Delano farm and equestrian center rebuilt after fire listed for $7M

An electrical fire at about 2 a.m. Sept. 15, 2023, took only minutes to race through the heart of Steepleview Farm, spreading from the equestrian center’s indoor riding arena to the barn and leaving nearly everything in ruins.

By the time Dan Hatfield ran outside, flames had already engulfed the structure.

Firefighters later told him it took about 15 minutes for the blaze to travel from one end of the complex to the other. There were no serious injuries to the people or the horses.

The family drove past the rubble daily as insurance adjusters worked through the aftermath. The smell of smoke lingered for months.

“It looked like a plane crash,” Hatfield said. “We lost absolutely everything in that barn, and we had a lot of — not just horse operation stuff, but our personal stuff.”

That night shaped much of the planning behind the $4.5 million rebuild completed in 2025. And now, the 69-acre Delano estate is on the market for $7 million.

The property, known as Steepleview Farm & Equestrian Center at 9685 County Road 13 SE is one of Minnesota’s most advanced private equestrian facilities, per the listing agents. The main barn features 22 custom stalls, plus spaces for rehabilitation and specialized care. Soft stall foam underlay cushions its floors, providing joint support and thermal insulation for staff and horses. Unlike most barns, the space allows for year-round work without the need for heavy layers.

An attached rider’s lounge and office area offer a comfortable spot to take breaks, hold meetings or warm up between rides. The space also includes a small kitchen, bathroom and lockers.

Elsewhere on the property are additional barns, a hay storage building, a workshop, outdoor riding areas and open fields used for training and pasture.

In winter, the rolling hills come alive with signs of wildlife — deer tracks etched in the snow and scattered seeds from squirrels dotting the terrain. And in the spring, critters dwell at a creek that runs along the property.

The two-story, 4,400-square-foot home — spared from the 2023 fire — has functioned as a duplex since the Hatfields bought the property in 2017. The barn manager and his family live on the lower level, while the Hatfields occupy the upper level, sharing the space with as many pets inside as outside.

“Basically, everyone who owns a horse owns a dog. So there’s usually two, three, four, five dogs running around,” Hatfield said. “It’s like communal living. You always have people around, and you always have support, and you always have someone to talk to.”

Panoramic windows frame views of every corner of the property. In one direction, a local Catholic church steeple rises above the tree-line, a landmark that inspired the farm’s name.

The home has seen few renovations, aside from exterior updates like a new roof, fresh paint and a screened-in porch converted into an office with wall-to-wall windows.

Steepleview’s scale and scope put it in rare company in Minnesota’s equestrian market. Most horse properties listed in the state are modest hobby farms or smaller facilities. A recent overview of Landsearch listings shows dozens of equestrian properties on the market with average prices of less than $1 million and about 30 acres of land.

In the past year, new listings and closed sales have risen in Delano, with sales outpacing new listings. The city’s population grew more than 15% from 2020 to 2024, according to the U.S. Census.

Some of that growth might reflect people’s desire for a quiet retreat while staying within easy reach of downtown, the airport and sporting events. Nationwide, the fastest-growing communities are increasingly exurban areas on the outer edges of metro regions, Census estimates showed.

The Hatfield kids grew up on the farm, learning a bit of Midwestern work ethic while helping in the barn and riding the horses. The never-ending acreage also offered a sense of comfort and security when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everyone bunkered down in their homes.

“People always come and say, ‘Wow, it’s beautiful out here,’” said Reese Beggs, Steepleview’s operations manager. “I tell them, ‘It’s a little slice of heaven.’”