Decatur Daily News Sunday, May 4, 2008 |
He’s not horsing around
New arena owner planning upgrades for Priceville facility
The new arena owner announced the planned upgrades Friday shortly after signing a sales agreement with the Racking Horse Breeders Association of America.
“I am really excited to make it a full-fledged horse facility as well as a well-rounded entertainment center,” said David Carter, chairman of the corporate group, Decatur Marine Development, that bought the 118-acre property for $1 million.
RHBAA officials had planned to build an outdoor arena before Carter approached them about the sale, saying that the second, smaller arena would be better suited for some smaller horse shows and would be an ideal warm-up area for the larger shows.
Outdoor arena top priority
Carter said the outdoor arena would be the first priority for improving the arena, which is about 35 years old. Another benefit of an extra arena is that it will allow a large horse show to hold two competitions simultaneously, he said.
Carter, 48, who lives near Greenbrier in Limestone County, said he began thinking about buying the property three months ago when he visited it for the first time. He was checking on its availability for an event for quarter horses, a breed his two daughters show.
“It’s a great location with its proximity to the interstate, and it’s a huge facility and the abundance of stalls and the RV sites,” he said. “It has a lot of potential. Of course, it has a lot here already.”
The property includes the 300-by-150-foot arena — the largest covered horse arena in the Southeast, which can accommodate 4,000 spectators — as well as 31 barns, a shop area, a farriers’ work shed and 72 campsites with electrical/water hookups.
The new owner said he intends to add 100 to 150 recreational-vehicle hookups and perhaps even create some new ones in the wooded parts of the property that can be available for year-round camping. Additional plans calls for horseback, hiking and eventually mountain biking trails.
Restaurants, chalets
Besides the outdoor arena, Carter said the first order of business will be building a restaurant that will be open even when the arena isn’t hosting an event.
As for the chalets or cabins, Carter said that from his experience attending horse shows, it makes sense to offer accommodations that let participants stay on the property the entire time.
Most families haul their horses on large, one-ton pickups, he said, and with the high price of fuel, they could benefit from not having to drive back and forth from hotels. Carter said he figures he’ll start with eight units and expand as demand indicates.
“Once you’ve showed for a few years, you have a lot of friends you like being around,” he said. “And my vision would be to have this as a destination for a show. You stay at that one site and don’t venture off of it too much.”
Carter’s business background is in commercial real estate. He owns and manages two office buildings in Decatur and two retail complexes, in Madison and New Hope.
RHBAA officials had been trying to sell the arena and property for three years.
Removing a burden
The sale removes the association from the burden of managing the arena, freeing half of its revenues to spend on promoting the breed. It also relieves the anxiety of recent years on whether racking horse shows would stay in Priceville.
“It is a good transition,” says Don Stisher, president of the purchasing company. “It is still going to be part of community.”
Stisher, who will continue to manage the arena, says the events already scheduled for this year will remain on the calendar, with many more expected to be added.
The arena has served many activities besides horse shows. It has held dog shows, flea markets, track and cross country meets, tough-man competitions, car shows, rodeos, clinics, auctions, motocross, concerts and church events.