Hi there! We are in Upperville and it is unbelievably beautiful and a fantastic horsey lifestyle yet quite reasonably accessible to everything. I highly highly recommend anywhere in this area, Middleburg, The Plains, etc, we have quite a few friends who live out here and commute to Dc and surrounds
1 Like
I lived in Ashburn VA and went to DC every other week, my commute was anywhere from 2hr to 4 hrs. That was approx 32 miles long.
LA traffic is easier than DC traffic. Do not trust Google and factor in toll cost as well. Traffic is better since Covid but it’s still wild at rush hour.
You say rent prices don’t matter, but what’s available and not an apartment is $$$.
If you will be at the navy yard, either live in MD or DC and then you commute out to see your horse if you have a flexible schedule.
5 Likes
You might like the Poolesville, Dickerson, Boyds area of Montgomery County, It is in the agricultural reserve so much more open space than many other areas close to DC. The trip into DC can be eased by either the MARC train or Metro.
For you there are tons of good barns, vets, farriers, etc., good riding trails, shows and events very close by. For trails in Boyds there is the EPIC trail system https://epicmontgomery.org/), and also close by are the Little Bennett Park trails (https://montgomeryparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Little-Bennett_a11y.pdf) and the Woodstock Equestrian Park trails (https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/woodstock-equestrian-special-park/woodstock-equestrian-park-trails/) (both of which your SO could also run on) as well as tons of local trails around various farms. I lease a horse who is boarded in Boyds and from our farm we can go onto the EPIC trails and local farm fields and ride for 10 or more miles without crossing our tracks (it is also part of Potomac Hunt’s territory).
For your SO the C&O canal trial is close by, as are other trails in local parks and it is not too far to the Appalachian trail (he can check out trails on alltrails.com). Paddleboarding on the Potomac and in some nearby lakes.
The area is $$$$.
2 Likes
I knew someone who commuted to D.C. (usually downtown, sometimes the Navy Yard or Fort McNair) from Fredericksburg, it took 2 1/2 hours each way, and on a snowy day, or rainy, it was worse.
The woman I worked with who lived in the upper panhandle of Maryland, was in a 4 person carpool, and all of them kept an overnight bag in their office, and those days where the snow or ice started and if it was going to be bad driving, they stayed at a nice hotel near work. Their commute was about 2 hours each way.
If you need high speed internet, and good cell service, try it out at the house you’re looking at. The cable company can tell you if they serve a specific address, and I believe no one else. I had cable/internet where I lived from the cable company, but a block over they had to get satellite dishes for everything, and bad cell reception. Cell service I check at the house, inside and front and back yard.
2 Likes
Thanks all, interesting range of responses on commuting! I think we are going to focus on some of those areas and surroundings for now and see how it goes. Being closer to the bay and coast is appealing as does keeping everything on the same side of downtown. It sounds like there are more farms and open space in the western shore than I thought.
If we do end up further out looks like W or SW is the way to go. although I do plan to check the area I_dratherbe suggested as that sounds ideal, if we can afford it.
Brandywine would be a good choice there are a several good barns out there. I would also suggest Montgomery County, I live in Darnestown area. So could taken the MARC train/metro to Navy Yard the days they go in. I’m close to Sugarloaf Mountain which has nice hiking, the C&O Canal has some good hiking like the Billy Goat Trail and it’s easy enough to get out to hiking spots in Harpers Ferry, WVA. Montgomery County, Howard County are very equine friendly with several top notch hunter/jumper barns.
Regarding trails in the DC metro area - this guide, albeit 12 years old, may be quite helpful.
One thing to keep in mind - in the DC area we use the term “trail” for many paved multi use trails that are almost certainly NOT what he is interested in. For example, the Custis, Mount Vernon, W&OD, and Capital Crescent trails are all called “trails” but each is paved and at times heavily populated by cyclists, runners, families walking, etc. They are great to run on if you focus on road races/marathons, but likely not the preferred option for someone who enjoys trail running.
I’m told that Rock Creek Park in DC has a nice selection of actual trails (I don’t run on them because I am an asphalt princess).
In addition to the link I provided above, the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club will also be a good resource in planning out what is available. I see that their site includes a page dedicated to trails in the greater DC area - that page will likely be of great use to you.
2 Likes
If you are looking for good show barns, or anything approaching it, do not go east of DC out to PG county (Upper Marlboro/Brandywine). There’s really not much there.
Would strongly suggest Leesburg VA area or Poolesville MD. Have kept horses in both places, and they are the easiest to get in/out of the city from the west. Tons of great local and rated shows at Morven Park in Leesburg, close proximity to Upperville/Middleburg, and it gets real rural real fast when you head west. Lots of great room for the husband to run.
Just to be clear, this poster was commuting from Loudoun to MoCo, not Loudoun to DC. The beltway loses a lane going into Maryland, the traffic at that choke point is awful at all times. You don’t need to do that to get into DC.
1 Like
I may not understand the names of the areas. Some posters above said that the PG Equestrian Center was near there and has shows and that there is a lot of showing either an hour or so. Are there two areas/ counties with that name in different states? (I have been confused by that one already!)
As far as a show barn, I am not looking for the traditional full training show barn, no. I do my own schooling on the flat and I do my own care at shows. I also need very little handholding at shows, as a dressage rider I often just go alone or with a friend anyway. I would like to take over fences lessons and possibly show with a trainer / meet them at shows but strictly a la carte. Boarding wise the most important thing to me is good care + nice footing to ride year round + hacking access off the property.
Sent you a PM
I don’t live in that area, but I’m pretty sure you won’t have issue finding that.
Check out the classifieds in Maryland’s horse publication, the Equiery:
The listings certainly aren’t comprehensive of what’s available, but there are two pages of ads for boarding barns throughout the state to get you started with your search.
2 Likes
Wherever you wind up (or to gather more data for your decision), point your SO towards PATC, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. A great resource for hiking, trail running, camping, climbing, etc., as well as a network of rustic rental cabins and social/volunteer opportunities with people who are into all of the above.
4 Likes
I’m not an expert on the trail opportunities, but I will say, having commuted to barns in all the various directions from D.C., that there is by far the least rush hour traffic coming into the city from the east. There are a bunch of barns out that way with nice boarding facilities, rings, and trainers. But not as much fancy full service as in Virginia or up north in Maryland.
1 Like
PG Equestrian is a show facility, but not a show barn. No horses live there between the shows.
I do not know if there are show barns nearby.
I was thinking about trail riding today, and it popped into my head about the fact that while boarding barns or housing communities may not look like they are near a trail system, they might actually have a huge system in the subdivision.
For instance; I backed up to one neighborhood that had miles and miles of trails; my neighbor rode endurance and she never ran out of trails. But none of them were marked on maps because the HOA had put in easements in between each house. They were mowed and taken care of.
A lot of Loudoun county in the farmland area has unmarked trails in between properties. You could easily ride for miles and just have the neighbors wave as you go by their house. Just be polite, don’t ride through the middle of a field with crops in it, and stay off the manicured lawns 
2 Likes
From the OP, it sounded like she was explicitly NOT looking for a training program in a hunter show barn, but a boarding barn with show jumping, dressage, and trail riding opportunities. She might do well at one of the smaller eventing-focused barns in this area, rather than a hunter program. Especially if she plans on showing on her own, which implies access to a truck/trailer. I’ve done something very similar to what it sounds like the OP hopes to do for the past 6 years out of this area (minus the trails/running thing).
PGEC is a show facility–they host big rated shows in the fall, Capital Challenge and WIHS. Pre-Covid, there were several other A shows there, but they ran elsewhere these past few years due to PC county restrictions; I’m not sure if they’ll be coming back, but the two spring As at least just moved up to McDonough, which is a hair over an hour away. There are local hunter/jumper shows there pretty much monthly except during the dead of winter. The local dressage GMO runs a recognized weekend show there every June.
My commute in from Annapolis, even when driving, is frequently shorter than it was when I was living in Falls Church VA. I do not miss the NoVA traffic at all. You get a lot more bang for your buck property-wise east of DC, too.
1 Like
Yes, I do not ride hunters. Just dressage and the jumpers. I was warned that some areas on the east coast only had private show barns with a hunter focus, which wouldn’t work. She alo prefers as much outside time as possible. I think an eventing focused barn would be good. If you have any specific recommendations let me know and we will check them out! Thanks.
I was thinking about trail riding today, and it popped into my head about the fact that while boarding barns or housing communities may not look like they are near a trail system, they might actually have a huge system in the subdivision.
Exactly, unless you ask locals you would never know. This is our situation now, on paper the barn does not back up to public land but in reality it does, due to the local trail system that has been in place since the 1960s. It’s not mapped anywhere and I have no idea who owns it tbh but everyone uses it for dog walking, jogging, walking, horses etc. Most properties here have access to it.
1 Like
I would also recommend Poolesville-Boyds MD/Leesburg-Middleburg VA area. I live in Frederick, MD, board in Dickerson, MD, but work from home. Occasionally go into downtown DC, I only drive as stated above, the Metro is a mess. But I allow 2hrs each way. Anywhere near a MARC train stop in MD is nice. While the schedule is somewhat limited, the MARC train commute is nice, quiet, able to work and have your coffee in the AM, adult beverage on the way home.
I board at Destination Eventing in Dickerson. I rode out alone on trails directly from the barn for 1.5hrs on Sat, never crossed my path. Can access the canal towpath if you are brave enough to ride over the train bridge for miles more riding.
3 Likes
My friend lives in Bethesda, keeps her horse in Poolesville, which seems to have lots of horse farms and acres of rolling hills and fields, I love it. She is retired now but used to work in DC, from Bethesda its an easy ride on the metro to the city.
