There really are SO many variables, there is no one answer. Having spent my life working in barns & I learn by watching, I spent two years shopping by soil maps, parcel data, & my own criteria (NOT flat, I hate mud, good soil & established natural drainage/hydrology - I’m a freshwater wildlife biologist so I can consult for myself, hee, solid neighbours, easy accessibility to the roads I travel frequently, onsite trail access, etc). I didn’t own my own horse until I was 26, but I did board him for 8 years until last March when I finally had the farm ready for him & my younger horse.
I event, so I WANT my horses on as many different kinds of footing & terrain in all types of weather as possible. I don’t like riding in arenas, don’t ever intend to build one. If grass on a slope is good enough for the best dressage rider in our sport, I think it’s going to do for me, LOL! The small slope on one end also gives me a free training boost in balance & strength with every ride, so if we go to compete in flat footing, it’s just that much easier.
Plus, yeah, my income bracket is at the bottom of those poll lists!!! And I don’t want to maintain one, I actually do have to show up at work often enough that they still send me check! So my “arena” has cost me $20 in plastic cones with dressage letters on them which I wired to spare cinder blocks…and the fuel to mow it, which I’d do anyway as part of managing that field.
I actually never intended to own a farm, b/c I knew exactly what it entailed, but after a massive trauma changed my future, I did a LOT of spreadsheets, & with two horses, it’s saving me a LOT of money & time, along with providing a good 30 years worth of future distraction to give my brain projects to deal with said trauma. I LOVE not having to start a vehicle on weekends if I don’t feel like it (I do have a truck & trailer, but truck is my daily driver, I’ve had a 2H rig ever since I bought the horse anyway).
Looking back, as I run it myself, the key was being able to design the layout myself (bought nice, established pasture & smacked a modular on it) so I could do essential chores in ten minutes or less (more like 5 – I don’t stall my horses, they do have a run-in, me & the manure fork got a divorce, heh, I am not even building stalls/barns, they’re not needed here anyway, I didn’t even use them at the last farm I boarded at, & I can make a 12’ stall in the run in with one gate).
The other #1 essential is RIDE FIRST. Always ride first! That grass/fenceline/project isn’t going anywhere & if you bought the horse to ride, then you are only shorting yourself if you don’t follow the rule.
Really, it’s all about taking the time to really sit down and plan ALL the details. Talk to friends or acquaintances in your area who have done it before. Really think about what you NEED. Do the math & don’t forget to include fuel costs for commuting & time spent driving. There’s no law requiring fancy “trimmings” like barns, $$$$$$ arenas, high-end fencing, those are all options.
Pay attention to the properties surrounding you – a large variable which brought me to this parcel was the event trainer behind me who DOES have an all-weather arena with lights on the rare occasion I have a whim, as well as a jump field & XC obstacles. On the other side is my most beloved neighbour who also has horses…and a hydraulic post driver, skidsteer, excavator & grew up in the area, so he builds & maintains our massive trail network across many private properties because he knows everyone in our rural area & he is so kind (and has all the toys plus 100-hp tractor w/ bushhog), no one says no to him!
After that, how often you ride is decided by how often you decide to ride. On a hot Carolina summer day, I can walk out my back door when it cools off at 9 pm, be at the x-ties in 30 steps, & have a nice ride without having to worry about the drive home.
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