The facility
Built in: 1980s
Purchased by the Scarted family: 2006
Loveltyta Ranch founded: 2011
Renovated: 2018-2019
Territory: 46,200 m2
Lovelyta Ranch was originally a house, a small barn and a couple pastures for horses. A riding arena was added in front of the barn back in the 90s, and in the following decade it functioned as a riding school. Afterwards, around the turn of the century, the plot was sold to a rich family who wanted to breed horses, so they tore down the main barn and rebuilt it, giving it its current shape as well as adding the beautiful water fountain that hasn't been touched since.
In 2006 the Scarted family purchased the plot, starting developments and adding to the already existing buildings. They added a bigger riding arena, making a covered arena out of the old arena, a dressage ring and two roundpens as well. In 2009-2010 guest and staff housing and a guest barn was added as a finishing touch. These were the years that the family started purchasing horses, founding Lovelyta Ranch as a serious business in 2011 when they reached an adequate number of horses, competing in several disciplines as well as training and boarding horses.
In 2017, plans were made to modernize the facility and give it an unified look fit for the 21st century, as it showed on the buildings that they had been built at different times in the 40 years of its history. Also, with the achievements of the past years, they family and especially the now owner and manager Renée Scarted decided to delve into horse breeding, something that required more space.
Renovations finally started in 2018 - first the guest barn, so then the horses could be housed there and turned out 24/7 on the pastures while renovations of the main barn took place. The stalls were reorganized, giving more space to each horse. The project was finished in 2019, forming a beautiful, modern and new-looking farm fit for training, boarding and breeding horses. The main profile of Lovelyta Ranch remains competing, but riding instructors had been employed to provide training for young, promising riders.
Housing
Main house
Size: 6x10 m (120 m2), ground + upper floor
Private house of the owner, has a ground floor and one story above it, providing adequate space for a smaller family. The house was built in the 80s, it was one of the first buildings on the plot. It was renovated and now sports a modern, homely look even with its several decades worth of history. It's out on the side of the property, giving the owner privacy while also good access to parts of the farm.
Staff and guest housing, changing rooms
Size: 15x11 m (495 m2), ground + 2 floors
A huge building built in 2009 - the ground floor houses a community room, community kitchen, bathrooms and changing rooms for students and staff, also able to house private tack boxes. The upper 2 floors house apartments and rooms, each with its own small bathrooms, perfect for staff or guest housing.
Parking
Size: 15x40 m (600 m2), 28 2,5x5 parking slots
Parking for visitors, staff and even the owners. From here one can easily access the public house whose lower floor is for riders and visitors alike. The gravel road leading here is line with trees, setting the mood for the entirety of the visit.
Trailers and additional parking
Going left after one enters the property is another gravel road, leading to a spacious parking lot suitable for holding trailers. It can also function as additional parking, or parking for boarders who don't want to go to the other parking lot only to have to walk back to the guest barn.
Barns
Main barn
Size: 912 m2
Stalls: 4x4 m stalls, able to house 30 horses, 2 tack rooms, 1 feeding room, 1 tying place/horse wash
See the inside configuration here!
The main barn is one of the oldest buildings in Lovelyta Ranch, and the most beautiful. It's the pride and joy, and essentially, the heart of the facility, being the biggest barn on the place where most things happen. Spacious 4x4 m stalls give home to 30 horses. The horses are divided into groups of 3-4 and turned out every day to the pastures in the southern past of the facility. The stable yard has the original water fountain as well as a few cherry trees, making it a truly beautiful place.
Hototo barn
Size: 336 m2
Stalls: 4x4 m stalls, able to house 10 horses, 1 tack room, 1 feeding room, 1 tying place/horse wash
The hototo barn was added in 2020 so that the facility could become an adequate place for a herd of hototos. 10 spacious stalls can hold the beautiful sparkly horses, however, they have their own huge pasture where they spend most of their time. The hototo barn is sparsely used, and can function as plus stalls or foaling stalls.
Guest/boarding barn
Size: 432 m2
Stalls: 4x4 m stalls, able to house 15 horses, 1 tackroom, 1 feeding room, 1 tying place/horse wash
Built in 2006 and renovated with bigger stalls in 2018, this barn functions as additional space where people can board, or where guests can house their horses when they arrive for seminars or competitions. If needed, the stalls here can be used to house Lovelyta's own horses, but the owners prefer to keep this building solely for foreign housing.
Pastures
Paddocks
Size: approx. 14x15 m (210 m2) each, 10 paddocks
10 paddocks have been formed to make it possible to house horses individually, be it guest housing, boarding, or separation due to not getting along with other horses is being a stallion. Usually 1 horse is put in each paddock, but it can comfortably house up to 2 horses per paddock if the horses get along. Beautiful trees line the paths, making this part of the property a really beautiful and peaceful area.
Pastures
4 big pastures make it possible to turn horses out in smaller herds up to 5-6 members. The pastures extend into the forest, giving lots of shade, and space to settle conflicts.
Hototo paradise
A truly huge pasture gives lots of forest and grazing ground for our wonderful hototos. They can find enough food and water in these woods, wandering around as they please in this big turnout.
Arenas
Main arena
Size: 40x50 m (2,000 m2)
A huge riding arena only added in 2006. This is the most used arena in the facility due to its size and its equipment, fit for a number of disciplines or riding lessons. Lots of poles and obstacles belong to this arena, so a complete show jumping track can be easily set up. The arena is lined with a row of trees, giving it a really peaceful and friendly look.
Dressage ring
Size: 20x60 m (1,200 m2)
Traditional dressage ring added in 2006. During competitions either this arena or the covered arena functions as a warm-up ring. Trees line it, giving it a professional look. Perfect for dressage day to day practice.
Covered arena
Size: 30x40 m (1,200 m2)
Preparing for rainy days and hard, winter soil, a covered arena was constructed from the original riding arena in 2006. During those days it has a schedule where everyone can reserve a space and time for riding and practice to prevent the arena getting too crowded, although because a riding school is not a main profile, it's not a big problem. During competitions the covered arena acts as a warm-up ring if for some reason the dressage ring is not enough. Also very useful for training late into the evening, having overhead lamps to give light at night.
Roundpens
Size: 16 m in diameter (201 m2) each, 2 roundpens
The roundpen was added in 2006, serving only a few but useful functions. It's good for free lunging or natural horsemanship, providing an undisturbed space away from the main general commotion of day-to-day comings and goings. Cherry trees were planted around it in a horseshoe-shape, making it one of the most beautiful places on the property.
Outside
Trails
To the south-east of the facility one can find a path leading into the forest and away from civilization, providing perfect trails for relaxation, trail rides and horse training.
Cross country track
During the years the Scarted family owned the plot, they had a need for a cross country course for their eventers, so slowly but surely placed enough natural obstacles on some paths to forms a cross country track, perfect for training or just shaking up a trail ride.