, tack room and barn loft heated and cooled by two Daikin 18,000 BTU ductless mini split systems and a 4-zone Sonos sound system that includes outdoor speakers (so you can practice your musical dressage freestyle in the arena, or enjoy some music while you sip your glass of wine and take in the incredible sunsets on the front patio of the barn.)