If you tried to edit, that is why, a glitch on the editing program sends posts to unapproved, a real nuisance they are working on.
You can still see the unapproved post, do your editing, copy it and paste it in a new posting window.
Once is in the open, delete the unapproved post.
Thanks Bluey!
If you are looking for great trail riding, Big South Fork in Jamestown, Fentress County, TN is awesome for it. The park itself has over 200 miles of trails, plus there are also some private areas to ride in that are available by purchasing in certain developments or by paying for a pass. Oneida is just across the Gorge in Scott County, and real estate there is a little less expensive than Fentress County. Scott County has the horse developments, so your neighbors there would be horse oriented and able to help you in case of an emergency, etc. I don’t recommend crossing the Gorge with a horse trailer, although there are people who do it. There is a round about way to go to get to trails, but it would be longer than if you lived in Fentress County.
The Big South Fork area has a few Facebook pages with local information on them and some of the realtors advertise there as well. Extensive veterinary care is available about an hour and a half away at UT Knoxville. There are vet clinics with both small and large animal care available locally, but for bigger needs you would have to haul out.
As far as weather, TN has tornadoes. They are just a fact of life certain times of year. Because of this, we chose to buy a house with a basement. You can also find homes with storm shelters. We have a weather radio that will wake the dead when it goes off, that can give you a little forewarning, but there are no guarantees. We also use the NOAA weather app, which is always loud. We had a tornado hit a mile from us this Spring and destroy at least 7 houses and barns, and knock out power and cell service. But, because the tornado took out power lines and cell towers, after the initial warning we knew nothing.
Winter weather in Jamestown can have some snow, but usually not more than a few inches and it is gone in a couple of days. Many people ride all winter. I live off the Plateau, and have experienced winters that have some nights that drop below freezing and will freeze the water trough. Most days are above freezing.
We did contact a real estate agent before we came down to look, but were not super successful with him. I was very specific in what we wanted, and he did not seem to hear or understand what we wanted. We ended up searching Realtor.com, and coming up with a list of properties that we drove by. Out of those properties we found one that we thought was it. We then found a realtor to take us to see it. Because she was local, we had her show us similar properties in the same area, and then made our choice.
My recommendation would be to come down for a week, drive around and see the area. Find an area that suits your needs, then find a realtor.
Thank you Cutter99. You’ve given me some fantastic advise. Thank you for giving me names of specific places with good trail riding. I knew there was fantastic trail riding but I couldn’t figure out where people who rode actually lived. Facebook is something I will check into. When I couldn’t even figure out where to start it seemed impossible to sift through. I would have no idea about crossing the Gorge with a trailer!
Knowing the distance to UT Knoxville is reassuring. I’m that distance from Univ. of Wisconsin. It’s certainly a doable drive. I’ve used them for very serious issues of EPM in one and cancer in another.
Thanks for advise about realtors. I’ve heard the same difficulty up here. For me two pastures should be more than a 1/4 acre fenced into two lots of weeds :-). My thought was also to drive around Realtor.com finds and then contact a realtor. I’m glad to hear it worked for you.
Also thank you for posting again.
Thanks again Bluey for letting Cutter99 know how to get their post to work.
baybrio, please feel free to e-mail me if there are any other questions I can help you with!
My Dad and my sister live outside of Cookeville. They have been there about 20 years. My Dad has my retired jumper and keeps him there. He has had no problems finding Timothy or Alfalfa hay when he needs it through his local co-op or the local farmer network he has built up. The winters don’t seem to bother Bo and at 28 he stays pretty slick and fat on his 5 acres of pasture year round with the additional hay a couple moths out of the year.
Dad is able to get Purina at the co-op for Bo as well as order anything else that he might need. His vet is right down the road and comes out to see Bo once a year or as needed 
If the wages weren’t so low, I’d live there!
Cutter99, thank you for the offer. I’ll email if I have any other questions.
TXPiaffe, thanks for the info on Cookeville. That sounds like a place I can check out. I saw some properties on Realtor.com. I’ll look at those again. It’s good to know hay can be purchased. I feed hay and a grass hay balancer from Buckeye. I get the hay balancer from Chewy.com of all places. It’s actually cheaper per pound than running to the grain store 45 minutes away.
You’ve got to love the old athletes. I kept a old TB here for my friend for many years, He was fat and happy on pasture in the Summer. I am keeping a 40 year old QH (turned 40 in May). She’s been here since she was 22. I bought 2 donkeys a few years ago, she adopted them the first day they arrived. No other horse is allowed near HER donkeys. I think it keeps her going.
I know there are lots of different models of tornado shelters, I but my preference is for something above ground, and attached to the house. A Safe Room can be added on, and I would store vital papers there, and you can even have hookups for internet, TV, etc. so you can wait in comfort for the danger to pass. I don’t like the idea of running across the yard to a shelter.
JanM, I’m bummed about the tornadoes. I guess no place is perfect. I was hoping the mountains and rolling terrain would be safer.
I’ve never heard of a safe room. Is it somehow attached to the ground more so than the rest of the house? Or is it better built?
I go the the basement, with the dogs and the cat if I can find her. That’s safe for me and the pets but the horses on are their own here. That maybe scares me the most. i grew up in hurricane areas. You know those are coming days ahead.
My house is handicapped accessible and that means, no basement.
We have a tornado safe room, ours the size of a walk-in closet, that is a space built to specs from TTech, that developed those.
It has a concrete foundation tied into concrete blocks for walls and ceiling, filled with rebar and concrete.
It has vents and tied into the house heat pump system, electric and phone line and a heavy steel door with three locks.
They make them any size you want and in TX, at the time we built the house, you got a state bonus for putting one of those in.
Some people add those in the garage, a metal door you open and go down stairs into the safe room, but you can put those any place you want to.
A friend made their tack room a safe room and in storms walk from the house to the barn for safety in there.
When they had that terrible tornado in Moore, OK, the news were showing how everything had been blown away down to the concrete pads and a safe room here and there still standing all by themselves.
Yes, the safe room is solid walls all of the way around, with a well locking door, solid ceiling, and concrete slab floor. Being the worst case scenario person I am, I would also have a door from the safe room to the outside, for emergency exit if the house door is blocked. My major advice (I live in southern Alabama), is that you look at the overhead maps. If there is any sign of previous tornado damage, avoid that area. Tornadoes often follow the same paths, and the geography. Even with a safe room, I wouldn’t touch a property that has every had a tornado near it.
I would also make the safe room big enough to use for a purpose. Friends built a mud room/third bathroom for the safe room. Then keep vital papers in waterproof containers in that room. Replacing marriage, birth records, house paperwork, and car titles, etc. in one place is a very good idea. A hanging folder system works very well for this, and doesn’t take up much space. I know others that have a media room, with a half bath for the safe room. The safe room does have to be on ground level, because of the construction and weight.
Tornadoes, or water spouts exist everywhere, so they are something to plan for, and take precautions for them.
A safe room sounds brilliant! I wonder why I’ve never heard of them. I love the idea of adding a bathroom and also two doors. One could store water so the toilet would flush without running the pump. I wish I could afford to build one large enough for the horses
I grew up in Mansfield CT. Years ago NPR called it the safest place to live in America. Never had a tornado, no/very few deadly spiders or snakes, low crime, decent air quality, low crime etc. I bet with the change in our weather patterns that has all changed. Like you said JanM, tornadoes seem like they are everywhere.I was hoping the mountains would stop them.
Janm, I looked at a tornado map a few days ago. The map was covered with tornadoes. I liked the map because it showed the EF rating. As you know there’s a huge difference between an EF1 and EF4!
Back to the safe room, I really like the idea that you can add one on to an existing structure and that I can make it wheel chair accessible. For a person who’s broken her neck in the past (no lasting paralysis) that seems like an important feature.
Thank you all.
You can make a bathroom a safe room also.
They have safe rooms for horses also, will look for the link with pictures of one in OK:
http://www.equinechronicle.com/ever-seen-one-of-these-a-tornado-safe-room-for-horses/
Was built like a trailer, you can “load” horses in there as in a trailer, interesting concept.
You can make a bathroom a safe room also.
They have safe rooms for horses also:
http://www.equinechronicle.com/ever-…om-for-horses/
Was built like a trailer, you can “load” horses in there as in a trailer, interesting concept. [HR][/HR]
Wow a safe room for horses, that’s fantastic. It looks like a comfortable place for the horses for a short time. Simple and safe. I’m glad they put the price per linear foot. it’s pricey, but gives all of us an idea of what we’d be getting into. I know the debate about letting horses out or leaving them in when the warning hits. I don’t believe there is a good answer to that. If your barn goes with animals inside that’s the worst. On the other hand you’re more likely to get flying debris even in less intense storms.
Anyway Bluey thanks again for the info!
@baybrio, I just moved back to Cookeville this spring and bought a small property for my horses. If you come down here to look around, PM me. I’d be happy to show you around the area!
Montanas_Girl That is such a generous offer. I’ve been looking online, your area looks wonderful! I just might take you up on that offer to show me around!
With everything the forum has been doing/dealing with lately, I didn’t see this until now…But, anyway, you’re very welcome! I went to college here and love this town, so I’m always happy to introduce it to newcomers.
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