Dressage Barns/Trainers Northern Mass/Southern NH

[lauda]

HI all

I’ll be relocating to Northern Mass (Wilmington/Andover area) early in the new year and I’m looking for recommendations for dressage barns/trainers in the area. I’ve been trawling the internet/facebook but haven’t found much.

I’m open to boarding and may leave my retired horse in Texas since I’m not sure how he’ll do in the cold but I’m also considering buying a property where I can keep both my horses at home.
What kind of costs would I be looking for to board a single horse in that area? Anyone have any thoughts on things I need to consider for keeping horses at home? I’m from a cold/wet area originally so I’m already thinking about hardstanding for winter turnout etc.

[GreyDes]

Welcome! And heads up that you’re coming to an expensive area. I had massive sticker shock when I moved 15+ years ago

NEDA is the local GMO and is very active. www.neda.org

Boarding with an indoor will run you $800-1,000. Horse properties in the area you mentioned are extremely limited and expensive due to proximity to Boston. You can go further West/ North for somewhat lower prices, however with the current real estate market you’ll still see high prices and limited options.

The good news is that there is a great dressage community with lots of options from rated shows, schooling shows and clinics.

You can probably get some specific boarding recommendations if you’re able to share more details about what you’re looking for, price range and how far you’re willing to drive.

[lauda]

Ha! I hear you. Fortunately I’m moving from an extremely expensive area and the house prices in the areas we are looking in are very comparable if not a little lower.

I currently pay $750 for a stall with run out, coastal 3x a day and purina feed. They take excellent care of my horses but I have to drive 45 minutes to get there. I’ve payed up to $1200 for very indifferent care in a “fancy” barn nearby.

For boarding I’d be looking for full care, regular turnout weather permitting, full size arena, indoor ideally (I can work with an outdoor, I grew up schooling in the dark and freezing cold, lol) within 30 minutes commute of the Wilmington area. Blanketing, holding for farrier etc. all included.

If I keep them at home, willing to trailer up to 1hr/1hr 30 minutes for lessons on weekends.

[beowulf]

When you find what you are looking for and it’s affordable and has good turnout, please let me know.

I grew up in this area, moved to RI, then spent a few years in SC, then spent a few years in NY, and then finally moved back to MA just before hitting my 30s. It is expensive!

The pros about this area: it has a lot of very talented dressage trainers, there’s a good scene for shows (both recognized and schooling) and the quality of horses is top notch.

The cons are that there is a dearth of land, schoolmasters, real estate, and traffic free roads… which drives up the cost[s] of pretty much everything horsey here.

A caveat is not to trust what google Maps or any map feature says about traffic times/commute times. Generally anything in that area is always awful around rush hour and it may take you 45m to go 8 miles.

Last time I shopped in your area for board it was closer to the $1500 mark and even then the horses only saw a few hours of turnout a day. I’ve been looking for a few years now for a place to winter-board just to keep my guy going, but always end up just giving him the winter off.

If you can afford it it may be better to just outright buy a home – but even then, real estate taxes approach what you pay in a top quality show barn annually, so it really depends on where you see yourself in a few years… If you’re thinking your presence here is a permanent fixture, it may be better to buy - but it sure is expensive.

I would join this FB group and ask:
https://www.facebook.com/USDFRegion8

[lauda]

My theory is that it’s better to put the money to a mortgage payment, at least then you have something out of it at the end of the day.

My city boy husband is underwhelmed by the idea of moving further outside of the city (we are 10 minutes from downtown Austin right now) but he can learn to deal especially since he works from home and has no need to commute. On the bright side I already looked into property tax and in the southern New Hampshire area it is less (or at least no worse) by % than we pay now, so I’m not at all shocked by that.

[GreyDes]

Be aware that if you buy in NH (which is what we did) and work in MA you’ll have the joy of paying NH property taxes and MA income taxes.

Also, I agree with Beowolf’s pricing if you are looking close to Wilmington. Prices will drop a bit for board as you go North or West.

A few places to check as starting points:

• Cutter Farm in Dracut
• Bear Spot in Acton
• Bradford in Haverhill

If you want to go further East, Rosebrook is in Georgetown. Going further North into NH will open up options as well.

[lauda]

Thanks, that’s really good information. The double tax thing kinda sucks, but if I can keep my horses at home it’s probably worth it (for me at least, not sure about the other half!)

[BravAddict]

Believe it or not, there are some small farms including a few that board in Wilmington itself. There are also certainly private barns that occasionally take in a boarder in Andover/North Andover, North Reading, Carlisle, etc.

It will depend on where exactly you end up. If you’re truly living in Wilmington, it might be less painful to look in the Concord/Acton area and plan on taking back roads. Riverfront Farm in Concord was previously a dressage facility. I toured it some 6-7 years ago when a H/J trainer was there. I’m not sure what sorts of trainers work there now, but I remember thinking it had nice turnout and good footing in the indoor. And super convenient location if you lived in the western suburbs.

I toured Winthrop Farm in Rowley some 10 years ago and had a favorable impression of that, too. The horses seemed well cared for.

[frugalannie]

Welcome to the area, @lauda. FYI, I heard that Rosebrook is for sale. I’ve never been there, but I know a young pro who works there and I think quite highly of her.

[lauda]

Sadly it’s a bit out of my price range, not that the other half would let me buy a huge farm anyway

Thanks for the information though, I’ll look those up.

[Mercedes2]

If you’re in the Andover area I would recommend boarding in Southern NH for sure. You’ll be looking at prices around $700 and up rather than $1,200+. I believe Atkinson Riding Academy has a dressage trainer as well as Winding Brook in Derry.