wanting to relocate to Boise Idaho with several Arabian sport horses and Arabian xPonies.
Need to know what the area overall is really like for horses. I’m coming from central Florida so expect the weather will be drastically different. I understand that inversion can be a big problem in certain areas. I would like to avoid any known areas around diary farms too. Hay? Feed suppliers? Horse events? Vets? anything you can share would be appreciated. The few contacts I’ve made have been disappointing not very informative or welcoming.
[QUOTE=sportponies4U;8633596]
wanting to relocate to Boise Idaho with several Arabian sport horses and Arabian xPonies.
Need to know what the area overall is really like for horses. I’m coming from central Florida so expect the weather will be drastically different. I understand that inversion can be a big problem in certain areas. I would like to avoid any known areas around diary farms too. Hay? Feed suppliers? Horse events? Vets? anything you can share would be appreciated. The few contacts I’ve made have been disappointing not very informative or welcoming.[/QUOTE]
Hi, my name is Clayton Clark and I am a Realtor® in the Boise area. I am not going to blow a bunch of smoke, I don’t know a ton about horses and I haven’t rode one since I was 4. But I do know the Boise area very well. I don’t have the horse knowledge but I know horse people and have resources. We have lots of horse owners and a lot of horse properties here in the Treasure Valley. There are places all over to ride your horses with all types of different terrain.
The weather is great most of the time, we peak out in the summer at around 104 degrees and around -2 in the winter. For the most part we hang between 35 and 95 degrees(and it’s dry air, so the cold isn’t as cold and the hot not as hot as your use to with the humidity).
You can find hay just about anywhere and there are lots of horse events. If you are in need of a farrier, I know a great guy that does great work (he just happens to be selling his 50 acre horse property). When your ready I can get you some reference for some equine vets.
If I can help you find your new home in Idaho I would love to help, if you have any other questions let me know!
I too live in Boise.
Yes, there are a lot of horse properties. In Boise, Meridian and Eagle (two close towns both about 20 minutes from downtown Boise) prices are higher and horse properties are getting fewer. Just 15-25 miles away in Kuna, Nampa and Caldwell, prices are lower and there is some less development. I can’t really address the feed supply issues. I only have one horse and board. My barn grows their own hay. Alfalfa is the primary hay although I think over the last few years, more people are growing at least a grass/alfalfa mix. My barn’s hay is a grass/alfalfa mix. I think Eastern Oregon grows more grass hay which wouldn’t be too expensive to ship in. Usually hay is plentiful if we have a good water year. Most of the valley is irrigated from reservoirs and therefore relies on getting good snow in the surrounding mountains. This year looks the water supply looks good.
We have the Ford Idaho Horsepark in Nampa as the primary show venue. A really nice facility and I believe the Arabian Sporthorse Nationals rotate through that facility every other year. I haven’t had Arabs for quite a while and haven’t shown either so I am kind of out of the loop on that. There seems to be a good supply of vets. Most are independent operators but there is Idaho Equine Hospital also, right by the Horsepark in Nampa which is a referral center and has surgery facilities.
The inversion to which you speak can be yucky. It varies and this year we did not have anything prolonged. Last summer, the smoke from fires in Washington, Oregon and Idaho was ghastly. This seems to be getting commonplace in the summer, particularly in August but unfortunately, the Treasure Valley seems to be the bottom of a big funnel and all the yuck can get stuck in the valley up against the mountains. Otherwise, the weather is really nice. I have lived here for all of my 60 years. In the winter, I would say, if you have a show string and want to work year round an indoor arena or at least a covered arena would be advisable. Usually December, January and February the footing is not good. A lot of freeze/thaw cycles. You might be OK with an outdoor arena with good footing and magnesium chloride treatment although we do have a few dips below 10 degrees in the winter. I consider the weather quite moderate. Low humidity…I don’t think I could survive in the south:no:, with four distinct seasons. Annual rainfall is about 12-13 inches…yes ANNUAL. This is considered high desert so summer is high and dry. Back to relying on the snowfall in the mountains to get us through the summer.
Dairy farms are dotted all over the valley so you would just have to have your realtor do the legwork to avoid close proximity.
I hope that answers a few of your questions. It is a very different environment. The western disciplines far outnumber the English one’s but we do have some very good dressage and jumping instructors.
Susan
I live near Boise and came from Southern California 12 years ago. If you are from Florida you are going to hate the winters here. The sun doesn’t shine much in the winter and the inversions are the most depressing thing I’ve ever experienced, I would have never came here if I new about them. Water heaters in troughs! I didn’t even know they existed lol. frozen hoses frozen ground I even had a horse slip on ice and break his leg. The horse population of quality horses compared to CA and FL is null.
Hay is bought directly from the grower so you better check it out real good most people don’t cover their hay.
I have met some really wonderful people here but beware most don’t like people from out of State.
I don’t mean to be so negative but if I had to do it over again I would have stayed South where it doesn’t freeze and I would have gone to a place that has more Sport Horse people.
We live near Kuna, 25 minutes from downtown Boise. We have eventers. This is a good climate for horses. Ours mostly live outside, even our international level horses and they do very well here. You will find that the bug problems you experience in FL are practically non existent here. The spiders are tiny here and few are dangerous. There are no gators in the water puddles either.
You won’t need to de humidify your tack room to keep your stuff from molding. Horses don’t get rain rot here. Feed is relatively inexpensive as is board, if you don’t keep your horses at home. We have real hills that you can ride up and down and the views are something else!
The local horse shows range from low key fun days to serious situations, so you should be able to find what works for you. We travel a lot to compete the big time horses, but our youngsters find enough to do locally. The Veterinarians are good as are the farriers. Pick what works for your level of horses.
[QUOTE=sportponies4U;8633596]
wanting to relocate to Boise Idaho with several Arabian sport horses and Arabian xPonies.
Need to know what the area overall is really like for horses. I’m coming from central Florida so expect the weather will be drastically different. I understand that inversion can be a big problem in certain areas. I would like to avoid any known areas around diary farms too. Hay? Feed suppliers? Horse events? Vets? anything you can share would be appreciated. The few contacts I’ve made have been disappointing not very informative or welcoming.[/QUOTE]
How many horses and ponies?
Greetings ! Sorry about the delay in my response. Due to some life altering changes looks like I won’t be able to relocate any time soon. Just wish to get as far away from Florida as possible since I am totaly isolated here and have no friends. My only family is my daughter and 3 grandchildren.
