If you do not live on the Palmer Divide and you work from home, then you can ride outdoors all winter long. That is, if you are willing to put up with some wind.
The wind started blowing last February and didn’t stop until June. That is much worse than normal, but it can happen again.
[QUOTE=JumperFun;6001497]
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! :-)[/QUOTE]
No hurry on that number. I have hay until next summer.
That barn is actually a garage with an apartment on top, sitting on the corner of Best Road and Bestview Drive. I live east of I-25 and west of Hwy 83. Best Road is the next east-west road running between Lorraine and Greenland.
Sounds like you aren’t too far, so you should stop by some time on one of your drives.
[QUOTE=Bobuddy;6001263]
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.[/QUOTE]
I live in Black Forest (waves frantically at Larkspur), which is immediately north of Colorado Springs, and have only a few acres, small barn and three horses. We have what’s called “sub-irrigated” pasture, where the water table is somewhat close to the surface. The pasture can turn brown in the summer and any grass much depends on the snow we receive in the winter as well as rain in the summer. We have an arid climate, afterall. 
I’m not sure you’ll get much of the small town atmosphere in Parker anymore, as it has definitely changed from what it once was. Though there are lovely horse properties there, the Colorado Horse Park, and even a Dover Saddlery. Castle Rock is also a bit larger than your typical small town, and is sort of split across the highway (I-25) and has a degree of sprawl. Elizabeth and Franktown are definitely small, as are Kiowa, Larkspur, Monument, Sedalia and Palmer Lake. though Monument sort of straddles the interstate too. But keep in mind that I live in Black Forest, which isn’t a town, though we do have our own gas station and feed store <puffs up chest>.
Lots of places to go with only a short trailer ride. From my house, you can ride directly to a “school section”–one square mile designated as school land–without crossing any roads with significant traffic. There are indoor arenas scattered around, and you can trailer in for $10 or so. Here’s a link to some of the trails in our area: http://www.trailsandopenspaces.org/
Regarding the weather, I don’t have much to offer that others have not already said. Where I live, its usually very cold and snowy by the end of October, we don’t have spring in March and it can snow in May and June, though not often. That said, in February, you can be wearing your winter boots one day and your shorts the next. It isn’t uncommon to see high school kids in shorts year round. We definitely have sunny days most of the year.
PS - Jumperfan – when you get a chance, please PM me the name of your hay supplier too. I ended up paying $9.25 per bale for grass/alfalfa mix (including delivery) and thought I was lucky. I just read where the drought in TX is expected to continue through 2020, so the cost of hay will likely stay high or get higher. Just saw some mix for $15.50 per bale at a feed store and suddenly felt like a Californian. Then I checked the cost in California, and realized it wasn’t so bad.
[QUOTE=twelvegates;6001585]
I just read where the drought in TX is expected to continue through 2020, so the cost of hay will likely stay high or get higher.[/QUOTE]
:eek::eek::eek:
Holy manure balls! Time to fertilize!!
How are you doing? I LOVE my new trailer.
I’m doing very well.
I love my trailer too!
Maybe we should have a Colorado Hawk trailer rally.
Larkspur - those photos are fabulous!!! I love them all - but especially the one of your guys with the snow up to their bellies
I have found some interesting properties online - I think I will look in the Larkspur area too.
Good point on the electrical tape due to the wind where you are. I will have to keep that in mind.
Yes, I am salivating at the thought of NO ticks, mosquitos or fleas and SUNSHINE. The summer humidity can be so oppressive that we dont ride after 9am or before 8pm. Then, there the winter rains set in… There are a few indoors here but it seems that they are 20 degrees hotter in the summer and 20 degrees colder in the winter.
I do hate snakes though…
I dabble in dressage and jumping, but I mostly just want to trail ride now.
Since water rights were brought up by a previous poster - is there something I need to be specifically looking for when buying a property?
[QUOTE=Bobuddy;6001854]
Since water rights were brought up by a previous poster - is there something I need to be specifically looking for when buying a property?[/QUOTE]
Make sure it has a domestic well permit. That allows you to water livestock.
If you PM me I’ll give you my email address and I can tell you if I know anything about any of the areas or properties you are interested in.
Those big snows are fun for the horses, but annoying for me to have to dig a path to the poop pile.
I have only seen two ticks since moving here in 1995.
I did have Horseguard fence tape and it worked fine at my old property, but we were in among the trees so there was a break. It’s the only brand I would use – the tape and hardware are far superior to anything else. Out here on the “tundra” I have coated wire (Kencove) with two strands of “White Lightning” coated electrified wire.
The coated wire WILL cut a horse (hence the blue bandage on my yearling’s left hind) though it is much less of a risk than bare wire. I would never use bare wire, because I’ve seen what it can do.
[QUOTE=twelvegates;6001637]
Maybe we should have a Colorado Hawk trailer rally.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, or a parade.
The weather is great in my opinion. I like the wind in Spring least. I like the low humidity in winter most - it makes such a difference in the feel of the cold.
One place that was not mentioned was Boulder County. I think looking at Boulder and Doulglas/Elbert Counties gives you a range of the types of places that you can find.
Boulder is liberal and has very restrictive building codes (unless you know someone and then none apply, of course). The restrictions on the use or your property are extreme, to the extent that working on a classic car that doesn’t “run” outside of a building designated for that is in violation of the land use code even in if you are on a farm/ranch and it isn’t visible from the road. Actually Boulder is the only county in the country that voted for a tax increase in the last election.
Dolglas County tends to be much more conservative and the restrictions are not like those in Boulder.
So, some people prefer one over the other - depends on your politics.
Colorado, itself has been considered a purple state, but that will change now since the Democrat redistricting plan was approved. Even the conservative city of Colorado Springs was splint into two districts by the redistricting.
The weather in Boulder is much better.
The horse activities seem to be better in Douglas County area.
It’s not how many acres per horse, it’s how much water you have. Water is something you need to understand if you want to move to Colorado with horses. Talk to the ditch company before you buy any property that you are looking at - talk to the water commissions office and neighbors too. Water is complicated and even a well-intentioned realtor probably won’t know as much as he/she thinks about water.
[QUOTE=Bobuddy;6001854]
Since water rights were brought up by a previous poster - is there something I need to be specifically looking for when buying a property?[/QUOTE]
As Larkspur said, consider the type of well permit offered. Irrigation water rights are rare and generally come at a high price.
When we did have our horse property in Pueblo West we were just on city water, but it was only 2.5 acres. Which is all we needed for the trail riding that was right out the door. I now board for $200/month, full care. Don’t think you will need an indoor unless you are up in the mountains or very aggressive in your riding goals.
Higher up you go in the mountains, the less chance for snakes. Prices down here for property I had was around $200,000…custom barn, custom home. Won’t find that anywhere else I don’t think. But as I said, you have to travel to find any culture. But Springs is only 38 miles up the road. Denver about 150 or so.
Oh, we have plenty of mosquitos.
But I’ve never had to use flea preventatives on my dogs, and haven’t seen any ticks in probably 20 years. We don’t have much in the way of tick diseases, and EPM is really rare here.
On the downside, navicular syndrome IS more common here.
[QUOTE=Simkie;6002202]
Oh, we have plenty of mosquitos.
On the downside, navicular syndrome IS more common here.[/QUOTE]
Dang it - that is not what I wanted to hear - 
Any special reason to the navicular syndrome?
[QUOTE=twelvegates;6002181]
As Larkspur said, consider the type of well permit offered. Irrigation water rights are rare and generally come at a high price.[/QUOTE]
You just buy property that has water rights. It may be harder to find south of Denver than north of Denver - I’m not sure about that, but there are many properties that have water rights with them. What you cannot do is add irrigation water to a property that has not historically had irrigation water. It is not legal to do that, and people know where the water is going.
It is true that property with irrigation water is more expensive than property without irrigation water (unless someone gets taken advantage of) but it’s better to have less land with water than dry land.
I assumed the OP was interested in buying land, not water rights. Sorry for any confusion :o. My point was that water is a precious commodity here and is priced accordingly.
Here’s a “steal” (their words) in Ft. Collins with 4.5 acres and ditch rights for $600K
http://fortcollins.olx.com/horse-property-iid-33777204
And here’s a 2.5 acre place in Parker with water rights for $279K:
http://www.coloradohomefinder.com/listing/1030704-3750-county-road-186-parker-co-80138/
And if you are really well-heeled, here’s one in Sedalia for a mere $9M with no water rights:
http://www.coloradohomefinder.com/listing/1024449-7007-daniels-park-rd-sedalia-co-80135/
Yep, interested in farm/small acreage -if I had to pick - greater than 10 acres.
One thing I have seen is the property taxes are higher on the 5 acre lots than the higher acres - is there a minimum lot size for agricultural tax base vs residential? Here in KY - it is 10 acres to get an agricultural tax break.
I live in Colorado Springs as well! Board out near Black Forest (waves hi to the other CO peeps). The area is lovely, we have lots of shows close by, and the weather is amazing all summer and fall. Winter is cold, but we really don’t have many miserable days.
If you guys do have a Hawk rally I totally want to come! Not a Hawk owner, but it’s a brand I’m very interested in and I’ve never seen one in person (and man are they hard to find used!!)
Where I used to board they plowed one of the arenas when it snowed. If we waited till after noon to ride the frozen footing had melted enough to use it.
Not all areas of Colorado are tick and flea free. Prairie dogs carry fleas and with it possibly plague. A number of horses I know had ticks on them last spring. And at 7000’ it’s not exactly low here (Durango area.)
Lots of horses kept on pasture here, but we generally have more water than some other areas of the state.
[QUOTE=countrygal;6002510]
I live in Colorado Springs as well! Board out near Black Forest (waves hi to the other CO peeps). The area is lovely, we have lots of shows close by, and the weather is amazing all summer and fall. Winter is cold, but we really don’t have many miserable days.
If you guys do have a Hawk rally I totally want to come! Not a Hawk owner, but it’s a brand I’m very interested in and I’ve never seen one in person (and man are they hard to find used!!)[/QUOTE]
If you ever want to see a Hawk, just PM me. I’m not far from the center of “old” Black Forest. But if you actually want to BUY one, I suggest you contact Larkspur, as she got a better deal than I :mad:.
Lived in Colorado from 1990 until 2002 and my heart still lives there…sigh!
Parker first–track home in middle of no where and stables galore within 5 miles. Now it’s all houses. In 1995, we moved to Elizabeth, 5 acres, barn
and house, lots of trees and brought the ponies home.
We fed about the same amount of hay in the summer as winter…pine trees
aren’t condusive to growing grass. What did grow was entertainment hay, more than anything.
By all means, check out the water situation with any property. In the early
90’s (I think), rules changed and domestic wells were only approved for 35 plus acre properties. Existing well permits for small acreages were grandfathered in. Our seller didn’t have the permit in hand, so I tracked it down and got a copy from the state.
Alfalfa was cheaper than grass hay when we lived there…was told they could get several cuttings a year vs just one for grass unless they had irrigation. In Texas, it was the opposite…alfalfa was higher as it doesn’t grow well here and is imported. Coastal hay, in a normal year, could produce 5 cuttings. Now both types are sky high!
Moved to Colorado from Chicago and thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Lots of outdoor riding in the winter. Lots of sunshine…no weeks of dreary
overcast weather.
Brought my horse from Chicago–he was diagnosed with navicular within a year. A horse friend back in Chicago said she thought he might have had it before–she just didn’t pick up on the signs. He was my first horse and had no idea what it was. The barn where I boarded was a large hunter/jumper barn in Parker and the trainer brought in horses from various parts of the country and Canada. They used Littleton Large for the barn vet (they are
one of the top clinics) and began using ixosophrine on all import horses from
lower parts of the country until the horses got acclimated to the altitude.
My horse came out about a year before, spent about a week in Parker and then spent the summer in the mountains at 10,000 feet before coming back to Parker.
Douglas County (Parker) has higher property taxes than neighboring Elbert County along with higher sales tax. There wasn’t a stop light in the whole county, now there are three. It’s my understanding building codes, etc in
Douglas County have gotten more restrictive as it boomed.
As far as trail riding, your best shot would be against the foothills since there is lot of BLM land…otherwise, you will probably have to trailer a bit. If you buy in an equestrian community, go over the covenants with a fine tooth comb. And check the county zoning regulations for amount of horses per acre. Some of the communities have bridle paths…others don’t.
Be sure to pick a realtor that understands horse properties–that’s the term used for farm, farmette, etc. Suzy Switzer with Remax in Parker is probably
the premier gal…and also has her own place with barn and horses. There are several others but don’t remember their names. She is the agent who sold our place when we moved to Texas.
We had twisted smooth wire on t-posts and some wood fencing. Took down the wire and put in coated high-tensile (Centaur) on wood posts. Plain wire
can do a number on a horse’s leg. So far, after 15 years of coated wire,
no injuries and mine are OTTB’s.
Congrats…think you will enjoy it!!!
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