I’ve lived in VA for a few years and my mare is retired in VA now. If you can afford to live in Middleburg/Upperville do it.
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Good advice! I noticed I might have ended up as part of the form where people are requesting community areas within 2 miles of DC. That would not include me! I worked in DC many many years, but have no compelling reason to live that close to DC again. Anywhere out in Maryland or Virginia works for me. Thanks again.
My friend lives in Bethesda and keeps her horse in Poolesville. I have been to the barn with her a few times when I visit and it seems like lovely horse country, rolling green fields and everyone seems to have a barn. And there appears to be LOTS of acreage on these farms, some with adjacent trails. I have no idea about running trails for humans though. Bethesda has the metro to DC so no driving involved except driving to the metro station.
I can’t think of any “community trails” in Maryland. But… I can think of a lot of state parks and state hunting grounds with trails.
I live in an equestrian community of sorts but we have no trails and no shared resources. It’s just a neighborhood of farmettes where each property has acreage. I have a state park about 2 miles away; not sure if I could hack there from here. Maybe if I was the adventurous type? But it’s a short trailer ride.
Davidsonville MD, Middleburg VA, Culpeper VA, Keswick VA, limitless options in DC/MD/VA honestly.
Budget-dependent, Middleburg/Upperville is where you want to be. While not community trails, there is so much open space and ride-out through the hunt country.
Poolesville MD is a lovely town and there is an extensive trail system there, but it is not groomed and has a lot of terrain/roots/rocks/mud.
Charlottesville VA
You would be hard pressed to get from Charlottesville to Washington DC in 2 hours during comuting hours.
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If I won the lottery I would be in Middleburg.
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I don’t think the “equestrian community” concept is that popular in this area. Bellevue Farms in Warrenton VA is the closest that I know of.
Living in hacking distance of a community/county/national park is also a possibility, though it wouldn’t apply to the majority of properties.
If you are retired, you might pull on that “2 hour” thread a little. DC metro slows down a lot during rush hour. I live 25 miles from DC and that is a 2 hour commute during rush hour, but it’s half an hour in the middle of the night. It makes it very hard to assess travel time, and real estate listings will of course list the middle of the night time. It really depends on what you need.
I went from Bethesda to Charlottesville and back again on a weekend in June, it was 2 1/2 hours each way (actually slightly less on the way down) with no traffic jams although there were plenty of cars on the road. It was a pleasant drive but I can’t imagine doing it in rush hour.
The order of operations here might be to look at specific real estate in the areas suggested and then to see how “horse community” the surrounding area of available properties is. It really is about what is available and budget and even then, a good bid might not be accepted. I cannot afford Middleburg, but I have some friends who have put bids on properties and have gotten out bid by neighbors of the sale property who want to keep their hold on the area!
I would get in with one of the “horsey” real estate brokers in the Upperville/Middleburg area and get them to source something to suit. That’s how we got our place. There are a few that are really good!
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Stafford, F’berg, Hartwood, Falmouth are good areas as are a lot of the others mentioned.
I live in the Falmouth area and commute to MD right outside of DC daily. It is 1 hour using EZpass going into work (without EZpass it would be anywhere from 1.25 to 2hrs) and leaving it takes me 1.25h to get home using EZpass (without it would be a solid 1.30-3hr). It does cost me about 450 a month.
I am looking at moving to Calvert County or Charles County MD. Beautiful area, less populated and lots of farms.
Maxwell Hall Park (in Hughesville, MD) is a nature and horse-lovers paradise featuring 14.2 miles of diverse riding trails, open fields, a jump course, wooded areas, steep terrain, shoreline, beach rest locations, and a trail course. - Per a house I am considering 17541 Teagues Point Rd, Hughesville, MD 20637 | MLS #MDCH2032736 | Zillow
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Bellevue Farms in Warrenton is a community of horse properties with a great network of trails built into it.
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@Bella it sounds like you had good luck with your real estate agent is there a chance you’d pass his/her name on?
@3Grays, I’ve personally dealt with Will Driskill/ John Coles (Thomas & Talbot) and Shannon Casey (Middleburg Real Estate) and both were fantastic; they are active horse people who have grown up in the area and guided us well! There are several others but these are the people I’ve personally had experience with and highly recommend!
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@3Grays I can’t believe I can actually contribute to this thread, but, there is a community just like this by my barn. It’s called Willow Pond Estates: https://www.willowpondestates.com/
It looks like there is 1 lot left in phase 2. Hope this helps!
FWIW - the area around VA Beach / Norfolk is very horsey and often overlooked - some of the best trainers in VA are based there, it’s flat with sandy soil so you can more easily ride out in the fields, the coast keeps things more even keeled weather wise, and it’s generally more laid back than central or northern VA
That’s all lovely, but Norfolk is only within a 2 hour commute to DC if one is in a plane.
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