Whoa! Nellie

Kentucky breeder installs state-of-the-art system to care for high-price horses

Say you have some pasture land and a few horses. Chances are you won’t install a security system to ensure their safety and security. However, Stonestreet Farm isn’t your run-of-the-mill horse ranch. It’s a thoroughbred horse farm that sprawls over 460 acres in the heart of the bluegrass near Lexington, Ky.

Stonestreet is a horseman’s paradise. The property is one of three horse farms owned by vintner Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson Winery, and is a world-class facility for raising and training champion thoroughbred horses. Also, it’s where his broodmares foal, so this pristine farm is a nursery, of sorts, for horses. When Jackson and Jay Foote, his security manager, were discussing the farm’s vulnerabilities, they turned to Roy Abney of Secure Concepts Integration in Lexington. Together they worked on designing a system that met their needs and goals. SCI was then challenged to implement the solution within the 32 remaining days until the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

The Royal Treatment
Foote said the system was integrated by selecting the most compatible components from a variety of manufacturers. The objective was to deliver maximum performance given the high profile of its owner and his guests, which have included oil magnates, heads of state and other high-profile guests.

“When we examined possible equipment, I picked items I like,” Foote said. “Then the integrator suggested certain applications, and we met halfway. The best part of working with SCI is they showed us how to get the most use from the equipment we were installing.”

A high-profile installation covering a large area that uses both wired and wireless technology cost Stonestreet Farms about a quarter of a million dollars. While the investment is significant, it is so diverse in capability that multiple departments within the farm operations use its features. Security officers were trained to fully understand the ins and outs of the new system, including how to use the cameras to their full potential and maximum efficiency. Officers have access to wireless panic buttons and roving vehicles now equipped with the capability of 24-hour surveillance. Human resources also uses the system to inform officers as to when workers arrive for daily duties. From a personnel standpoint, security management also can keep track of who is at work and where they are.

Candid Camera
Cameras and intercoms are used to enhance the farm’s access control system by allowing security officers to view and communicate with whoever is approaching any of the automated security gates. The cameras are the mainstay of the operation, and they come in many varieties. Equipment installed includes a grouping of fixed cameras in American Dynamics housing and PTZ equipment. SCI installed a parallel Ethernet network strictly for the access control and video surveillance system.

SCI placed up to five Toshiba IK- 6200A cameras in each of the barns. These same cameras are installed at the main entrance to provide security for those people permitted on that part of the farm. The cameras are attached to Axis 241Q network video servers where streaming video is sent wirelessly over the Alvarion Ethernet cloud covering the entire farm. The Toshiba cameras were selected because of price and performance ratios. At the time of installation, the cameras represented a good value for a color CCD camera with day/night capabilities. According to SCI systems integrator Stephen Bond, there were considerable savings to be gained by using analog cameras attached to an Axis video server that used all four of its ports.

SCI selected the Sony SNC-CS3N IPELA network camera for those areas where only one or two cameras were needed. This camera streams video directly across the Alvarion wireless network. One advantage of using an IP cameras is that the end user can adjust brightness, color and contrast from the camera’s Web interface. This is far superior to dragging a ladder around the farm, fine tuning cameras for optimum performance. These cameras are installed at all entrance gates, the main office and at the guard shack, where one is used as a license plate reader.

Cameras also are used as access control devices so security officials know when a gate opens, allowing them to zoom in on prefixed points. These cameras are installed at the main office, used as a license plate reader and placed at the guard shack. Integrators selected the Sony SNC CS11 IPELA cameras because they stream video directly into the Alvarion wireless Ethernet cloud and were costeffective for the application.

Taking this concept a bit further, a Sony SNC-RZ25N network PTZ camera was installed near the island bridge leading up to the main residence. Multiple vehicle sensors are tied into the camera, so the camera tracks vehicles as they move up the driveway.

“When the camera is approaching the house, we zoom in on the license plate and grab a clear image of it,” Bond said. “There is a slight bump as you roll onto the stone bridge, which everyone breaks for. The bridge acts as a natural speed bump, causing everyone to tap their brakes and slow down. This allows for nearly perfect license plate shots every time.”

Bond also said the camera is in a preset tour mode when no vehicles are in the area, and the roving security detail has full control of the camera’s PTZ capabilities anytime they want to look around. This can be accomplished from the security vehicle, the guard shack or the main security office.

A Sense of Pride
Although the installation was completed more than a year ago, Bond said the system is clearly still state-of-the-art. The camera system also has other uses. For example, the camera system is used for training the security force by allowing them to review their performance after staged incidences. In the event something should happen, all video is recorded and archieved for at least 30 days on multiple American Dynamics INTELLEX IP NVRs.

Even on a farm where thoroughbreds are the prized possession, this security system has had its share of the limelight. “When other farm managers come to view our operations, it’s been fun showing off our security system that works in conjunction with our daily activities,” Foote said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done here.”

While Phase I was completed by the 2006 Kentucky Derby, other features have been added to the security system, including integration with a Kantech access control system and an audible messaging system for the roving security vehicles. In 2010, the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games will be held in Lexington, making it the first time this Olympics for horses will be held outside Europe. Horse farm managers are looking at Stonestreet Farms as they begin preparations for this major event that will require substantial security upgrades at their facilities, as well.

After all, if the security system in place is good enough for royalty, surely it must be fitting for some of the finest thoroughbred race horses in the world.

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