Those of us who grew up horse-crazy probably had a parent or sibling suggest that we loved our horses so much we might as well sleep in the barn. Amiright?
Well, that fantasy can now come true. At Stable Stays in the UK, you can book at night and sleep next to a stall occupied by a gorgeous Friesian horse or an adorable Shetland pony. “I am surprised no one has come up with the idea before,” Tracey Alexander, owner of Black Horses Ltd. in Cartmel, Cumbria, where Stable Stays is offered, told a reporter. Apparently reservations have taken off at a gallop.
According to the hotel’s website, the establishment will “provide a luxury grooming kit for you to use getting to know your magnificent sleepover pal under the twinkling fairy lights.”
The site also says that your equine roomie will be presented to you in show quality and you will get hay and breakfast and dinner buckets to feed the horse.
Your accommodations are in a converted barn and consist of a double or single bunk bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and faux fur bedding (of course). A see-through provider means you’ll be able to keep an eye on your equine neigh-bour throughout your stay. And likewise, the horse or pony can watch over you, too.
There is a reference to the dining portion of your overnight getaway as “self-catering” so we’re not sure if guests provide their own food or just serve themselves what is cooked for them. But the site does specify that carrots are available for you to hand feed your horse roommate in the morning.
Alexander says, “Stable Stays” was inspired by her childhood “books about people who let their little Shetland ponies in to sleep on their bed.” Rates start at £250/night ($428 CAD).