Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Colorado horse people chime in :)

Around The Farm
#1

Hello all,

I am in the early stages of THINKING about making a move from KY to Colorado. I currently have two horses at home that would make the move also. I have been to the front range area many times so I know it is dry and no real grazing/grass compared to green KY. For those that board or have horses at home - I have some questions:

  1. how much do you pay for hay? How much do you feed per day? My guys are currently out 24/7 and we usually have good grazing pasture from April to November and do not have to supplement hay. I currently pay $3.50 for 50/60lb grass hay and $4-5 for alfalfa hay - I am looking at Craigslist and see hay for 10-12 per bale and about fainted :slight_smile:

  2. how many acres per horse would you like to see?

  3. We have board fencing here - how safe is the wire fencing that I see?

  4. how is the climate for riding year round? In KY we have lots of heat and humidity during the summer and cold damp winters that are getting old for me.

  5. any locations that are better for access to trails? I have a truck and trailer but would prefer not to have to trailer everywhere like I do now.

Any other information or opinions would be greatly appreciate

#2

I’m visiting in Colorado Springs right now and in a local tack shop the board available at stables was running $400 and up for stall board with various options. $300 for pasture.

I can’t speak to your other questions (except that personally I avoid barb wire with horses) but the Colorado Springs area is stunning.

#3

I was paying around $6-7 a bale for high quality grass/alfalfa mix when I moved a few years ago. It’s a bad year for hay out here and it doesn’t surprise me if prices are that high, though you can usually find hay cheaper than advertised if you know where to look. Most places have to feed hay year round.

Acres per hose really depends on where you are, how much water you have, how you manage your horses, etc. Many places do not have grass so can manage horses pretty intensively per acre. If you’re trying to keep them on pasture you’ll need a fairly large acreage and/or need to manage it very carefully.

Wire fencing isn’t great but it’s also not quite the boogeyman some people think it is. You should run electric around it if it’s a small area. Welded pipe or wood fencing is safer of course.

Winters are pretty cold. They lied to me when I first moved there and said they weren’t, but they are. :lol: This question also depends a lot on your elevation. Summers are very nice, though. Spring tends to be quite windy.

Anywhere on the front range will have good riding nearby. Whether you have to trailer to it or not just depends on the actual property.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of different areas in Colorado. The eastern plains are a lot different from, say, Aspen. If you’re not tied to a certain area for job-related reasons or whatever it’s probably good to visit a few different areas in the state to get a feel for them.

It’s a nice place to live. The winters were too cold and the cost of living too high for me to want to stay there indefinitely, but it was fun for the 5 years I lived there and I love going back to visit.

#4

I’m in Colo Spgs. We have been here for 1year this time. Before we left I had been in CO for 23 years before that.

Weather … Well it’s 18 today with snow and wind of around 18 knots. It’s cold to say the least

Fencing: yes there are a lot of wire fences. If the wire is tight and has electric with it there is no problem.

Hay: much of our hay is being sold to TX due to drought. In a normal year it’s not that expensive.

Land is less expensive south and east. My hubby and I bought 10 acres in black forest about 15 years ago. BF is a wonderful area. Currently a rancher has sold a large piece of land to developers. They will be selling the land in 5 acre lots

More later

#5

I appreciate all the info so far - Yes, I am seeing pictures from friends in Erie showing the snow. Snow, I can handle. Here in KY, we have cold cold rain and ice - the kind of damp that chills you to the bone. And lots of gray skies during the winter that really affect me.

Here in KY - we have sent many truck loads of hay down to TX also - I was fortunate to find hay at a good price this year due to everyone buying it up to ship out of state. But, we had a good year for rainfall so I am glad it is going down there.

I have sort of set my sights on south of Parker/Elizabeth/Franktown/Castle Rock. I am currently in a small town and love that small town feel - where everyone knows your name - not sure where to find that along the front range.

We have lots of horse farms here but very few places to actually RIDE - which is why I am looking forward to doing some trail riding somewhere.

I have been on Craiglist looking at boarding facilities and cant figure out with hay being so costly how they can only charge $300 or so for pasture board. I would love to be able to have my horses at home again but would consider boarding if I found the right place for them.

#6

You can also check the Fence Post to get an idea on hay. Hay prices are dependent on rain (like everywhere, I’m sure! But it can REALLY swing from one extreme to the other…) There have been a few years where I’ve seen $20 bales, but probably only twice in 15 years.

Winters are cold, but Colorado has more sunny days a year than anywhere else. We don’t usually get long spells of truly frigid temps. It’s possible to ride pretty much all winter if you have plenty of cold weather gear and an indoor. You can ride outside fairly regularly if you can get out during the day. Summers are awesome for riding.

Acres per horse totally depends on what your goal is. It’s rare that people can stop feeding hay in the summer to horses that are out–it’s just not lush here. It’s dryland. Unless you’re purchasing water rights ($$$$$$), a good goal is usually to have enough land so your horses don’t totally trash your fields and plan on feeding hay year round. You’ll want an acre or two (or more) per horse for that.

You will also want to be aware of water cost and water rights when looking at properties.

There’s a large horse community south of Denver, around Parker, Franktown and Castle Rock, and that would probably be your best bet for finding competent farriers and other equine professionals. The farther “out” you get, the easier it will be to RIDE out, but the harder time you’ll have finding people who you’ll actually want to work on your horse. We have a ton of state and national land out here that has horse trails, and it’s all pretty accessible, as long as you’re not in Denver proper. If you want instant access to land, look for properties that border BLM land, or state parks.

#7

Simkie - can you elaborate more on this part? Do people really irrigate their pastures?

#8

Ayup.

There’s a lovely property here in Fort Collins–used to have beautiful green pastures, with knee high green grass all summer. It went on the market a few years ago. $1M for the property (15 acres, nice house, indoor, outdoor, fenced [although all wire]) and $1M for the water rights. It sold without the rights, and now it has the typical growth new green in the spring and it’s scrubby brown the rest of the year.

Some people are on a flood plain, with a high water table, and manage to keep their fields green all summer without irrigating, but that’s really the only other way to manage it.

#9

Yowza!

Okay, I have lots of research and learning to do :slight_smile:

Keep the info coming :slight_smile:

#10

I have 35 acres north of Colorado Springs on the Palmer Divide. It’s kind of like the Bermuda Triangle of the Front Range in that the storms really cling here and the snows are heavier. And then there is the wind…

This also means we typically get a lot more rainfall throughout the year, so my pastures are much better than most areas. If I got off my duff and fertilized they’d be much better (though in a drought season, all bets are off).

I have five horses that go out on pasture during the day and I keep in a dry lot or stalls overnight. The pasture provides a good portion of what they need from late spring through fall, and keeps them entertained during the winter.

Last year (before the hay left for TX) I bought good grass for around $7 per 60 pound bale (not including delivery). It just depends on where you are and if you require delivery and stacking. You can shop around and find better prices during haying season, but in a good year expect to pay double what you’re paying now.

Alfalfa is usually easier to find and less expensive, depending on the season.

As for the cold winters, yes, it can get very cold here. This is Colorado, after all. It’s much colder where I live at 7300 feet than Denver or Fort Collins.

However, the winters here are MUCH more pleasant than the Kansas City area where I grew up. The sun shines nearly every day, and the dryer air just feels so much more comfortable. I was just in KC last week and couldn’t believe how cold it felt just going from the house to the car, when the same temp here I would not even bother to put on a jacket. Here you get quite a few sunny, pleasant winter days where you do not need a coat, and even some T-shirt weather (this means more riding outdoors as well).

The snow melts off quickly and doesn’t stay piled up by the roads to turn black.

Summers are wonderful.

Wire fencing? I would rip it out and replace with Horseguard or coated electrified wire. Keep the juice turned on and it is fine for most horses.

There are many open space parks all throughout the Front Range. However, many of them are swarming with mountain bikes so you have to learn which ones to avoid. Douglas County has a great park system. I have thousands of acres of open space trails within 10 minute of my house.

The cost of living will likely be higher than where you are.

#11

A few pictures never hurt.:slight_smile:

winter

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/22777_1189238742388_1570940212_30416894_1289760_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185906_1525489068436_1570940212_31056246_6864037_n.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Misc/DesiPlunge.jpg

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1475471578030&l=39e121fd92

summer

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Home/TanagerAndHerd.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Desert%20Spark/DSJuly42007-grz2.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Home/clouds.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229626_1813087378214_1570940212_31386216_6076203_n.jpg

spring
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Home/Sunset.jpg

Nearby open space, from atop my horse:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1654054402489&l=3d5f31f251

#12

I am another one that is on 35 acres just north of Co Springs. In fact, I probably live just south of LarkspurCO, as I am also on the Palmer Divide, but on the El Paso County side.

I have 4-5 horses, mostly old retired guys That just eat and poop. They are out 24/7 with access to stalls and a loafing shed. I do blanket if there is going to be a cold rain, or rain that turns to snow. But if it’s just snow they generally don’t need blankets. I feed hay starting around Oct 1 through the end of May. The rest of the time I have enough grass to keep them all very fat. I could support more horses if I cross fenced and rotated (or fertilized like LarkspurCO said) but haven’t ever gotten around to it and I don’t want more horses anyway.

I paid $7.50/bale for my grass/alfalfa mix, delivered and stacked. Probably could find it a bit cheaper if I looked but I’ve been using the same hay broker for about five years now and she always gets me great quality stuff, so I’m not about to switch suppliers while we’re having this crazy hay shortage.

Yes, it was 18 degrees today. But it was 66 on Thursday. :slight_smile: And it really makes a difference that there is such low humidity here. Makes it seem not as cold in winter and not as hot in summer. And the 6" of snow we got today will be gone in a few days, it mostly evaporates away so there’s very little mud. And while it is supposed to be in the 30’s-40’s for the high for the next week (with one day where I think the high will be low 20’s) we always get these amazing days were its mid 50’s in the middle of winter. I love those days! And they happen more often than you’d expect.

The one thing to warn you about is the wind. Colorado in general is a fairly windy state, and some areas are worse than others. It’s not constant but it did take some getting used to when we first moved here 15 years ago.

Oh, fencing. I have the thick, plastic coated high tensile wire mounted on wood posts with a hot scare wire. Lots of places have wood fencing, usually the “dowel” type (I can find a pic if you don’t know what that is). I would have loved the wooden dowel fencing but since we had so much to replace, it would have cost too much. I haven’t had any issues with the coated high tensile wire.

#13

JumperFun, I would like to get the phone number of your hay broker, for next year. Pretty please?

#14

We moved here from Vermont, so I know all about that bone chilling cold…I live in Pueblo West and it is an equestrian community built by McCullough back in the 70’s. (The chain saw manufacturer) Pueblo is, a world unto itself. Pueblo West is a little nicer and we have miles of equestrian easements.

There is just not much grazing in Colorado, but especially here in the high dessert area where we are. Irrigation is the norm. Dry lots are the norm. Buying hay, anywhere from $4/bale about 8 years ago on up to $14/bale now is the norm.

Property won’t cost you a ton here but its def NOT the upper echelon of the horse world down here. However, getting up to the Sangre De Christo mountains and all manner of mountain riding is readily available. It is hot and dry here in the summer. I can ride year round pretty easily. Only a very few bitter days and NOTHING like back east.

Fencing would be your choice tho you do mainly see smooth wire with a hot line added. There is some vinyl fencing and metal and wood. Tape fencing is a joke because we can get [I]WIND [I] from time to time here. Often in the spring.

Trail riding is most prevalent I’d say with the assortment of trail clubs and Backcountry Horsemen. I will warn you, when you get to ride in the high mountains, you just won’t be the same!

Any more questions feel free to PM me.

#15

Oh, no bugs…or very few. Rattlers, yes. Big critters in the mountains. Coyotes and big cats here.

#16

[QUOTE=wylde sage;6001423]
Oh, no bugs…or very few. Rattlers, yes. Big critters in the mountains. Coyotes and big cats here.[/QUOTE]

So true about the lack of bugs! One of the best things about living here.

#17

I’m following this thread with interest! Still looking for a good boarding situation and leaning more and more towards leasing/buying horse property, probably in the Parker/Castle Rock/Elizabeth/Larkspur region. It seems that real estate is much more affordable than what I’m used to (VA/MD DC Metro), even if the horse-keeping is much different. From what little I know so far, as long as it isn’t barbed, wire fencing seems okay, and ALL the hay I’ve seen is excellent…much better quality than a lot of the hay back east. Even the round bales look amazing!

For the tried and true Coloradans: is an indoor absolutely necessary if I want to ride all winter? Or can I get away with a decent outdoor ring? Will the sun come out enough to melt the snow enough to use it most of the winter?

#18

When I was in high school, I participated in the equestrian program, and we rode outside all winter. There were certainly days where it was just no way no how, but over all, we would get it done. Yeah, there’s usually enough sun to melt your arena enough to ride in it.

The trick, IMO, is being able to ride during the DAY. I think it would be really tough if you’re working 8 - 5 and trying to ride before or after work. There’s just not enough light.

#19

Simkie, you give me hope! I work from home, so I can ride during the day. Growing up, I never had a ring at home and managed to ride all winter…of course, that was Virginia where snow isn’t as much of an issue as is frozen ground. It seems like the soil is so much dryer here so, although it’s hard, as long as it doesn’t have snow/ice on it, the ground isn’t concrete-frozen like in the humid regions of the mid-Atlantic.

#20

Fergs - I only have an outdoor arena and can usually ride all winter except for the occasional days where the wind blows 50mph from sun up to sun down. Generally can keep the beastie worked enough to maintain fitness and manners (3 days/ week minimum.). But you have to be willing to deal with some cold and wind to do that – I know a lot of people that thought I was a few tacos short of a combo pack for riding outside rather than going 2 miles down the road to an indoor.

LarkspurCO - I will PM you the info on my hay broker once I get my butt off the couch. Although I’m thinking I should check my records – I may have paid $8/bale. But it’s gorgeous hay. Also, looking at your “spring” pic that you posted, the big red barn looks familiar from my drives with my mom (she has dementia and going for drives is her favorite pastime!) If you are west of the freeway, my hay broker probably won’t deliver. She is based out in Calhan and seems to think that my place (just west of Black Forest Rd) is pretty far! Oh, and she’ll talk your ear off! :slight_smile:

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $29.99 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse