Haven’t read everything so maybe this is redundant but have a mud management plan. In fall and early spring, the frozen mud ruts are treacherous to navigate so having a plan to mitigate that would be good. Figure out what type is soil is on the property and how that will affect the mud (some soil is more slippery/mud prone than others).
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I will add that, aside from the occasional major snowfall, the location of this place is very convenient. It’s only about a 15-20 minute drive to downtown and a few minutes to most major stores.
I also took a look at it on Google Maps and it looks like you would need to add a good driveway to the barn and indoor for better access.
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This would be another place that could work. No indoor, but a nice little set up that could work for a retiree and their friend with enough room for hay storage and easy access to all the buildings - it even looks like the shop with the barn is very close (I thought they were attached, but Google maps shows they’re not) to the house for easy horse care in bad weather. The Lockport area is far enough north to avoid the worst snow bands but still not a bad commute to Buffalo.
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This place looks so much better inside and comfy matters. and with what you save you could spend what you need to make it more efficient and easy to get your work done. I love our woods and my horses do too.
Great find!
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I thought of the OP last night during the 930p “tuckin” with my horses and how amazing it is to always see them 3x/day and sometimes 5x. And how relaxed and happy they are versus their past behaviors in other barns when I boarded.
I lost my 29yo a few years ago and had him 20 yrs. Was so grateful his last 4 years were with me at home and the bonding deepens when you so greatly love seeing your animals.
My mare has this sweet nicker where her nostrils vibrate for longer than normal and I never saw that ever when we boarded.
She also had more anxiety that has mostly all gone away.
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No I have used nets in the past and neither me or my horses were a fan. It is kind of a sarcastic remark on my part 
Hello from a fellow Buffalonian! I don’t keep my horse at home. I board, but there are really not many good options around Buffalo. Especially if you don’t live on the “fringes” (ie. Akron, Elma, Clarence, etc) where there is more land available. There is exactly 1 boarding barn within half an hour of my house, which is where my horse is. The next closest barns are 45min-1hr away. Boarding barns are scarce here, and there isn’t a lot of choice. Turnout at most of these places is not the best- they’re very small paddocks, and most barns won’t turnout if the ground is wet, muddy, covered in snow, or frozen (which is like November to May here). I really wish I had a better option for my horse, but keeping a horse at home is not feasible for me. I’m always looking for other options with more turnout, but it’s all either far away, high end barns that still don’t get enough turnout, or self care board in a random field with no shelter or running water. I would echo the advice above, try to find somewhere you can board just while you get your feet under you, then if it’s an option, bring him home once you have your land/barn set up the way you want it.
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Don’t believe a lot of what is said here.
You don’t heat barns here.
You do blanket- usually, especially the oldies, but remember it can heat up during the day and you need to pull their blanket if they are at home.
Yes, you do need to worry about zoning.
Northtowns doesn’t get much snow, southtowns does.
Also be aware some towns recently got new assessments, so taxes will be increasing.
There are plenty of boarding barns around, depending on the care you want & what you are willing to pay.
I just looked at moving my retired horse to an hour away- great barn, but I can’t.
Vets & farriers are a little limited right now, but they are available.
Have you picked a town to live in?
Good luck with your decision!
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/waves hi
My 2 - Feronia, in spite of her age, isn’t blanketed anymore unless it’s below freezing, or very windy/wet. She does stay in her shed if it’s cold and windy. On the flip side, yesterday she was in a medium because of the wind and low temp (low of 22 abd it was still around freezing), and standing outside snoozing in the sun and getting toasty warm.
Miss Lola hasn’t been blanketed except in the teens or lower. She has free choice hay and is very furry.
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I built my barn in CT with radiant floor heat- but it the barn is already in place, you can pipe in heat. I use propane and have a generator installed for stormy weather etc
Absolutely all true
My barn was built in 1909. Old bank barn. Cosy and warm in winter and cool and breezy in summer. It’s old and a wee bit tired, but horses and I are happy. Each horse has a window and all of the windows are open thru most of the winter. And I have THE coldest arena in Ontario 
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I was not as far north as Buffalo, but a place with extended winter in the NE for the last 20 years. It is my observation that horses adapt way better to the north than we do. Mud management, water availability, hay, grain, and shaving proximity to feeding locations and other delivery types are really important considerations. Bank barns are nice. Kids plastic sleds are great for moving hay (incidentally) in the snow.
Horses figure it all out. I blanketed mine. Some people don’t.
It seems that people have more trouble adapting to the north and horses have more trouble adapting to the south (YMMV).
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When the weather is very cold, things are very dry. Horses do very well in a dry climate. It is rain, mud, and high humidity that is hard on horses. A “dry cold” suits horses well, as long as they can move. If they can’t move, they will get cold.
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It is becoming more and more rare to have static hair during the winter. We (I’m SW Ontario so on a line with Buffalo) get a LOT more damp nastiness than cold that is cold enough to be dry.
The OP didn’t say when the move is happening, but if it’s in the next few months they are coming up at absolutely the best time of year.
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Thanks everyone. I had to take a break from this thread because I was getting overwhelmed/it was breaking my heart. I did read each and every comment, and I greatly appreciate them. I will be moving in a few months, and I decided to leave him behind. We will see how the next year goes, but I’ll likely only get to see him about 4 weeks out of 52 due to my schedule. It’s going to hurt—I spend hours with him every day. I feel so guilty leaving him, and I wish I had a choice. He spooked in the pasture the other day and came running straight to me. He’s my buddy. It will be very sad.
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Tough decision, but probably the best for him. Is he in a place where they will keep in touch regularly - send a picture or two or a video? Do you have a friend that can check on him personally on some sort of regular basis? Hugs to you
So sorry you’ve had to make this decision. Maybe things will change after you move, and you’ll figure out a way to have him with you once you are there.
Rebecca
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I can see how this thread is overwhelming, but horse-keeping aged horses in this climate is actually not complicated in practice. Regarding cold weather, that is what horse blankets are for! There are plenty of aged horses here and they do just fine. There are retirement boarding farms, rescue farms, regular boarding farms, and backyard farms and as long as the aged horses have blankets if needed/as needed and access to shelter (barn or shed) the horses do just fine. Companies like Rambo and others make comfortable warm waterproof blankets suitable for the coldest and wettest of weather! Horses acclimate better to cold weather than to hot weather, and their long necks warm the air before reaching their lungs.
Everything everyone mentioned about barn design is something that all the contractors here already know. So if you find a place with a barn or build a barn, winter weather considerations will have been/will be taken into account already by the builder.
Regarding snow, horses (and some people) love snow! Everyone here has a shovel and a container of ice melt handy by the door and you just shovel out the doors and walkways and put salt down. The municipalities are well-equipped with snow plows and salt to keep the roads clear. Homeowners hire a plow person to keep their driveways clear.
Farriers here know the drill and if your horse wears shoes they will equip him with snowball pads, studs and borrium and he will be all set to enjoy his paddock in any weather! In an ice storm he may have to be in temporarily but that is true anywhere.
I hope you reach a point where you feel comfortable moving him to be with you!
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