Negotiations to sell the 149-acre Middleburg Training Center, a key equestrian facility in Virginia, to the Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) have stalled after the VEA board declined to approve the deal last week. The Kuhn family, current owners, had been working with the VEA and other equine groups for months to give them a chance to purchase the property before potentially selling it to the U.S. Department of Defense, which is considering the site for the Army’s Caisson Detachment. The VEA requested an additional 30 days to raise funds and assess the facility’s condition, but the owners indicated they could not wait.

The potential sale to the Department of Defense raises concerns within the local equestrian community about the future of the training center, which plays a vital role in Virginia’s horse breeding and racing industries. While the Kuhns remain open to transferring ownership to equine interests, they are prepared to proceed with the DoD sale if no timely alternative emerges. Industry leaders hope to find ways to preserve the facility’s equestrian operations, possibly through shared use arrangements, despite the setback in VEA negotiations.