Best places in the US for eventing?

[victoriaseb]

Hey everyone!
In not too long (well in a while, but better to plan in advance) I want to relocate. My perfect barn sounds something like this: not too big (to avoid being crowded), has a nice jump ring, either on sand or grass, a dressage ring and a cross course. I would LOVE to have cross available to me. Even if it’s not a full course, just some ditches, banks, wooden jumps. Has to be a boarding barn.

I want to be somewhere where it’s hot at least most of the year. I don’t want to deal with negative degrees ever again.

Most importantly: I’m going to be in university so I want a barn that’s not too far from the city. I’d like to be in a big city that’s generally wealthy (my career path won’t work out in a rural, undeveloped area)

I’m primarily looking at Wellington (FL) but I don’t know how it is there with eventing (can anyone help out?) I know it’s a lot of hunter/jumper/dressage, no clue for eventing.

So basically: where is the best place for eventing in the US?

[Sillymoose]

GA, FL, SC, etc. Since you mentioned university, I would recommend either Athens GA (University of Georgia) or Auburn, AL (Auburn University). I’m not sure about any specific boarding barns in those areas but I know both schools have eventing teams and very active eventing areas close by. I wouldn’t call these areas big city but they’re not rural either. I guess it would depend on what you consider big city. Also, no negative temps around here. It’s Hot Hot Hot! Well except for two weeks ago, but still.

[gottagrey]

two things it might be hard to find a place that’s in/close to the city that is going to have a xc school. those places are going to be further out in a rural area because of the land involved. I also don’t understand your post - do you have a career now or are you going to school? and what school are you going to? or planning to apply to. Are you doing grad work or undergrad?

[victoriaseb]

Yeah I know for the xc thing, i mean just something that’s not a million miles out. Well I want to go to university somewhere where i plan on staying. So I’m going to pick my university based off of a city I’ll hopefully like. When I move, i’m gonna be in university, but hopefully when I’m done and start working, i won’t have to move. Obviously I’m gonna apply different places and consider wherever i get accepted, but I’ll want to apply places I can hope to stay.

[blackwly]

[QUOTE=victoriaseb;7375646]
Yeah I know for the xc thing, i mean just something that’s not a million miles out. Well I want to go to university somewhere where i plan on staying. So I’m going to pick my university based off of a city I’ll hopefully like. When I move, i’m gonna be in university, but hopefully when I’m done and start working, i won’t have to move. Obviously I’m gonna apply different places and consider wherever i get accepted, but I’ll want to apply places I can hope to stay.[/QUOTE]

Where are you moving from? Abroad I assume? My advice is to find the right school, then worry about the boarding barn later.

[victoriaseb]

[QUOTE=blackwly;7375694]
Where are you moving from? Abroad I assume? My advice is to find the right school, then worry about the boarding barn later.[/QUOTE]

I’m moving from canada
yeah i know it’s probably more logical that way, but i’m also genuinely curious as to what people would say the best cities for eventing or even just riding in general are

[yellowbritches]

PA, MD, VA. Hands down, if we’re going to answer you main, most basic question. Specifically from the Philly area down through about Charlottesville here in VA. You can get to multiple events within an hour from just about anywhere in that swath of land. Even more if you extend it out to two hours. When I managed a barn in Frederick, MD, I think I counted TEN separate VENUES (not events…venues…several of which have multiple events a year) within an hour. With all the events comes all the barns and trainers, as well. Cost will vary a good deal depending on where.

As for the uni part of the equation, there are plenty of choices. Convenience to riding will depend on the city (ie, if you go to Georgetown or American in DC your commute to riding will SUCK most of the time. The suckiness varies depending on if you are going to MD or VA).

But, definitely, if you just want great eventing resources, pick some place between Philly and Charlottesville. Or, more broadly speaking, Area 2 in general.

[dani0303]

Ocala is very close to Gainesville (U of Florida). Florida certainly fits the hot criteria. I’ve never evented in Ocala but it seems like there’s xc courses all over.

[JenEM]

[QUOTE=yellowbritches;7375711]
PA, MD, VA. Hands down, if we’re going to answer you main, most basic question. Specifically from the Philly area down through about Charlottesville here in VA. You can get to multiple events within an hour from just about anywhere in that swath of land. Even more if you extend it out to two hours. When I managed a barn in Frederick, MD, I think I counted TEN separate VENUES (not events…venues…several of which have multiple events a year) within an hour. With all the events comes all the barns and trainers, as well. Cost will vary a good deal depending on where.

As for the uni part of the equation, there are plenty of choices. Convenience to riding will depend on the city (ie, if you go to Georgetown or American in DC your commute to riding will SUCK most of the time. The suckiness varies depending on if you are going to MD or VA).

But, definitely, if you just want great eventing resources, pick some place between Philly and Charlottesville. Or, more broadly speaking, Area 2 in general.[/QUOTE]

I would ditto all of this. Summer here is as bad as New Orleans. Winter can be cold, but it’s probably laughable by Canadian standards; rarely do we have more than a handful of days where it doesn’t get above freezing. And I think the 6" or so of snow we’ve had here in the DMV is the most we’ve had in 3 years. You’ve got your choice of great universities (Penn, Virginia, Georgetown, American amongst them, depending on what you plan to study). Traffic is kind of a nightmare right here around DC, but the number of riding opportunities mostly offsets it. Like yellowbritches says, I can get to at least 3 venues with multiple recognized events per year in a half hour drive from where I board; go out to an hour, and the number increases exponentially. And in addition to the number of great local trainers, there are always plenty of great clinicians in the area, too.

[FitToBeTied]

You could look at Charlottesville which is home to University of Virginia. Just down the road is Sweet Briar College. An hour to the east is Virginia Commonwealth University. An hour to the west is James Madison University. There are several upper level eventers close by.

[kcmel]

[QUOTE=yellowbritches;7375711]
PA, MD, VA. Hands down, if we’re going to answer you main, most basic question. Specifically from the Philly area down through about Charlottesville here in VA. You can get to multiple events within an hour from just about anywhere in that swath of land. Even more if you extend it out to two hours. When I managed a barn in Frederick, MD, I think I counted TEN separate VENUES (not events…venues…several of which have multiple events a year) within an hour. With all the events comes all the barns and trainers, as well. Cost will vary a good deal depending on where.

As for the uni part of the equation, there are plenty of choices. Convenience to riding will depend on the city (ie, if you go to Georgetown or American in DC your commute to riding will SUCK most of the time. The suckiness varies depending on if you are going to MD or VA).

But, definitely, if you just want great eventing resources, pick some place between Philly and Charlottesville. Or, more broadly speaking, Area 2 in general.[/QUOTE]

And lots of wealth too! Old money and new. I’m not sure how well SC and NC cities fit that criteria. If you need a wealthy clientele in the South, you might have to stick with Fla or Atlanta.

[pegasusmom]

Wellington has virtually no eventing that I am aware of - and the real estate prices are through the roof.

You can’t go wrong anywhere from Aiken SC north through Charlottesville VA.

I personally go batshit crazy in the DC traffic so I would stay away from there, but it doesn’t bother others.

[scubed]

You don’t need the best eventing area when you are in college. Pick a good school and go on from there. Riding can be part of the decision (I picked my undergraduate institution in part because there was riding available on campus, but primarily because it is an excellent school). That said, I think there would be general agreement that the eventing hotspots in the United States are PA/MD/DE year around, Middleburg area year around, Aiken in the winter, Ocala in the winter, Temecula area in California (but a long distance to competitions other than those at Galway). Here are some Universities (not knowing how competitive a school you want or can get into, what area of studies interests you, or what else may play a role in your decision).

University of Florida (close to Ocala, etc). Maxxtrot is in Williston and could give you more information

University of Virginia - there are many trainers and barns in Charlottesville now

University of Delaware, University of Pennsylvania - close (UDel) and functional (UPenn) proximity to the Unionville evening barns. UPenn also gives you the option of Radnor area barns.

Washington and Lee - close to the Virginia Horse Park and other private stables

University of Kentucky - close to the Kentucky Horse Park with many good training and boarding options

University of Central Florida - up and coming with some areas of excellence. Near www.ashmoreequestrian.com which has a small xc facility on property and is BHS credentialed (I board and ride there some winters)

Vanderbilt - Nashville. Eponacowgirl is fairly close to Nashville and could tell you more. This is a top University

Pepperdine - would put you in the fabulous Malibu and is close enough to http://www.pepperwoodridingcenter.com/prc_ContactInfo.html that I would guess there are riding opportunities

Shenandoah University - doable for Middleburg area boarding/riding and Middleburg is a huge eventing area

University of South Carolina - about an hour from Aiken, but there is some stuff closer to Columbia

University of North Carolina/Duke/Wake Forest/Elon - Doug Payne has a new farm not too far and you are striking distance of Southern Pines for weekends

UNC Charlotte relatively close to Bonnie Mosser and to Lesley Stevenson

[Jealoushe]

[QUOTE=victoriaseb;7375705]
I’m moving from canada
yeah i know it’s probably more logical that way, but i’m also genuinely curious as to what people would say the best cities for eventing or even just riding in general are[/QUOTE]

Are you a dual citizen? How will you be able to work in the US once you graduate?

[Desert_Topaz]

Well, Area X isn’t the best place for eventing if you don’t love hauling many hours, but Phoenix, AZ definitely has some heat And there are some eventing trainers in the general metro area in Scottsdale.

[RAyers]

[QUOTE=victoriaseb;7375608]
Yeah I know for the xc thing, i mean just something that’s not a million miles out. Well I want to go to university somewhere where i plan on staying. So I’m going to pick my university based off of a city I’ll hopefully like. When I move, i’m gonna be in university, but hopefully when I’m done and start working, i won’t have to move. Obviously I’m gonna apply different places and consider wherever i get accepted, but I’ll want to apply places I can hope to stay. [/B][/QUOTE]

This makes no sense. There is a good chance your chosen career will not have any base near the university or city you choose.

I suspect you don’t know what you want as a career, unless it is self employed, super general like being and accountant, or you do not understand the industry in which you want to be employed.

As for being a foreign national, you better hope your employer wants to pay for your visa. Student visas forbid working and the US has begun to crack down on student overstaying or violating their visas (I know as I have a few foreign national students).

Sorry, but there are great eventing places in the cold north and great universities there too, way better in many cases (depending on program) than southern schools listed by scubed. You are overlooking the great midwest, Northern CA, Pacific NW, etc. I suggest you get your career and educational priorities in order before you think of eventing.

[rttigrl]

I’m going to bypass the school/employment/visa/life questions that other posters have suggested (those were the first thing I thought of myself) and answer the {admittedly academic} question you posed up top: Where is the best place to event that has an accessible city with educational options, is relatively affluent, and has hot weather?

My opinion: Outside of Baltimore. Cool little city, easy to get in and out of. In my 20’s, I lived downtown and boarded @ eventing paradise–took me about 20 minutes on a bad day to get there. Can’t spit without hitting an eventing barn (public or private) once you get out into the counties. Lots of old money, some new. At least 5 different cool eventing things to do every weekend all season. Winter is Dec Jan Feb, and averages 30-40’s (F)–not too cold in my book (I’m from NE). I’ve lived all over the country as an adult. Now I live abt 45 min north of Baltimore, and I will live here FOREVER (universe willing).

[poltroon]

Davis, California would be another choice. It’s not the hotbed of eventing you have back east, but there are eventers at the university, excellent training and clinics in the area, it’s definitely hot, and there are a couple of venues within easy range, including Woodside in the Bay Area.

That said: the thing that is most important is your field. You need to pick a school that is good in your field, and ideally, you want to pick a location where that field is in demand and well paid for the local cost of living. A really good university will tend to generate jobs for the fields it’s good in around it, but that’s not a guarantee.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=scubed;7375840]
Pepperdine - would put you in the fabulous Malibu and is close enough to http://www.pepperwoodridingcenter.com/prc_ContactInfo.html that I would guess there are riding opportunities[/QUOTE]

This would be a commute from hell… and while Pepperdine has a beautiful campus, there are better bangs-for-the-buck in terms of university.

[piaffequeen]

Adding Hollins University- VA to this list too-Caroline Atherholt McClung is about 30 minutes north of Hollins and about 30 minutes from the VA Horse Center… 4* event rider.