Have seen this discussed but nothing recent and a lot has changed. What is the best place to live that is reasonable for homes and land (think $250K) to own 3 or so acres and a small barn?
Currently in Tucson AZ. Still not terribly expensive compared to Phoenix AZ but rising fantastically. Growth is unreal here but yet we have no water. Water crisis has led to hay prices sky rocketing. We have looked at South East Indiana, near KY and OH triangle. What other places should we consider? Only catch is by an airport for the career.
NC, near Tryon? No idea about pricing but itâs starting to look like horse heaven.
What do you mean when you say âbest climate?â Because, as clearly demonstrated here in previous discussions of this type, we at COTH have hugely divergent opinions on desirable climate.
Ditto "affordability, which is also in the eye of the beholder. A person coming from a high cost of living area has a decidedly different perspective on property prices than one coming from a low cost of living area.
When I was relocating several years ago, I looked across much of the southeastern US. I ended up drawing a big circle around far western North Carolina, northwestern Georgia, and southeast Tennessee because, for me, the climate was desirable and there was still affordable property available in some areas within the circle. Then I looked a lot closer within that circle.
Also, how close do you want to be to horse shows and horse professionals? Because finding best climate + affordability + easy access to horse-related services isnât that easy. At least it wasnât on my budget.
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I live in a region of North America that is affordable and cost effective, but Iâm not sure people would like the climate. There are many people here who can make virtually nothing and afford a horse. That said, the climate requires a certain disposition since it is like a tundra biome (long, dark winters that are unbearably cold).
I lived in the west and the board was reasonable, but the cost of living was unreasonable. When I lived in the south, the board was doable and the cost of living was doable. Not a fan of the climate, but I felt I could deal with it for the most part.
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Too many variables to answer this question simply.
Do you want four seasons?
Which season is your favorite? Which one do you hate?
How lofty are your competition goals, if you have them?
What type of competition do you do?
What sort of recreational riding (if any) is important to you?
What sort of lifestyle do you enjoy outside of horses? In the woods or in the city?
Can you get by with average farriers, vets, etc or is your expectation that youâll have ready access to high-end specialists with more than 1 to choose from?
What kind of hay do you feed/want to feed?
Whatâs your ideal horsekeeping? On good grass 9 months of the year or managed in dry lots?
See where Iâm headed?
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Queensland Australia.
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As others have said, it depends upon your definition of a âgoodâ climate. 4 seasons? Summer all year round? Never above 70 degrees? Those are all different areas.
Also, 3 acres may constitute a horse facility in the west (where pasture/grazing isnât really an option), but youâd be unlikely to find anything resembling a horse property on such a small lot here in the southeast. So, again, your expectations will play a huge role in what works best for you. Here, our general rule is 1-3 acres per horse of pasture - the actual property would need to be larger to account for house, yard, barn, arena, etc.
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3 acres on the east coast, unless you are down in south Florida, is really very small, especially if you are counting house, driveway, arena, etc in that amount of land.
Aiken SC has some equestrian communities that have 3-5 acre mini farms with communal arena access. Some of them used to be in that budget, but I donât know about now.
Many of the places people consider to have wonderful weather also are very expensive. Tryon NC is super expensive compared to 5-7 years ago. Southern Pines also is very expensive. Wellington, well most canât touch that market with a 10 foot pole. Ocala is still comparatively low cost but itâs quickly rising; prices have doubled to tripled in the past year and a half.
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If you want grass, youâll likely need to come to FL
Not to sound like a Negative Nancy, but one thing I learned the hard way is that affordable land does not always equal affordable horse ownership.
Areas where land is dirt cheap often are very limited in horse services, which can drive up cost for you in some instances. Hefty farm call fees, the need to trailer hours away for other services, the expense of trucking in hay and feed from afar, etc.
Just something to keep in mindâŠ
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I think thatâs a tough expectation if you want to be within a hour of a larger city and access to premium horse amenities. If you donât need/want access to big name trainers or have to be near a large city, I think that upstate south carolina, northern georgia, and western north carolina could be very viable. If you get near Atlanta, Greenville, Tryon (small but $$$), etc. there is not a snowballs chance of finding a home on 3 acres for $250k, much less horse infrastructure. However, if you get about a hour to a hour and a half outside of the big hot zones, prices come down a good bit. If you do not mind rural rural, the GA/SC border can be a great option because you are a hour and a half from Atlanta or the Tryon area but cost of living should be really low. Tennessee could also have some great options if you get away from the bigger cities. Florida kind of sucks unless you live right in the equestrian hot zones and then you would struggle to find 3 acres of raw land for that price. Alabama is also a very economical state but you may miss some of the benefits that come with Tuscon like quality healthcare.
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Best climate for horses is not necessarily what a lot of people would consider âbestâ.
In my case, i hate humidity as do all of my animalsâŠand yet, we live in miserable Missouri. Property is pretty affordable here and for that money âŠif you wanted to be 2 hrs from St.Louis you could get a lot more land than 3 acres:
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1672-Lakeview-Dr_Owensville_MO_65066_M79195-60613
You are comparing an entire state (Al) to a city (Tucson). Maybe compare Birmingham to Tucson and youâll find healthcare to be on par.
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TN is a great option, although real estate costs are booming here at the moment.
Four distinct seasons, 9-10 months of growing pasture depending on where you are in TN, pockets of horse communities throughout the state, low property taxes, and no personal income tax.
Fairly mild winters, although we got hammered with at least 6â of snow yesterday and our high will be less than 30* today. The good news is it will all be gone by Monday.
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That property looks like a gem but what 1986 advance-wheel camera is the agent using? Yeesh⊠every pic of the house is blurry, smeary, out of focus. A six year old phone takes better pictures. Sorry, just a rant. The land looks AMAZING. The house looks dated but cute.
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Tryon is 90 minutes from the nearest major airport (CLT). I wish that werenât the case!
Yeah, photos are awful! Wonder if thatâs intentional? Perhaps not, my realtor took crappy photos of the house i was trying to sell. I took my own and made him use mine instead. The thing about an old dated house is it hasnât suffered a bunch of revisions. Youâre pretty-much starting with a clean slate. Iâm surprised itâs been on the market for 2 1/2 months. But, prices are low here, so maybe people are looking for something less âexpensiveâ. Itâd make a good horse property.
Southern Michigan. But as almost everyone has mentioned, there are too many variables to your question and your wishes.
You canât get that same house on a teeny city lot here 
It does look like it would make good horse property, and I love that itâs flat. What kind of soil do you guys have in that area? I saw a pending listing for a big barn with attached living quarters, barndominium style, on a lot of land.
Figured Iâd add it. That price? My god. You couldnât touch that much land with power and water to it already and an existing structure for double. I may aim retirement toward YOUR area 
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Owensville is cattle or farmland. Iâm 30 mi North, our land is fertile and our hay is excellent. PH is perfect, limestone substrate offsets all the fallen oakleaves.
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