This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Giddy up! First-ever ‘Horse Motel’ Opens in Sanpete County

“There are a lot of people who like to visit the area and have horses,” Kris Burns says. “But if they want to bring their horses along with them to ride or hunt with, there is no where around where you can keep them just for the night or a few days. Most places that board horses want something more long term.”

So Kris and Fred Burns decided to open a 12-stall horse motel. Food, water and “mucking” are provided, and the horses can check in for just one night or for an extended stay. “People can pick up their horses and ride right up into the mountains from here,” Kris Burns says.

Pretty soon, horse owners will even have the option of staying right near their animals. The Burns are in the process of opening an RV Park near the horse motel on about 10 acres of their land. Scheduled to open in June, the park will include 60 sites with sewer and water hook-ups, as well as 24 camping spots at a nearby location.

The Burns will rent out tee-pees, tents and other camping supplies. They also plan to encourage guests to visit the animals they keep on their property, including llamas, a miniature horse and a burro. “We want staying here to be a family experience, where people who don’t know a lot about farming or ranch life can experience what it’s like,” Kris Burns says.

The Burns came up with the idea for the horse motel while traveling around the state with their own horses. It many parts of Utah, they have no where to leave their horses. But when they visit St. George, they discovered a place where they could check their horses into a “motel” for the night. “We thought it was something that was needed near where we live,” Kris Burns says.

Having a new indoor horse arena and community center built in Sanpete County would help with the new business, she adds. Local horse enthusiasts are looking to construct a new facility that would let them exercise, train and hold horse-related events and activities year round.

“It would bring more people with horses into the area, which, of course, would be a benefit for us,” Kris Burns says. “But it would help the entire county because there would be more tourists and people coming through. There is such a need for this kind of facility. We are getting more and more horses in the area and fewer places to work them.” The region currently has more horses than it did back in the days when the animals were the main source of transportation.

She says building a larger facility in a new location would allow for both indoor and outdoor arenas, as well as provide other options such as community centre and a race track. “Right now, people in the county who have race horses have no where to work them.”

For more information on the horse motel or RV Park, contact Kris or Fred Burns at (435) 445-3303.