Just like the title says, what is the best place in the United States to live for dressage? As far as trainer availability, proximity to show facilities, ease of horse keeping / horse management, general cost of living. I don’t have a lot of exposure to anything outside the Pacific Northwest so I’m just generally curious. I may be thinking about buying a vacation home and this would definitely be a factor.
TIA
Wellington from January through March.
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I’m in the PNW too, so I would have to say Florida, hands down. But there is a thriving winter circuit in the desert Southwest, so California, Arizona, etc. are all good choices too.
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Wellington, Maryland/Virginia
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I’m going to differ just a bit about Florida and say I would aim for Ocala rather than Wellington. Still somewhat cheaper, you’d have a better shot at getting land/boarding somewhere that actually has real turnout. Will not be as warm in the winter, but other than rain, not at a real hurricane risk since it is right in the middle of the state.
Tons of shows and trainers in Ocala. Used to be mostly combined driving and eventers, but many, many more dressage specific places now.
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I agree about Ocala over Wellington.
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A central Fla resident here - There is a lot of dressage activity from Orlando north to Ocala. Though WEC Ocala has become the signature place to show (basically year round) we still have a number of smaller shows that run throughout the year. There are many trainer options.
Wellington draws many upper level riders from both the US and International during its 3 month season. It is expensive, and crowded, not only because of dressage riders but also hunter/jumpers.
Property values have risen everywhere down here over the last few years, but in general you would spend less or get more for a particular $ amount to buy something in the upper half of the state.
Another factor is horse care: Hay and everything else is more costly in the Wellington area, and many of the farms that take boarders have much more limited turnout space/time. Seasonal board down there is often dry stall only; you provide everything and do the work too.
Much of your decision depends on what you want from your time away from PNW - are you an FEI level rider? Do you want to come just for training or are you looking to do a lot of showing while away? Do you want a quieter environment or would you like have access to “everything horse” for 3 months, even if it is congested and a “see and be seen” type of environment?
And then there is the travel…You are a long way from Florida, lol
I came down 15 years ago to escape Great Lakes winters for 2 months; my then trainer wintered down here so the location (north of Orlando) was fixed. I trained but did not show during those two winters, but then moved here permanently.
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Apparently Ocala. Know of several dressage / eventers / hje folks who have relocated their farms / horses to the region. To the point that I’ve wondered if Ocala is full yet, of horse farms. 
(jk)
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San Diego gets high marks for the first two criteria, but low marks for the remainder. It should get bonus points for weather though, much better year round than Ocala/Wellington. 
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I LOVE San Diego.
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I am not sure anything in Wellington quite compares to the traffic and congestion in Ocala and I-75…
Ocala was once a lovely small town, with beautiful horse farms, big live oak trees. Unpretentious and charming. Now it is one strip mall after another, farmland now divided into subdivisions and mini ranches. It’s incredibly sad.
I have been spending the winters in Wellington since 1990. Wellington isn’t perfect but I appreciate the infrastructure, the planning, the ability to see world class dressage on friday night, laid back, friendly dressage show on saturday in White Fences, then world class show jumping on saturday night, then high goal polo on sunday… Eat at a wide variety of independently owned restaurants and bistros, be a 20 minute drive from the West palm beach airport, 45 minute drive to the beach ( or an hour’s drive to the dog beach).
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Do you need CDIs and top competition? Wellington, Delmar, Ocala.
Or are you looking for regular recognized and schooling shows, multiple trainers through GP for access to excellent training and coaching (and more moving here all the time!) lots of clinicians coming to the area, etc? In other words a thriving and growing dressage community both at the lower levels and FEI through GP, where you can show and clinic year round and rarely have to trailer more than 30 minute for anything or need a show stall? That’s Aiken. [If you want even more recognized shows there is Conyers and Camden and low country less than two hours away. If you want big venues and CDI comps you can run up to Tryon (2-1/2 hrs) or a longer haul down to Ocala.]
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Driving north on the Florida Tpke from Wellington on a sunday afternoon is horrible. When I am judging down there on a weekend, I just get a hotel Sunday night and drive home in the morning. Traffic is bad all over Florida. Plus, if there is something happening like a hurricane, north is the only option.
Florida for sure. Everyone else has great tips about Ocala vs Wellington, but I think it depends on what you’re looking for in a vacation home. Will you be boarding or buying a small farm? Your dollar will go farther for a larger piece of land in Ocala. There’s also more space “off the beaten path” in Ocala. In Wellington, if you go too far east you’re in the sugar cane fields and too far west isn’t an option because everyone wants to live near the ocean. Do you enjoy the beach and high end shopping/restaurants/city life? Miami is close to Wellington if those things are a priority to you. Ocala certainly is building more high end amenities but it’ll never be Palm Beach/Miami.
Ocala is just more laid-back in general and there’s more open space. In Wellington, everything is pretty compact and close by - lots of farms are hacking distance from the show and there is a lot of horse friendly infrastructure due to the equestrian developments (think trails all around your neighborhood). I think Wellington is a great place to visit if you’re just doing horses and the occasional weekend trip to Miami or want to go out to a nice dinner in Palm Beach. Ocala would be my pick for a place I’d enjoy living for a longer stretch of time (4+ months) unless I had really big goals for showing and riding with world class clinicians (although there’s great showing and training in Ocala too!).
If you have a trailer and don’t mind hauling, you could also take a look at the west coast if you want an even quieter area. I grew up in the Sarasota area, and Terranova (a little over an hour east of Sarasota with traffic) is starting to have some great shows. There are a lot of equestrian neighborhoods there if you’re looking to buy a farm, but not as many boarding options if you don’t want to keep your horse at home. Great area with good restaurants and excellent beaches. 3.5 hours to Wellington in a car (probably 4 with truck/trailer) and about 4 hours to Ocala. If you’re not showing every weekend and want more vacation than equestrian paradise, that could be a good option.
ETA this is the time of year (although busy) to visit FL and see what there is to offer. IIWM, I’d fly in to Orlando, rent a car, do Ocala for a couple of days, drive down to Sarasota for a couple, then across to Wellington for a couple, and end your trip in the keys for a few days and then fly out of Miami. That’ll give you a good taste of each location and distances between them. I’d plan to hit both Ocala and Wellington Friday-Sunday to see the big classes.
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Ocala was already full of horse farms back in the boom years of Florida thoroughbred breeding, which came crashing down in the mid-80s. When I lived in FL, I used to get to Ocala via 27 out of Williston. It was sad to drive past old horse farms just sitting there, empty, rotting away. Many of the old farms around Ocala have been replaced by subdivisions and strip malls.
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