My retiree is currently at a barn a mile from my house. Not my backyard exactly, but close.
It’s kind of urban.
2 Likes
OMG I love the arena. How cool.
To be fair, ~$2m list price seems sadly reasonable for this property compared to what other nonsense i’ve been seeing in CA since I left during the pandemic.
This feels like 2018 / 2019 prices - but I don’t have a good idea of how remote this exact property feels in reality. I’m shocked such small acreage of 1.16 is zoned for horses (plural). Rule of thumb from Pony Club in NJ was 2 acres for first horse and 1 acre for each additional horse, but I venture to say that’s for grazing management, which is irrelevant for the property …
This nails exactly my issue with SoCal & the points you made about becoming fond of the Santa Rosa Valley. Those trees / that lawn is pretty much impossible south of LA proper.
Can you tell my ideal life is winter in CA and summer in the PNW?
1 Like
That’s not remote, it’s just over the hill from Thousand Oaks and in the thick of horse suburbia, everyone will have a horse or two in the backyard. You are maybe 5-10 miles from Elvenstar. Tierra Rejada, Fieldstone, Edelweiss, Classic and all the other facilities off Tierra Rejada Road. Also from the short 23 freeway which connects the 101 to the 118. You will have access to anything from feed deliveries to surgical suites to former Olympians offering training. For non Olympic disciplines the Karen Healey stables was nearby for years and many of her former assistants are still in the area. So much development has happened there that I do not know if there are still trails available but there were years ago and some of those developed areas have deeded equestrian trails also.
The other horse area in Moorpark is north of town around Happy Camp Rd and to the west of that. It is a little more remote and rural and also nicer I think. Most places have trail access there and many people keep horses at home. It’s only 20-30 minutes so easy drive for lessons etc.
2 Likes
super helpful! I’ve really only ever spent much time near where Georges Bittar is / Hansen Dam etc. The kids / juniors at my old LA barn would go up to Elvenstar for camps and such, never the AAs so I must have tuned out 
I have no specific interest of ever keeping horses at home (we travel a fair amount internationally and my partner and I have obligations in South LA county due to family rather often) and don’t currently own so less concern there about properties with a horse or two in the yard.
The access to excellent programs in a very horsey area are intriguing, as well as the generally more reasonable housing prices than Encinitas for sure - something I’ll bring up in the housing conversation.
I do have to balance that with in-laws location in South LA County (in their 70s and in generally good health, but the aging process is very real, and we are the responsible adult kids of the lot) & working preferences. Who knows, either one of us can be pulled back to SF/ Bay Area or abroad for work at some point as well. 
Board is cheap enough up there I would never buy a 2M home unless you desperately want to keep them at home and have the flexibility to do so. My good friends retired horse is pasture boarded in Moorpark for under $400/mo and they take great care of him. You CAN pay for really expensive training board but there is no real need to, there are so many good professionals and so many boarding options that most people opt out unless they are in the kind of situation where you show all the time.
Convince the inlaws to move to the beach side of Camarillo or Oxnard? It is a retiree paradise there.
1 Like
yeah my reason for asking about turnout isn’t for a current horse or a retiree, but a principle that I am strong feeling about that horses are healthier and happier with turn out (mentally, emotionally, and physically).
I grew up with horses on min of 12 hr turn out 24/7 365 days a year in NJ and those critters were so mentally balanced and lasted well into late 20s still working.
hahaha I wish - they’re old Palos Verdes family. They’ll have to be removed from their Eagles Nest with the Force of something well beyond me…
1 Like
There is no need for them to be in a stall in So Cal almost ever imho. It is dry and warm and there are no flies to speak of comparatively. It seems most long time residents use pipe corrals or paddocks with a covered area instead of stalls. I think stalls are for the humans not the horses.
Wolfe Canyon Ranch is another one in that area that offers daily turnout (I think for a fee and not 12 hours) and also has nice pasture board and many trails on the property + all the higher end amenities. I think it is technically Thousand Oaks and not Moorpark. Nice place, very peaceful.
2 Likes
Agreed - stalls in SoCal make 0 sense. Wolfe Canyon Ranch - wow that’s a nice property!!!
@Turntable
Still trails throughout that horsey neighborhood off E Las Posas and Santa Rosa Road. And you can cross under SRR via the arroyo or use the horse crossing and ride up into the hills.
@mika0116 I get the PV thing and the distance as I drive from Torrance near the 405 to my horse in the SRV. And my dad, at 94, is likewise ensconced in PV.
Is the PC acreage partially related to grazing? Because we have no grass.
@both Totally agree there’s bo need for horses to be inside in this climate. A nice big area with a roof somewhere is fine.
I have a fondness for the Conejo Valley as I learned to ride out there many years ago when there were far fewer houses.
1 Like
