Maybe it’s because I’m from Colorado and Minnesota and now live in Fairfield county, but NOTHING in Connecticut feels far away from ANYTHING ELSE :lol:
Are there really parts of CT that are “remote” and far away from vets and other services? Mind = blown if so!
[QUOTE=Simkie;8994250]
Maybe it’s because I’m from Colorado and Minnesota and now live in Fairfield county, but NOTHING in Connecticut feels far away from ANYTHING ELSE :lol:
Are there really parts of CT that are “remote” and far away from vets and other services? Mind = blown if so![/QUOTE]
Well, I’ve never lived in CT. But I can say that travel mindset drastically changes from location to location in the US. Mainly because the smaller the physical area, the more densely populated it usually is, thus making travel much slower.
Where I grew up outside Philadelphia, you’d be hard pressed to convince a vet or farrier to drive from one end of the county to another for a client. Yet my farrier here commutes from another time zone!!!
[QUOTE=Simkie;8994250]
Maybe it’s because I’m from Colorado and Minnesota and now live in Fairfield county, but NOTHING in Connecticut feels far away from ANYTHING ELSE :lol:
Are there really parts of CT that are “remote” and far away from vets and other services? Mind = blown if so![/QUOTE]
distances are different east of the Mississippi, here 100/200 miles is local back there 2 miles is trip that requires the car to be packed with survival gear
Depending on where you live and must haves it can take years to find a property. Most important is zoning. then I look at safety issues. I can change fencing but I can’t change the neighbors loose dogs.
Check regulations regarding shooting; a friend of mine purchased land and built her dream home and farm, and then the a**hat neighbor, who incorrectly thinks part of the land she purchased is his, has taken up target shooting on his property basically every time she gets on her horse.
[QUOTE=Simkie;8994250]
Maybe it’s because I’m from Colorado and Minnesota and now live in Fairfield county, but NOTHING in Connecticut feels far away from ANYTHING ELSE :lol:
Are there really parts of CT that are “remote” and far away from vets and other services? Mind = blown if so![/QUOTE]
Fair enough :lol: I just thought that maybe real estate would be very specific to a few towns? This is our first house shopping excursion so maybe I am wrong!
Farrier in Maryland
I’ve moved to the Maryland area from Virginia and will be taking on new clients. Montgomery, Frederick, Howard and Carrol counties. Blackhorse farrier 703-772-8881; Scott Masse
^^^^ Reported
Fair enough I just thought that maybe real estate would be very specific to a few towns? This is our first house shopping excursion so maybe I am wrong!
Sometimes it is! But the horse property person I used certainly works all over the state (seriously, let me know if you want her details, she was great.) We also dealt with another horse property person who was the seller’s agent who seemed to only work Fairfield county.
The entire state of Connecticut is only twice the size of the COUNTY I lived in when I was in Colorado, and my veterinary dentist in Minnesota served something like four STATES…so this very tight, small, packed place has been quite the adjustment. Actually, I haven’t adjusted yet, I’m still in shock :lol:
If you’ve been around here before (not sure where you’re coming from!) it will be much less of an adjustment. And perhaps I’m totally wrong and the part of CT you’re in is drastically different. But from a westerner, you’re just not that far away! 
Things to consider…
Location relative to work for commuting
Zoning and future growth plans for the area
Neighborhood / neighbors
Water… where does it come from, where does it go
Amenities…existing? In need of repair?
Topography, vegetation, soil
[QUOTE=keysfins;8994362]
^^^^ Reported[/QUOTE]
I would like to think most of us are willing to cut a “little guy/gal” some slack.
Just saying…
[QUOTE=Simkie;8994250]
Maybe it’s because I’m from Colorado and Minnesota and now live in Fairfield county, but NOTHING in Connecticut feels far away from ANYTHING ELSE :lol:
Are there really parts of CT that are “remote” and far away from vets and other services? Mind = blown if so![/QUOTE]
Yup, the same as some others have said. When I lived out your/that way we though nothing of driving 2 hours to a fiends house for lunch. Down into Denver to pick up something.
Heck, I’ve sat in traffic on the LIE for 3 hours to go 20 miles into NYC. That could be the norm on a lot of days/nights.
[QUOTE=keysfins;8994362]
^^^^ Reported[/QUOTE]
What’s reported?
[QUOTE=pluvinel;8994535]
What’s reported?[/QUOTE]
A farrier jumped into this conversation (and every other forum here) to self-promote his business in another state, but the mods cleaned it up quickly. 
[QUOTE=Texarkana;8994183]
This in spades!
Signed,
Someone who did not do her homework on the availability of service providers. :lol:[/QUOTE]
Just moved out of BSF for this very reason (along with lack of diversity).
[QUOTE=equinelaundry;8994742]
Just moved out of BSF for this very reason (along with lack of diversity).[/QUOTE]
That too! We’re heading back east for 2017 and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Also check out traffic adjacent to the property, especially if pastures or paddocks border a road. We are on a curve, and anytime it is the least bit slippery, someone goes off the road into our property. This means we have a large section of the property that we can’t put the horses on since I can’t be sure someone won’t crash there at any given time. Our next place will NOT be on a busy, curvy road!
I would echo those who suggest doing a deep dive on service providers - which might include a quick phone call to assess a willingness of said provider(s) to service an account with just a couple of horses.
I lived in CT for 8 years (Newtown area) and had friends with private barns. Despite the fact that I could easily get vets, farriers etc out to see my horses, they had a really difficult time despite being in the same area. The difference was that my horses were at big show / boarding facilities where they had many clients, vs. my friends who had a couple of horses at home. (And although they were “backyard barns,” they were NICE places with very nice, very well cared for show horses - FWIW.) So you need to know more than whether that professional / practice “serves the (town) area” IMO.
Also check out options for feed stores, hay delivery, fencing providers etc.
We just bought our farm a year ago. Some things we considered (and things we didn’t that I wish we had)…
Layout of the property. We wanted the barns and pastures behind the house so you have to drive past the house to get to the barn. Easier to secure.
Existing fencing. It was brand new, coated high tensile wire. Personally I prefer board fencing but it works. I’ll be replacing the wire between pastures with wood, since the horses play over the fence and we’ve had some issues with it. So make sure you like the fencing that’s there or are financially prepared to replace/add after you’re in.
Drainage. We’re fortunate in that we aren’t in a low area and we have sandy soil. If it POURS, we can put horses out 24 hours later without any damage to the pastures. However, the soil erodes very fast around the barns and we have to do some work to rebuild the slopes this spring, otherwise I think the indoor arena might wash away.
Vegetation. I wish I had known more about what is poisonous to horses. Turns out we have some bad things growing in or near the pastures. I’ve been cutting, pruning and killing. But the giant, 80 year old oak trees dropping acorns everywhere? Those are expensive to remove. We have 14 of them. AUGH!
Vermin. Look at the ground very closely, particularly around the edges of any buildings. Look for mounds, holes, disturbed ground. Moles and woodchucks are VERY hard to get rid of and can cause a lot of problems. Ask me how I know.
Internet and cable. This might sound silly, but it was my hubby’s biggest criteria that we had access to decent internet and cable TV. Satellite wouldn’t cut it. So if that’s important to you, be sure to check it out before you move.
Barn integrity. Does the roof leak? Do the doors close tightly? Do locks work? Does the water work? Does it freeze in the winter? Is the electrical safe? Many people do their own work in the barns, and you might find things aren’t quite up to code or done safely. We had to have the roofs repaired and rubber coated, replace a hydrant in the barn and have the electrical upgraded. All expenses we weren’t planning on…
Pasture grass. Find out if they’ve done any kind of seeding or if the grass growing out there is just weeds. In particular, look for red clover. You don’t want scratches/slobbers.
Surrounding water. We have two very large ponds adjoining our property. Can you say mosquitoes? OMG. We bought a mosquito magnet in the fall after suffering all summer. I put screen doors on the ends of the barn aisles to keep flying nasties out, and in the worst parts of summer, the horses just stayed inside. Hopefully we’ll get another magnet this year and it’ll take care of the bulk of the mosquitoes. We also put down Fly Predators to keep the fly population down.
Manure disposal. If you’re looking at small acreage (we have 5 acres and two horses) you’ll want to ask how they’ve handled manure. The previous owners of our property had a tractor and spreader (and 14 horses on this tiny bit of land!) and spread on the acreage that used to be part of this property. It’s been split up and no longer accessible. We also don’t have equipment, but only have two horses so it’s very manageable. If someday there are more horses, I would likely have to rent a manure dumpster because I have nowhere to spread, and no equipment to do so.
Lighting - and how you will reach it. I was so excited to see the outdoor arena had lights. The outside of the barn has huge lights. The indoor arena has lovely high bay lights. Just wonderful! Until one burns out. OMG. How the hell do you get up there? We still don’t know LOL.
Storage. I have 14 stalls so plenty of room to store hay and extra stuff. However, if I had 14 horses - where would the hay go? Make sure you have more than enough room to store hay, equipment, extra saddles, blankets, broken pitchforks, those old moldy halters you can’t make yourself throw away, brooms with no bristles left, just all the crap that we horse people seem to… er… save. Cuz you never know. LOL!
You guys are so awesome! This is super helpful. Are real-estate agents fairly honest about this stuff (drainage, etc.) Or is it “anything to sell”?
Simkie, it sounds like your agent was great and I will definitely reach out once we are ready with a bit more of a down payment in a year or so
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