Advice Needed, Tennesse/Kentucky Area Relocation

[Vagabond]

My SO and I are hoping to move into our own home in the next year or so. I am currently a professional in the Western US (admittedly staying undercover so I can do some research without needlessly freaking out my clients - I can’t guarantee that we’d relocate), but given the current prices of homes and travel distance required for UL events, we’ve been focusing our search in the areas of Tennessee, Kentucky, as well as bordering areas in other states (Va, Nc, Sc, Ga).

What are the best cities to search near? Area’s to avoid? I don’t plan on running my own training facility, but would like to have property for my own horses. What’s the going rate for training and lessons in that area, and are there facilities that would welcome a trainer? Facilities to avoid (you can DM me)?

Basically, any intel you might have for a newcomer would be appreciated! Cost of living, access to top quality veterinarians and farriers, ground conditions, anything at all!

PS My SO has the luxury of working from home, so direct access to civilization is not necessary. Main requirement would be having access to clients and training facilities. I’m currently driving 10-24 hours to get to most events, so also keep in mind that 6-7 hrs to get places with good courses is not going to put me off.

TIA!!!

[Thekrakensbride]

The obvious choices in KY are Louisville and Lexington. Cost of living is generally pretty low though land prices can vary from county to county. You can find farm properties in pretty much all of the surrounding counties of both cities.

Lessons generally range from $45-100/hr depending on the trainers credentials. Training varies from trainer to trainer but generally starts around $1200/month for full training and $45/50 per individual ride. Lots of great event venues between both cities - KY Horse Park, Masterson Station, Hoosier Horse Park, Flying Cross, etc. Can get to most events easily under 3hrs, the odd further away ones being 6-8 (Virginia HT, anything in the Carolinas etc.)

Lots of great farm vets as well as the two big clinics in Lexington - Rood and Riddle and Hagyard.

This is a good resource for events/clinics/schooling shows in the area and should be helpful to get an idea of farms/venues. A lot of good contacts listed here also for farms/trainers - http://www.coveredbridgepc.org/Show%20Calendar.htm

I would also look at the Area 8 and KHJA facebook groups, there’s also groups for Lexington Area Equine, Cincinatti Area Equine, and Oldham County KY Equine (this one covers Louisville).

[Potato]

I live in Lexington. There’s top tier vets, farriers, and every sort of equine professional that you could want. There are monthly events at the Kentucky Horse Park from April-October (highest level is intermediate at some, preliminary at others), and then some in Louisville (Flying Cross Farm HT). Footing wise - mostly clay, hard in the summer when its dry, and wet/heavy in the winter when wet. Winters are not unbearably cold at all, but it’s undoable to keep a horse fit without at least an outdoor - it simply gets too muddy to reliably ride on grass. Most competing professionals go to Aiken or Ocala for December-March/April.

Lexington has plenty of 5* experienced trainers. Currently, there’s: Cathy Weischoff, Clark Montgomery, Waylon Roberts, Liz Halliday Sharp (summer season only, starting 2020 supposedly), Dorothy Crowell nearby towards Frankfort. There’s also plenty of advanced level trainers as well: Jenny Caras, Jenn O’Neill, Ashley Kehoe, and Elissa Gibbs to name a few.

There is a lack of upper level XC schooling in the area. It’s an easy-ish (8hr) drive to Aiken, 11ish to Ocala, 6 to Virginia Horse center, 3 to River Glen, 4-5 to Tryon, 6 to Chatt Hills, 8ish to Poplar and Pine Top. So there’s no shortage of events to travel to in an easy days drive, but it’s not as easy as if you lived in Aiken for example.

Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions!

[Texarkana]

Hmm… I lived in and around Nashville, TN for over 11 years. While I love the area, I found it very frustrating for eventing and horse ownership in general. Others disagree, I’m sure. But for the population, the eventing resources are limited.

If eventing specifically is a big consideration, I think you’d be happier investigating Lexington… or even branching into places like Middleburg or Charlottesville, VA or the Carolinas.

[Mango20]

I think if I were looking to be 6-7 hours from the most upper level events, I’d move to the Charlottesville, VA area. I looked into it a lot because I once applied for a job there, but did not get it. You’d be 3-5 hours away from all the events in N. VA, MD and SE PA, as well as Tryon, NC. You’d be pretty close to the VA Horse Center, and events in TN/KY would probably still be within your travel window.

[AskMyAccountant.17]

I did a similar analysis a few years ago before my move and had Lexington and Nashville on my list. I ended up in Atlanta. Definitely less in terms of number of trainers, but my analysis revolved more around # of upper-level events within a few hours. Within 4 hours I have Aiken, Chatt Hills, Poplar, Pine Top, Tryon, and Ocala and Virginia are about 8. I get to Aiken about every other weekend in the Spring which is such an easy drive, and the trainer I haul to has an Advanced/Olympic record. Plus, Phillip comes about every 6 weeks. The city also has a lot to offer.

We do have a little mecca of eventers in my suburb of the city, so it’s been a great community to network with. I would say in rural Georgia the housing/land market is certainly cheaper than farther north on the east coast, though I’ve been trying to convince my parents to move here for years, and they’re against the high property taxes.

I would say that depending on your lifestyle the city is fairly progressive. My general opinion is that within the perimeter those that live in Atlanta, love Atlanta. I’d include myself in that group, though I just moved outside of the perimeter to be closer to the barn and commute in.

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

I lived about an hour from Lexington, KY and it was the closest to eventing paradise as I have ever been. So many options for vets, farriers, bodyworkers, etc You are not to far from a ton of events. an easier one day drive to Ocala or Aiken

Then my husband’s job had us move to TN…my overall quality of life is better, cost of living is better, my actual farm is better, but I am more limited on vets/farriers/bodywork/trainers etc

If you are looking to set up a business you may find less competition in TN?

TN has no state income tax, TN (at least my county) has significantly less expensive vehicle registration.

I could go on all day back and forth about the two…feel free to message me if you like

[RizenPhoenix09]

I lived in Northern VA most of my life and loved how easy it was to get to an event and to find places to school. VA, MD, PA, KY, NC, etc are all pretty doable from that region. Plus there are so many top-flight trainers to work with that no matter what level you ride at you can find someone above you to continue your training. However, the cost of living is outrageous.

I have been located in middle TN for four years now (Nashville) and while this is a different region there is a strong and amazing eventing community here. There are not a ton of trainers (the Hoos are based here as are a few other upper-level trainers/instructors) so the market is not over-filled for someone who would want to build their client base. We do not have a lot of venues but with the KY horse park and many others within 3 or so hours we are not that far away from all the excitement. It would be fantastic to have another trainer/instructor in this area to add to the roster and to open up more options. The cost of living is not insane and the people are pretty great in my experience.

The cost of lessons can be anywhere from $25 to $100+ depending on if a barn brings someone in to teach from outside. It seems like for the average joe the price hovers in the $35-$40 range with riders who have a better background starting around $60 and going up. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

That is my .02 cents.

[Vagabond]

Thank you all! Great advice, lots of good information to consider! Appreciate it!