Never mind golf. This new California community is built around horses.

An exercise ring at the Oak Farms equestrian training and boarding center in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Eric Figge Photography)

If you’re a horse lover, it’s hard to envision a more tempting place to live than in a home where horses meander by while you sip your morning coffee.

When developers purchase former equestrian facilities with the plan to build houses, the end result is often the demolition of most of the barns, stables and riding facilities in order to accommodate more houses.

At the Oaks Farms in San Juan Capistrano in Southern California, Bill Davidson, president of Davidson Communities, took the opposite approach: He preserved the equestrian facility on the southern portion of the property and built 32 new houses in close proximity to the facility. The houses include modern farmhouse and adobe ranch architecture. Nearly half of the houses adjoin and overlook the equestrian facility, so residents are able to watch the daily activities of horses and riders.

The Oaks Farms equestrian training and boarding center formerly belonged to Joan Irvine Smith, who is well-known in global equestrian circles and is the great-granddaughter of California pioneer James Irvine.

The houses are designed to easily open to the outdoors. (Eric Figge Photography)

Davidson Communities developed a loop road within the gated residential community in order to preserve the coastal live oak trees. Instead of standard street lighting, 75 oversized custom-designed lanterns hang from the trees. Retaining walls were designed to protect the roots of 12 heritage oaks, some of which are more than 100 years old.

Rock from the 20-acre property was adapted for use in stone walls, pathways and curbs, and original materials such as old barn wood and fencing were repurposed in the new houses.

The houses at Oaks Farms, which are priced from $1,599,900, are designed for indoor-outdoor living with open floor plans, courtyards and covered loggias. Many of the houses have walls of glass that can be opened completely to allow for seamless transitions between the outdoors and the interior. The houses are constructed of slate, adobe, brick and polished concrete, often with repurposed wood and rustic elements that nod to the equestrian past of the community.

About half of the houses have a view of the equestrian facility. (Eric Figge Photography)

One- and two-story houses range from 3,415 to 4,408 square feet and have up to five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a three-car garage. The lots average approximately 10,600 square feet.

Design Line Interiors of Del Mar, Calif., created interior designs for the houses and Land Concern of Santa Ana, Calif., and SIA Landscape Architects of San Juan Capistrano served as land planners and landscape architects.

The Oaks Farms is at the intersection of Avenida Siega and Calle Arroyo in San Juan Capistrano.