Michelle Shelton in the news!

Horse sense: Bucking the urban trend, developers fill need for equestrian properties The Business Journal of Phoenix - October 13, 2006 by Christia Gibbons The Business Journal Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed With all the talk of urbanizing Phoenix's sprawling metro area -- going up, not out -- there remains a committed set of people looking for wide open spaces. For their horses. Since Anne McCormick started wintering in Scottsdale in the 1940s and created a devotion to Arabian horses, the area became an equestrian paradise. After her death, her horses and ranch were sold, and probate was completed in July 1970 with the sale of 4,236 acres to Kaiser-Aetna for $12.1 million or 5 cents per square foot. Numerous subdivisions, McCormick Stillman Railroad Park, several resorts and a lake later, equestrians have been pushed north. "There's a need for equestrian property," said Ron Coleman, principal and East Valley specialist with Scottsdale-based Land Advisors Organization. "It's always there, especially in Scottsdale and North Scottsdale." Now instead of lining Cactus Road and Shea Boulevard, horse property is found in the Dynamite Boulevard area, and in Carefree, Cave Creek and Rio Verde. Three horsemen who formed Monogram Cos. five years ago were looking for a place to do this kind of specialty development. "We're natives. We've seen the sprawl and we've seen the growth," said Don Allison of himself and partners Russ Hermann and Dan Hellman. "We think it's our responsibility to bring high quality to areas that have been passed over." As a result, one of their developments is the 40-acre, 18-home, gated Turquesa Equestrian Estates, an equestrian community with custom home lots and Skystone Ranch, which includes a resident barn manager, individual barn stalls, lighted covered arena, hot walker, round pen, turnout, covered trailer parking and an owner's lounge. Some construction is scheduled to be done by the end of the year. Lot prices begin at $980,000, and the community is on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Peak View roads. "There are a huge number of equestrian enthusiasts who want quality boarding and to spend more time with their horses," Allison said. Horse owners can have vet service, horseshoeing and feeding within short walking distances from their homes, and can avoid riding their horses on any main streets, Allison said. "We're geared for the family, for general equestrian use. We're not catering to one discipline," he said. He likened Turquesa to a golf community, with membership fees. Howard Peterson of Peterson/Grace Custom Homes and developer of Will Rogers Equestrian Ranch in Queen Creek, agreed with the golf course analogy. "What's neat about an equestrian community is that it brings together people with a common interest, like a golf community. That's the neat thing about golf." The equestrian part of his community offers covered stalls with a fly misting system, English and Western lighted arenas, round pens, hot walkers, and miles of riding trails in the Queen Creek Wash. Petersen said Scottsdale isn't the only place for equestrian life. "Scottsdale is full of horses and valuable land, but not everyone in Scottsdale goes north," he said. "Everybody loves to have their horses, they just haven't figured out how to do it with land prices." Petersen said Will Rogers Equestrian Ranch is "pretty much built out" and people from probably all the states but "Alaska or maybe North Dakota" live there. Michelle Shelton of Keller Williams Realty Southeast Valley specializes in finding horse property for people. While the market for such real estate aligns with what's going on in the residential world, there still is a strong market, Shelton said. "I get e-mails and calls every day." She takes prospective buyers on tours of the entire East Valley from Cave Creek to Queen Creek and from Scottsdale to Apache Junction. "I think they should have more equestrian properties like Finley Farms (in Gilbert), Will Rogers, etc., as people love the fact that they can get more home and still keep their horses." Get connected Land Advisors Organization: http://www.landadvisors.com/ Michelle Shelton: http://www.askmichelleshelton.com/ Turquesa Equestrian Estates: http://www.turquesaestates.com/ Will Rogers Equestrian Ranch: http://www.willrogersranch.com/