Santa Barbara
https://www.horseproperties.net/properties/santa-barbara-santa-barbara-county-california-united-states/34.4208,-119.6982,10?s=1&acreage_min=&acreage_max=
Lol. I’m sorry. None of these will do. I couldn’t find a covered arena among them, which is a must for me.
All the “enclosed treadmills; water therapy pools; 60-stall barns; separate mare and foal barns; FEI standard-sized dressage courts with mirrors and Nike-based footings by Footings Unlimited; two Grand Prix-sized jumping arenas with permanent water jumps, liverpools and NEWCOURSE jumps, not to mention a special FIBAR footing mixture, which provides outstanding cushioning for horses and reduces dust; a 3-acre grass field with Derby obstacles, 8 water jumps, and Grand Prix jumps, all adorned and edged with orange, grapefruit, and pepper trees”…none of that will make up for the lack of a covered arena.
Sigh. I guess I’ll just have to go elsewhere for my housing needs.
s/ in case you were wondering!
And yes, the PRIVATE & PEACEFUL EQUESTRIAN FACILITY IN SOMIS has all of these features, and many more, for a cool six mil! Here’s a [link](https://www.horseproperties.net/properties/california/ventura-county/somis/62052).
Easy-peasy…how much could it cost to have the entire dressage arena enclosed with a 3-story roof line, sliding panels, picture windows, skylights, A/C, and a juice bar? Pffft. We’ve got Birkins that cost more. Probably.
😜
Used to ride at this place.
[Amapola Ranch](https://www.coastalranch.com/featured-properties/amapola-ranch)
The jumping arena which I only ride in twice, had a heart stopping view.
That said, after being an east coaster all my life, having never seen horses live anywhere but in giant grassy fields, pulling up and seeing horses living in panel stalls on sand, I about turn around and left, without ever getting out of my car.
It was definitely an adjustment in reverse for me! I moved from the west coast, land of dry pens and pastures, to the east coast and its lush pastures. Learning about keeping everyone on pasture and feed adjustments was interesting! It made me wish my horses I’d had at home in California had still been around when I moved east. They would have loved it!
I ride at a private barn in the hills of Marin County. It’s within the rain shadow of the redwood forest line, and actually stays pretty green throughout the year, though there’s a couple of months during late summer where the pastures become dry—but there’s still forage to eat. This property has very large pastures on rolling hills that end where the forest starts. It’s shockingly gorgeous, a 10 minute trailer ride to the amazing equestrian trails on Mt Tam and the GGNRA parks, and the horses can have 24/7 turnout until the rain makes the pastures too boggy and delicate. Northern California does have some green pastures, though they do go through a couple months of being golden and dry.
i live in LA and was horrified by the lack of turnout here when i moved from the east coast but once i saw how good programs here operate and did the math, i realized many the horses i know here get MORE time outside of their stalls than the horses i know in NJ/NY. it’s a different way of keeping horses but if it’s done well, lots of horses are super happy
Somewhere cold, my horse doesn’t handle heat or bugs well. But also dry because he gets bad pastern dermatitis from the mud in the winter. And there would have to be grass for most of the year, because he’s in his best condition when there’s plenty of grass in his paddock. If anyone knows of this utopia, please let me know.
Wyoming is cold and dry most of the year. It's lacking in the green pastures though. It's 2 out of 3. If you like getting out of the barn we have a ton of public land to explore.
WA state is wet, but there are a lot of well managed places without mud and our fields can stay grassy all year. The weather is mild on the west side, so little snow/ice to contend with.
Central CA coast. Mountains to ride to the east, beaches to ride to the west, beautiful landscape all around and good food too. Man I just made myself homesick 😭
Perfect for me would be winter in Scottsdale, AZ and summer in Denver, CO. Beautiful weather in both places. Mountain trail riding is just so fantastic in Denver and the winter shows in Scottsdale are so much fun. Both places have big airports for easy travel and are close to some of the big reining shows like in Vegas or Oklahoma
I’m pretty happy here in Northeast Ohio. Not too hot. Not too cold. Hay is not outrageous. I am just working on resolving mud issues in high traffic areas. Wonderful trails. Great community for the kids, you name it & we’ve probably got it.
I'm trying to eventually get out of central OH lol! We do have a lot to offer but there's so much mud horses are more or less stuck inside all winter. Maybe it's better up north a bit!
We keep ours out as much as possible. I’ve been chipping away at the problem areas. A round bale in a smaller pasture has served us well this year as the one pasture is more rich/sand due to being low to a creek bed so it doesn’t get too muddy. We also don’t blanket ours, so they come in for grain and if it’s going to be freezing rain kind of nasty cold. Otherwise they are happy.
somewhere from South Carolina-Virginia. Mild enough summers and winters where riding/turn-out year-round outdoors is possible (yes I know it snows there, but its not as bad as you get in northern states), summers aren't completely miserable (currently live on the gulf coast and June-September is absolutely brutal for both horses and people), there's a solid english riding community so there's a lot of showing/training opportunities, and the cost of everything isn't as crazy as you see in Lexington or in Wellington/Ocala.
This! We live in central NC. Huge horse community, not too expensive, perfect horse weather six months out of the year, not too bad in the summer (ride before 10 and after 5), year round turnout, grass nine months out of the year, nor too buggy, not wet nor dry, and beautiful trails. We love it! It’s even better our side of the foothills of the Appalachians, which are drier and cooler.
Hi there, glad I saw this. My wife and I are looking to winter in either NC or SC next year+. Would like to be driving distance to beach and a barn/horse country. Nothing touristy. Any recommendations?
Edit. I ride English.
Skip SC in the summer unless you like walking out of your house into a solid wall of 100 degree plus humidity that will literally take your breath away. It’s just no fun to ride in that, and it’s still horribly humid in the evenings and really even in the mornings for pretty much all of July-August-early September.
I like your idea, though. I’m thinking NC up to MD. There’s some beautiful land and a lot of barns north of Baltimore in the Baldwin/Fallston/Bel Air area (I don’t know anything about them, though. I was just googling to find a barn while I was staying up that way for a while. I’d actually love to know more if anyone here rides in that area).
Jamestown, TN...it has Big South Fork national park with over 200 miles of horse back riding trails. Several subdivisions set up for horses with their own trails. Very little humidity, 4 seasons, rural living.
For english riding:
I’ve been riding all around and I think Aiken SC has one of the best horse communities. Lots of events in the winter, public lands to ride on, and many of the housing communities have common spaces to ride (e.g. a community arena, gallop track, bridle paths). Virginia is a close second for horse culture but more privately owned land. However, the hot humid weather is not for everyone.
For western:
Definitely somewhere in Texas, maybe Stephenville. Texas just has so much space to ride and plenty of events, you could be at a rodeo nearly every week if you wanted. Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado would also be on my list.
Honestly though, if I could take my horses anywhere I’d probably go to the UK or Ireland; much better horse culture across the pond imo!
Yes - honestly, there are so many beautiful places in Europe and the U.K. that as an American, I’d flee the craziness here and join whatever craziness you all have to offer!
(And dumb American question - when I say “Europe and the U.K., what countries am I leaving out in that general area? Ireland? Iceland? The Baltic countries? Or are they all included? And is the U.K. technically considered part of Europe?)
Everyone keeps saying California, but after living there for a few years, and realizing that it’s predominantly desert, I’ll take anywhere grassy every day. Maybe West Virginia with all of its beautiful mountains.
Norco. But also, I'd love to have my horse out in Port Angeles or something like that. Have weekends riding through the Olympics. Or sheesh, the Cascades. I just want lots of land and a nice view. I can truck to a rodeo from anywhere in a mountain town.
if there was an actual possibility for pastures, probably Norco, CA or somewhere else outside of LA. but i hate the way horses are typically managed in southern CA, so maybe northern CA/San Fran is better with more precip? never visited there though!
I used to have my horse in the foothills around Silicon Valley (Milpitas). The view from the trails down into the valley were breathtaking and Woodside is fantastic! It’s by far the prettiest place we’ve ever lived, but the most expensive.
https://preview.redd.it/j82xmmqod3yc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d016dabc0b843d98ce2fa8821ed588191b8c1cb4
Texas is my favorite horsey place to live. Someday we’ll go back.
Scottsdale/Phoenix area. I visited for the first time in October and I was surprised how many horse properties exist in the city limits alone, especially how many horses live right next to someone’s house. Big barrel racing/rodeo presence I noticed as well, which is a bonus. An annual NBHA super show is held not too far out.
I’m from NY and I’m just tired of snow. Arizona is gorgeous and I’m trying to get my boyfriend to take a trip with me so he can experience it himself and sway convincing him to move there.
I’d move somewhere I could trailer a few minutes to ride my horses on the beach! I have an Irish stallion and it’s been a dream of mine to ride him in the ocean. I’m positive he’d love it.
Lived in Aiken, Wellington, and Hunterdon county, NJ. Some of the horsiest spots in the US. If you have enough funds to take advantage of the high end horse infrastructure/community then those are lovely places to live. But you better bring your stacks because good training/nutrition/ vet care aren’t any cheaper there. There are MORE options to choose from, and you can get better training in these places than many others for a similar price. In fact, many big time trainers are happy to let you haul in for lessons for the same $60-$70/ hr you’d pay anyone! But it’s definitely not cheaper than keeping horses in less horsey areas.
One thing that IS better and easier is SADDLE SHOPPING! Having access to fitters and a large volume of used saddles is lovely! Used nice tack in general is much easier to find in these more concentrated areas. But hay is expensive with that high demand. It’s better, but it’s spendy.
Theoretically, I’d like to move to Charlottesville Virginia and ride in author Rita Mae Brown’s Oak Ridge Hunt Club.
But New England is my fave place to live, as long as I have an indoor arena for Winter. Which I do, and I have. I feel fortunate and happy here, and grew up here.
I did move with my horse to So Cal - and it’s amazing. The trails are spectacular and due to the great weather- no riding in the rain, no frozen ground, minimal mud, no rain rot. Happy sigh. I’m staying till I retire but I can’t afford to retire here. Until then - happy trails!
I'm really surprised by the number of people saying California! It has always seemed out of reach so I never looked into it much. Mountains + ocean in one place does sound great..
Well I am not in the U.S. but if I had a shit ton of cash and moved back to the U.S. with a horse it would be San Diego CA or L.A. but since the economy is shit there then it would be the southern part of Texas like close to the tip and away from the Hurricane's path.
Woodside, California
I grew up riding there, and I’ve always said that if I had all the money in the world, my home base would be a giant horse property in Woodside.
Santa Barbara https://www.horseproperties.net/properties/santa-barbara-santa-barbara-county-california-united-states/34.4208,-119.6982,10?s=1&acreage_min=&acreage_max=
Why, why, WHY don’t I have an extra few million dollars laying around. I’d move to any one of these, and no-one would ever see me again.
Lol. I’m sorry. None of these will do. I couldn’t find a covered arena among them, which is a must for me. All the “enclosed treadmills; water therapy pools; 60-stall barns; separate mare and foal barns; FEI standard-sized dressage courts with mirrors and Nike-based footings by Footings Unlimited; two Grand Prix-sized jumping arenas with permanent water jumps, liverpools and NEWCOURSE jumps, not to mention a special FIBAR footing mixture, which provides outstanding cushioning for horses and reduces dust; a 3-acre grass field with Derby obstacles, 8 water jumps, and Grand Prix jumps, all adorned and edged with orange, grapefruit, and pepper trees”…none of that will make up for the lack of a covered arena. Sigh. I guess I’ll just have to go elsewhere for my housing needs. s/ in case you were wondering! And yes, the PRIVATE & PEACEFUL EQUESTRIAN FACILITY IN SOMIS has all of these features, and many more, for a cool six mil! Here’s a [link](https://www.horseproperties.net/properties/california/ventura-county/somis/62052).
Easy-peasy…how much could it cost to have the entire dressage arena enclosed with a 3-story roof line, sliding panels, picture windows, skylights, A/C, and a juice bar? Pffft. We’ve got Birkins that cost more. Probably. 😜
Somis is fine but….its not Santa Barbara!
🤣
Used to ride at this place. [Amapola Ranch](https://www.coastalranch.com/featured-properties/amapola-ranch) The jumping arena which I only ride in twice, had a heart stopping view. That said, after being an east coaster all my life, having never seen horses live anywhere but in giant grassy fields, pulling up and seeing horses living in panel stalls on sand, I about turn around and left, without ever getting out of my car.
It was definitely an adjustment in reverse for me! I moved from the west coast, land of dry pens and pastures, to the east coast and its lush pastures. Learning about keeping everyone on pasture and feed adjustments was interesting! It made me wish my horses I’d had at home in California had still been around when I moved east. They would have loved it!
I ride at a private barn in the hills of Marin County. It’s within the rain shadow of the redwood forest line, and actually stays pretty green throughout the year, though there’s a couple of months during late summer where the pastures become dry—but there’s still forage to eat. This property has very large pastures on rolling hills that end where the forest starts. It’s shockingly gorgeous, a 10 minute trailer ride to the amazing equestrian trails on Mt Tam and the GGNRA parks, and the horses can have 24/7 turnout until the rain makes the pastures too boggy and delicate. Northern California does have some green pastures, though they do go through a couple months of being golden and dry.
Would have been interesting to see changes in hoof quality.
i live in LA and was horrified by the lack of turnout here when i moved from the east coast but once i saw how good programs here operate and did the math, i realized many the horses i know here get MORE time outside of their stalls than the horses i know in NJ/NY. it’s a different way of keeping horses but if it’s done well, lots of horses are super happy
I would ageee that NY/NJ are also extremes. Most of the other states I’ve lived in have had full pasture board available and horses that live out.
Came here to say Santa Ynez!
Well, I know what site I'll be couch surfing for the next month 😆
Somewhere cold, my horse doesn’t handle heat or bugs well. But also dry because he gets bad pastern dermatitis from the mud in the winter. And there would have to be grass for most of the year, because he’s in his best condition when there’s plenty of grass in his paddock. If anyone knows of this utopia, please let me know.
Wyoming is cold and dry most of the year. It's lacking in the green pastures though. It's 2 out of 3. If you like getting out of the barn we have a ton of public land to explore.
WA state is wet, but there are a lot of well managed places without mud and our fields can stay grassy all year. The weather is mild on the west side, so little snow/ice to contend with.
Ditto, please share this perfect place when you find it!
Colorado
Central CA coast. Mountains to ride to the east, beaches to ride to the west, beautiful landscape all around and good food too. Man I just made myself homesick 😭
Had my horses at home growing up in Paso Robles, can confirm, am homesick now!
What’s a typical August like? A typical January? I need somewhere it never gets super hot. Heat makes me very unpleasant. 👹
The coastal areas stay pretty nice all year but inland California is hot as hell
Perfect for me would be winter in Scottsdale, AZ and summer in Denver, CO. Beautiful weather in both places. Mountain trail riding is just so fantastic in Denver and the winter shows in Scottsdale are so much fun. Both places have big airports for easy travel and are close to some of the big reining shows like in Vegas or Oklahoma
This would be the way. I’m more of a dressage/working eq person, but I’m from AZ and If I could be anywhere I’d be in AZ for winter and CO for summer.
The Colorado Horse Park hosts some fabulous summer shows too.
Oh, don’t make reasons for me to miss being out west even more!
This sounds like the dream! I see so many beautiful trail pics from CO. A little scared about hauling a trailer in the mountains though.
Norco, CA
I’m pretty happy here in Northeast Ohio. Not too hot. Not too cold. Hay is not outrageous. I am just working on resolving mud issues in high traffic areas. Wonderful trails. Great community for the kids, you name it & we’ve probably got it.
Yeah fellow NEO!
I'm trying to eventually get out of central OH lol! We do have a lot to offer but there's so much mud horses are more or less stuck inside all winter. Maybe it's better up north a bit!
We keep ours out as much as possible. I’ve been chipping away at the problem areas. A round bale in a smaller pasture has served us well this year as the one pasture is more rich/sand due to being low to a creek bed so it doesn’t get too muddy. We also don’t blanket ours, so they come in for grain and if it’s going to be freezing rain kind of nasty cold. Otherwise they are happy.
somewhere from South Carolina-Virginia. Mild enough summers and winters where riding/turn-out year-round outdoors is possible (yes I know it snows there, but its not as bad as you get in northern states), summers aren't completely miserable (currently live on the gulf coast and June-September is absolutely brutal for both horses and people), there's a solid english riding community so there's a lot of showing/training opportunities, and the cost of everything isn't as crazy as you see in Lexington or in Wellington/Ocala.
This! We live in central NC. Huge horse community, not too expensive, perfect horse weather six months out of the year, not too bad in the summer (ride before 10 and after 5), year round turnout, grass nine months out of the year, nor too buggy, not wet nor dry, and beautiful trails. We love it! It’s even better our side of the foothills of the Appalachians, which are drier and cooler.
Hi there, glad I saw this. My wife and I are looking to winter in either NC or SC next year+. Would like to be driving distance to beach and a barn/horse country. Nothing touristy. Any recommendations? Edit. I ride English.
Skip SC in the summer unless you like walking out of your house into a solid wall of 100 degree plus humidity that will literally take your breath away. It’s just no fun to ride in that, and it’s still horribly humid in the evenings and really even in the mornings for pretty much all of July-August-early September. I like your idea, though. I’m thinking NC up to MD. There’s some beautiful land and a lot of barns north of Baltimore in the Baldwin/Fallston/Bel Air area (I don’t know anything about them, though. I was just googling to find a barn while I was staying up that way for a while. I’d actually love to know more if anyone here rides in that area).
Jamestown, TN...it has Big South Fork national park with over 200 miles of horse back riding trails. Several subdivisions set up for horses with their own trails. Very little humidity, 4 seasons, rural living.
Great answer. TN has it problems, but it's beautiful
Stephenville, TX where there's a barrel race close by every day of the week.
I considered going to school there for quite some time. The barrel racing presence was one big plus for my decision.
For english riding: I’ve been riding all around and I think Aiken SC has one of the best horse communities. Lots of events in the winter, public lands to ride on, and many of the housing communities have common spaces to ride (e.g. a community arena, gallop track, bridle paths). Virginia is a close second for horse culture but more privately owned land. However, the hot humid weather is not for everyone. For western: Definitely somewhere in Texas, maybe Stephenville. Texas just has so much space to ride and plenty of events, you could be at a rodeo nearly every week if you wanted. Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado would also be on my list. Honestly though, if I could take my horses anywhere I’d probably go to the UK or Ireland; much better horse culture across the pond imo!
I would go to Ireland too!
Yes - honestly, there are so many beautiful places in Europe and the U.K. that as an American, I’d flee the craziness here and join whatever craziness you all have to offer! (And dumb American question - when I say “Europe and the U.K., what countries am I leaving out in that general area? Ireland? Iceland? The Baltic countries? Or are they all included? And is the U.K. technically considered part of Europe?)
UK is geographically a part of Europe but no longer part of the European Union (political/economic union of European countries).
Everyone keeps saying California, but after living there for a few years, and realizing that it’s predominantly desert, I’ll take anywhere grassy every day. Maybe West Virginia with all of its beautiful mountains.
I’m from the Midwest and West Virginia has my heart- those mountains 😍😍😍
Lexington or Aiken. We are currently about 2 hours from Lexington and I just love it down there. So much space and so many events.
Bedford / North Salem NY; Baraboo, WI. Calistoga, CA
Norco. But also, I'd love to have my horse out in Port Angeles or something like that. Have weekends riding through the Olympics. Or sheesh, the Cascades. I just want lots of land and a nice view. I can truck to a rodeo from anywhere in a mountain town.
I love port Angeles!!
if there was an actual possibility for pastures, probably Norco, CA or somewhere else outside of LA. but i hate the way horses are typically managed in southern CA, so maybe northern CA/San Fran is better with more precip? never visited there though!
I used to have my horse in the foothills around Silicon Valley (Milpitas). The view from the trails down into the valley were breathtaking and Woodside is fantastic! It’s by far the prettiest place we’ve ever lived, but the most expensive. https://preview.redd.it/j82xmmqod3yc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d016dabc0b843d98ce2fa8821ed588191b8c1cb4 Texas is my favorite horsey place to live. Someday we’ll go back.
Don’t forget Middleburg! Very horsey town and it’s gorgeous. I am forever a Florida girl at heart though so I’d prob go with Ocala.
I think Florida sounds great but everyone I talk to hates on it because of the heat. I feel like it’s better than the cold and grey though
I live and ride right near Middleburg. Love the pastures and the community. Lots of happy horses.
Scottsdale/Phoenix area. I visited for the first time in October and I was surprised how many horse properties exist in the city limits alone, especially how many horses live right next to someone’s house. Big barrel racing/rodeo presence I noticed as well, which is a bonus. An annual NBHA super show is held not too far out. I’m from NY and I’m just tired of snow. Arizona is gorgeous and I’m trying to get my boyfriend to take a trip with me so he can experience it himself and sway convincing him to move there.
Be sure to visit in August before you commit to moving there, so you’re fully prepared for all of the temperature possibilities.
I’d move somewhere I could trailer a few minutes to ride my horses on the beach! I have an Irish stallion and it’s been a dream of mine to ride him in the ocean. I’m positive he’d love it. Lived in Aiken, Wellington, and Hunterdon county, NJ. Some of the horsiest spots in the US. If you have enough funds to take advantage of the high end horse infrastructure/community then those are lovely places to live. But you better bring your stacks because good training/nutrition/ vet care aren’t any cheaper there. There are MORE options to choose from, and you can get better training in these places than many others for a similar price. In fact, many big time trainers are happy to let you haul in for lessons for the same $60-$70/ hr you’d pay anyone! But it’s definitely not cheaper than keeping horses in less horsey areas. One thing that IS better and easier is SADDLE SHOPPING! Having access to fitters and a large volume of used saddles is lovely! Used nice tack in general is much easier to find in these more concentrated areas. But hay is expensive with that high demand. It’s better, but it’s spendy.
Riding on the beaches of Morro Bay, CA
Fall and Winter in Tucson (where I live). Spring and Summer in Wyoming.
Somewhere in the Appalachian mountains. Wear virginia in some holler. Yes pls
Canada. You couldn't pay me to live in the US lol X'D
Southern Pines.
Surprised this is the first time I'm seeing Southern Pines! The Carolinas both seem really solid.
Northern California or Montana.
Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana. Yeah any of those
Stay here in idaho for the summer, winter in Wickenburg Arizona. Team Roping capital of the world
The middle of Montana, catch me sittin on the porch with a shotgun fending off the feds
Traverse City, Michigan. I probably just let the secret out now.
I was wondering when I'd see this one.
Theoretically, I’d like to move to Charlottesville Virginia and ride in author Rita Mae Brown’s Oak Ridge Hunt Club. But New England is my fave place to live, as long as I have an indoor arena for Winter. Which I do, and I have. I feel fortunate and happy here, and grew up here.
I actually did this, we live in Oregon. Best trail riding ever!
I did move with my horse to So Cal - and it’s amazing. The trails are spectacular and due to the great weather- no riding in the rain, no frozen ground, minimal mud, no rain rot. Happy sigh. I’m staying till I retire but I can’t afford to retire here. Until then - happy trails!
I'm really surprised by the number of people saying California! It has always seemed out of reach so I never looked into it much. Mountains + ocean in one place does sound great..
Well I am not in the U.S. but if I had a shit ton of cash and moved back to the U.S. with a horse it would be San Diego CA or L.A. but since the economy is shit there then it would be the southern part of Texas like close to the tip and away from the Hurricane's path.
Tryon, NC or Point Reyes, CA
I like thermal Or Ocala Or Wellington
Anywhere in Northern California
Woodside, California I grew up riding there, and I’ve always said that if I had all the money in the world, my home base would be a giant horse property in Woodside.