Ridgefield Connecticut USA - In 2005, Hunter Harrison and his wife bought a former dairy farm, just as he was preparing to retire from his post as chief executive of Canadian National Railway.
 
They turned the nearly 100-acre Connecticut property into a large equestrian facility.
 
But in 2012, Mr. Harrison, 69, returned to work in Calgary after being tapped to become the CEO of another railroad, Canadian Pacific.
 
Daughter Cayce and her husband manage the family's horses, but are on the road most of the time showing them.
 
His wife, Jeannie, meanwhile, spends much of her time at the family's other horse farm in Wellington, Florida, USA.
 
So, the Connecticut property is on the market for US$55 million.
 
At just over an hour from New York City in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the property includes three homes for the Harrison family and a pool and tennis court, plus two barns, a 3 1/2 acre Grand Prix jumping field, outdoor and indoor riding rings, and 12 grass paddocks.
 
The facility also has an equine treadmill and spa.
 
"The horses have a very luxurious life there," quipped listing agent Sally Slater of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
 
The owners don't have it too bad, either.
 
Framed with vintage barn beams from Vermont, the 14,500-square-foot, Adirondack-style main house has six bedrooms.
 
The living room has 38-foot ceilings and a limestone and fieldstone fireplace.
 
There is also a media room, a wine cellar, a seven-car garage, and a golf room outfitted with a golf simulator and putting green.
 
For ease of access, the golf room can be reached from the master bedroom by a hidden stairway concealed behind shelves.
 
"I don't use it to sneak out much anymore," Mr. Harrison joked.
 
He added that double doors from the golf room can be opened so players can hit balls onto the grass outside.
 
Another of his favorite features, he said, is a waterfall that runs past the master bedroom window and into a koi pond, then down to a Jacuzzi spa.
 
Ms. Slater said she plans to market the property internationally and domestically.
 
The popularity of equestrian sports has increased in China and the Middle East, she said.
 
Candace Taylor.