Boarding in DC?

[lightningevent]

I know there are 1,000 threads on this (and I’ve read most of them!) but DC boarding seems to be super location/job specific, so creating my own.

I’m very likely moving to DC for work soon, but that decision is really horse dependent - is there any chance I can find any eventing barns within 40 minutes of the Navy Yard? Job unfortunately is in the office fully time and requires “politics” hours - evening and weekend work will be both common and required.

I currently live in the barn apartment on the most fantastic property ~10 minutes from a state capital where my horse has 24/7 turnout and an open trainer policy, so I’m really spoiled horse wise, but I am at point in my career where in order to move forward I need to either move or pivot…

[dmveventer]

Are you looking for 40 minutes in rush hour traffic after work? Or will your evening/weekend hours mean you’ll be riding at different times?

You might be able to find a place in eastern Maryland that would be doable in 40 minutes from Navy Yard, but your options will be somewhat limited. If you’re willing to go up to an hour you could also make it to the Poolesville/Boyds area which has several good eventing barns (this is what I do).

Navy Yard is going to be tricky because you’ll constantly be dealing with special events traffic at the stadiums down there. I love the neighborhood but would hate to live there if I needed to drive out of the city regularly. That said I love living in this area and it’s also a great place to have horses, I’m not sure where you’re coming from but in my opinion the sheer volume of great barns, events, and resources make up for the slightly longer drive times.

[JenEM]

The 40 minutes limit is really optimistic during rush hour, but if you head to the AA/PG area, under an hour is probably mostly doable.

What level are you eventing at?

[lightningevent]

@dmveventer

Are you looking for 40 minutes in rush hour traffic after work? Or will your evening/weekend hours mean you’ll be riding at different times?

40 minutes during off hours would be ideal, but I could make it work with an hour - my hope is to find somewhere where I can ride before work and on the weekends. I’m not wedded to living in the Navy Yard, but would be working there.

@JenEM

What level are you eventing at?

Beginner Novice / Novice. My horse really wants to be a jumper, but I don’t have HJ program spending money.

[dmveventer]

Tracy Bienemann and Valerie Vizcarrondo Pride are both over that way, I’m not familiar with either program though. If you’re really looking to do jumpers it’s worth cross-posting in the H/J forum. You’ll have a lot more options and the pricing really isn’t going to be that different.

[Highflyer1]

Sally Cousins teaches regularly at Cheshire Run Farm in Davidsonville and the farm owner is very nice!

[Gardenhorse]

There are multiple barns in the Upper Marlboro area, but I don’t know if any are eventing focused. I don’t know the traffic in that area very well but seems like that area is probably your best bet to keep it around 40 minutes. The Marlborough horse trials is a very nice low key horse trial run in Rosaryville State Park, so there must be some eventers nearby…

[red_mares]

@dmveventer

Navy Yard is going to be tricky because you’ll constantly be dealing with special events traffic at the stadiums down there.

It’s actually not that bad. There’s usually only one game a month that’s going to affect traffic (1:05 or 4:05) start & that’s usually the first week of the month. I’ve worked at the Navy Yard for 15+ years. Actually, traffic there is largely unaffected by whatever is going on in the city. No one wants to protest in the 'hood.

Look at southern MD/PG county for a barn. Anyplace in VA is going to be a long haul.

As for living in the area, a few of our junior engineers have done it or are doing it. There’s a gazillion apartments within a couple miles of the Yard. They aren’t all super expensive. If you get above 12th St SE and on the other side of the Anacostia, it gets sketchy quick. Be careful around Ft.McNair in SW too; stay on the beaten path.