The Riding Club of Barrington Hills hosted its fall Barn Tour on Sat., October 7, 2017 for more than 100

guests. The gracious owners of the two properties shared their unique equestrian lifestyles and showcased

each barn’s purpose, design, and facilities. Both properties are in the countryside of Barrington Hills.

The first stop was at Cauthorn Farm, where hosts Frauke and Jan-Dirk Lueders welcomed guests and

shared a brief overview of their property and its features. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served,

and a harvest style dinner was prepared onsite. After a tour of the Lueders' three barns, a chukker of polo

was played in the large barn's indoor arena before dinner.

Once aboard the buses after dinner, the guests went to Shamrock Farm, owned by

Marianne and John Pappas, where they enjoyed dessert, aperitifs, and live music complete with

a bonfire and nearly full moon.

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The Barn Next Doors t o r y b y L i s a s t a m o s | p h o t o g r a p h y b y m a t t h e w b o w i e

CAuTHORN FARM wAS PuRCHASeD iN 1939

by Thomas Cauthorn white and his wife, both of

Glencoe, who were seeking a property for their

riding and race horses. The original farmhouse

where they lived dates to 1834—a time when

the pioneer settlers from the east set foot here

following the Black Hawk war. its location was

in Barrington Center, then the central gathering

place of commerce and farming.

Thomas white became a Joint Master of the

newly-formed Fox River Valley Hounds, and

the white’s barn was the initial home of the 22

couples of imported foxhounds brought over

from england during world war ii. Their horse

barn was built in 1906 with a railway deliv-

ery of cypress that went unclaimed by its in-

tended buyer. The owners today, Frauke and

Jan-Dirk Lueders, have returned this barn to

its original splendor and house some of their

polo ponies within. A second barn with horse

stalls was built next to the old barn, as well as a

third extraordinary barn complex that features a

regulation size indoor polo arena, observation

deck, and living room area with a fireplace and

kitchenette. Designed throughout with

contemporary materials including large glass

panel walls, the barn features remote-con-

trolled lighting, irrigation on the outdoor polo

field, and dust-free footing material in the in-

door polo arena.

The Lueders grew up in Germany, where

they were accomplished equestrians—

Jan-Dirk in dressage, and Frauke in eventing.

They moved to the united States in 1990 for

a short while, returned to Germany, and then

settled in Barrington Hills in 2005. The couple

joined the Riding Club of Barrington Hills in

2007, and the Barrington Hills Polo Club’s polo

school in 2013. Later that year, they bought

the white property and have created

a grand equestrian complex to support their

family hobby of playing polo. with three young

children in school, they prefer to stay at home

during the colder months, and continue to play

their sport outdoors or indoors depending on

the season.Frauke and Jan-Dirk Lueders with daughter Emma.

• C a u t h o r n F a r m •

From leFt: Maureen Prettyman, PK Johnson, Fritz Gohl, Denise Nash,

and Clare Mantelman.

156 • Quintessential barrington | QBarr ing ton.com

Karen Selman and Jane Clement.

Barn Tour guests could view the outdoor polo field through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The new polo pony barn (on left) sits adjacent to the original cypress horse barn.

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Inside the new polo pony barn.

A double rainbow above the regulation sized polo field that is surrounded by riding trails.

Polo ponies and players head over to the indoor polo arena.

Guests watch a chukker of polo before dinner.

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PK Johnson and Judy Freeman admire the dessert table.

Kurt Anderson, Denise Nash, and a guest.

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• s h a m r o C k F a r m •

SHAMROCk FARM iS 15 ACReS FROM AN

original united States Government Land Grant

to Silas Jayne in the 1850s. Jayne emigrated

from Germany and settled the land which he

purchased for 25 cents an acre. He built a two-

bedroom farmhouse in 1855, and later grew his

settlement with eight additional buildings.

in 1983, John Pappas purchased the proper-

ty and added the west barn and an indoor arena.

in 1985, a second barn and lounge were added

and the arena was enlarged. in 2001, the lounge

was remodeled. Pappas and his three children

trained for nationwide Saddlebred and Roadster

competitions within the property. it was later

converted to support Hunter-Jumper training

and foxhunting.

in 1988, Pappas built an antebellum style

residence south of the farmhouse on what was

an overgrown tennis court, and later tore down

the old farmhouse. Two collapsed clay tile silos

were discovered while digging the foundation.

Today, the old coach house is the only origi-

nal structure remaining from 1983. The name

Shamrock Farm was chosen for its “Good Luck”

theme and to honor Notre Dame Law School,

from which John Pappas graduated.

Marianne Pappas, who teaches Special edu-

cation, brought elementary students from the

Chicago Public Schools to the property to plant

and install a monarch butterfly garden, flowers,

and shrubs in during the summer, encouraging

them to become productive members of their

community.

Marianne and John Pappas of Shamrock Farm