The Hayloft, 777 South River Road

Carter Brown built The Hayloft in 1946, and his hand still shows in every room: heart pine floors, hand-hewn beams that have held their line for eight decades, paneled walls, and a stone fireplace anchoring the great room. Brown is the figure most often credited with shaping Tryon into the equestrian community it is today. He founded the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club in 1925 and the Tryon Horse Show the year after, and his original homes are now scarce. This is one of them.

Twenty-four acres run across pasture, woods and gentle slope, with year-round mountain views and a creek along the lower edge. Three residences sit across the land with the intention of someone who understood that privacy is a structural decision, not a luxury. The kitchen, the baths and the mechanicals have been brought fully up to date. The soul of the house was not polished away.

The main house runs to about 3,300 square feet on a single level: three bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths, vaulted ceilings and an open plan that moves from the kitchen through the dining room into a family room and den, each with a fireplace of its own.

The barns and the arena were built without compromise. The covered Morton arena measures 192 by 66 feet, with lights, European walls and sand and rubber footing. A four-stall center-aisle barn carries a half bath, a wash rack, hay storage and a tack room, with a two-stall shed row barn and a two-stall run-in shed beyond it, and fenced paddocks across pasture and slope.

The property connects directly to the FETA trail system, which means hours of riding without crossing a road, and Tryon International Equestrian Center is about twenty minutes away.

The numbers

• 777 South River Road, Tryon, North Carolina 28782
• MLS 4377505
• 24.05 acres
• 3 residences
• 6 bedrooms
• 6 full and 3 half baths
• 6,829 square feet
• Built 1946
• Main house about 3,300 square feet: three bedrooms, three full and two half baths; two-car attached garage
• Second residence 3,427 square feet: two bedrooms, two and a half baths; two-car detached garage
• One-bedroom quarters tied to the indoor pool pavilion
• Covered Morton arena, 192 by 66 feet; four-stall center-aisle barn; two-stall shed row barn and two-stall run-in shed