Best place to retire with horses

[NoSuchPerson]

@pluvinel

Check out the price of hay in Ocala and have a heart attack.

That is true for most places that also meet the requirement for winters that aren’t too cold. The best climate and soil conditions for producing hay have an inverse relationship with the best climate for warm, pleasant winter weather. On the other hand, my pasture lasts a lot longer than does my sister’s up north and I don’t need to start feeding hay as early. Like everything else, it’s a trade-off.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

@atlatl

I’m a bit closer to retirement than you, 7 months out for me, and I’m in So Cal. My criteria for a retirement locale, should we decide to leave CA are as follows in no particular order:

High Speed Internet
Not too far from family
Ready Access to quality healthcare
Lower Taxes than CA
Reasonable Access to quality dressage training and shows
Little to no snow; prefer NONE ( I lived in Upper MI for 7 years!)
Socially liberal

I know people who omitted the 1st and last items on my list and lasted about 5 years before picking up and moving again.

We plan to spend the 1st year of my retirement visiting places to determine if we could be happy elsewhere. I simply love it in CA and would hate to leave.

All that said, our leading candidates are Central CA, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon.

I had a perfect place for you until you said socially liberal.

AZ is getting better…but def not socially liberal. Other than that? Pretty good :).

[atlatl]

@right horse at the right time

I had a perfect place for you until you said socially liberal.

AZ is getting better…but def not socially liberal. Other than that? Pretty good :).

Yeah, not unlike CA and Oregon, Arizona has a mix of red and blue counties!

[NoSuchPerson]

@atlatl

Yeah, not unlike CA and Oregon, Arizona has a mix of red and blue counties!

And in Texas, you have Austin. Here in central Florida, thanks primarily to the University of Florida, Gainesville is very socially liberal. The county in which Gainesville is located is sometimes jokingly referred to by conservatives as “The People’s Republic of Alachua County.”

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

@atlatl

Yeah, not unlike CA and Oregon, Arizona has a mix of red and blue counties!

Yes, but a few of the counties who are blue are not places that fit your desires.

So you have to go to Tucson :-). Fewer trainers but there are some good ones for sure :).

[atlatl]

@right horse at the right time

Yes, but a few of the counties who are blue are not places that fit your desires.

So you have to go to Tucson :-). Fewer trainers but there are some good ones for sure :).

Tucson is actually on the list

[hoopoe]

atlatl add the Olympia Washington area to your list.

[atlatl]

@hoopoe

atlatl add the Olympia Washington area to your list.

Olympia is on the list, however like I said, nothing happening for at least 1 year!

I spent a lot of time in Florida for work; it’s just not the place for me.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

@atlatl

Tucson is actually on the list

Send a PM if you want more info :).

[JanM]

Austin’s motto is Keep Austin Weird, so that might be a fun place to investigate.

[NoSuchPerson]

@JanM

Austin’s motto is Keep Austin Weird, so that might be a fun place to investigate.

If I didn’t have family obligations that keep me in the east, Austin/Texas Hill Country would be number 1 on my list of places to retire.

[xeroxchick]

My cousin moved to Landrum NC, near Tryon, and it is quite a nice area. Occasional snow in winter, but lots and lots of horses there. They have a trail system you can join at a reasonable rate. It is a beautiful area with friendly people. The new Horse park has made real estate go up, but definatly an area I’d like to retire to. Plus my favorite tack store is there, Farmhouse Tack.

[tbchick84]

@Palm Beach

You get the full range of temps and weather conditions in the Mid Atlantic area. And the full range of outdoor recreational activities that go along with it. Cold? Ski! Hot? Head to the beach! You can always find friends with cool toys like boats, and there are tons and tons and tons of good restaurants, shops and towns to wander in. Fair Hill is close to I-95, so NYC is a quick trip north and DC a quick (ha) trip south, with Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore in between. Since you are retired, there is plenty of time to do those things.

I personally would not want to live south of North Carolina due to the heat, humidity, bugs and floods. It’s lowland and prone to flooding.

Sounds just like New England which I love, but will likely be priced out of by the time I can retire. Can you ride horses in all those coastal preserves I see dotting the DE side of the Water Gap?

[cutter99]

I am biased because I live here, but Tennessee is my choice.

There is no personal income tax here. My property taxes are less than $700 total per year on 70 acres, two barns, and a house we gut renovated to make it basically new. Big South Fork has some of the best trail riding east of the Mississippi offering 200+ miles of trails, and it is easy enough to get to other states to ride like VA, NC, AL, AR and KY. Because those states adjoin TN, you can get a 6 month equine passport so you do not need to pull health certificates every 30 days. I have now lived here for 4 winters, and have yet to have a plowable snow. I have enough pasture that I only feed hay from December through the beginning of March.

[PeteyPie]

@Cooper

I’m about 7 years out from retirement. I currently live on Central Coast of CA, and truly love it here. However, the tax burden in this state is already heavy, and seems to increase on a regular basis. Honestly, the only good thing we have from a tax perspective is Prop 13. So, give me some of your ideas.

Here is my wish list:
*Tax friendly state for retirees
*Horsey community
*access to good country for riding out
*NOT a fan of shoveling snow
*Reasonable cost of real estate

Ready, set, go!

Have you considered heading inland to some of the beautiful little towns in the Sierras? If you find a property which is considerably less expensive than where you live now, it might offset the income tax burden.

[Cooper]

@PeteyPie

Have you considered heading inland to some of the beautiful little towns in the Sierras? If you find a property which is considerably less expensive than where you live now, it might offset the income tax burden.

I’ve owned my home since 2001, and bought at a great price, so that wouldn’t solve any issues for me. If I stay in CA I would stay here, but I do agree that the Sierras are beautiful!

I would love to have a small property. 5 acres, pasture. That isn’t feasible with my budget in CA.

[Cooper]

@NoSuchPerson

It depends primarily on your tolerance for heat and humidity and secondarily on your budget.

The Brooksville/Ocala/Gainesville, FL stretch meets all of your requirements, but in summer, and by summer I mean May through September, the weather is miserable. If you want to ride, you almost have to be up and out by shortly after sunrise. When I had a horse in training a couple of years ago, I used to go ride at 9 and it was already too hot by then for me. Alternatively, if you have a lighted arena, you can wait and ride around dusk. It’s still too hot, but bearable. And, real estate, as long as you don’t need to be right in the immediate Ocala area, is still quite reasonable.

Tennessee is also tax-friendly. The cousin of a friend has a small farm in the Cumberland Plateau area, I don’t recall exactly where, and says it’s a great place to live and have horses. But, I don’t have any firsthand knowledge.

I’m planning to move to the western corner of NC when I retire. NC isn’t especially tax-friendly to retirees, but I like the area and some parts are very horse-friendly. They do have winter but I’m assured that snow doesn’t come all that often and when it does, it doesn’t stay long. Of course, that’s what they all say.

Aiken and Ocala both have my attention, I’m glad you brought them up! I am worried about humidity and heat. We’re going to WEG in Sept, and planning a day trip to Aiken to check it out. I was on Zillow, and sure loved some of the properties I found!

[Cooper]

@Bellathemustang

I was going to recommend texas too. Some of my family just moved there, and it seems very horse friendly and definitely more budget friendly than CA!

I love the hill country of Texas! Actually reminds me of the Paso Robles area where I live.

[Cooper]

@cutter99

I am biased because I live here, but Tennessee is my choice.

There is no personal income tax here. My property taxes are less than $700 total per year on 70 acres, two barns, and a house we gut renovated to make it basically new. Big South Fork has some of the best trail riding east of the Mississippi offering 200+ miles of trails, and it is easy enough to get to other states to ride like VA, NC, AL, AR and KY. Because those states adjoin TN, you can get a 6 month equine passport so you do not need to pull health certificates every 30 days. I have now lived here for 4 winters, and have yet to have a plowable snow. I have enough pasture that I only feed hay from December through the beginning of March.

Thank you Cutter, I will check it out! What do you pay for hay there?

[cutter99]

To be honest, I have not paid anything the last few years. I have a neighbor who runs cattle with ours, and he has sort of adopted me and my husband. I drive the tractor while making hay, while he, his son and my husband pick up bales and then we stack in our barn as well as his. My neighbor knew I was not happy with other hay suppliers and started making small bales specifically for me, so I am very, very lucky as well as thankful.

Good hay has not been as easy to find here, but if you do some research it can be found. I think the most I paid was $7 for a 50 lb. bale.

I have used this website for help finding hay. I have also found relationships with other local farmers, as well as county extension agents to be very helpful.

http://www.picktnproducts.org/