Yup! I like the season as well. I liked VA a lot, but am thrilled to be back in PA and it’s got a fabulous horse scene.
I think this fact deserves some attention. If you move to an area that’s a good horse scene but lacks proximity to a more populated area with a social scene, it could start to feel lonely. I know when I was ready to buy a house, I briefly considered buying horse property, but that took me away from theaters, non-chain restaurants, music, etc., not to mention other single people. I chose to stay in the city, but blessedly there are nearby stables and trails.
Just something to consider.
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I’m in SE PA, very close to Devon. The not AA barns are going to run you $1100-$1250 a month for board, then usually a lesson or pro ride requirement. My typical bill (including farrier) comes out around $2000.
Now you want AA barn (Louise or the like) That’s more like 2k plus hay, plus grain plus rides etc. And that’s what it was when she posted her prices in 2021 (they aren’t there anymore).
you also need to watch for whether you have to go to FL for the winter. My barn doesn’t require it but there are many who do.
now cost of a house is way better than in your neck of the woods, and the horses get turnout, so there’s a lot to be said for those things, however the training/board prices are comparable.
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Well… from when we started discussing this til now. (that’s right… about 10 days), it appears that many barns in FL are actually increasing bills and a few trainers are sending out notices of a price increase or revamp. So now training board is running closer to $2700-3000 on average, not including horse show/away training/lessons, travel fees, or external fees. I don’t expect that to level out anytime soon with the cost of hay/grain, taxes in FL doubling in certain areas, insurance skyrocketing after Hurricane Ida…not to mention, add in the DeSantis’ witch hunt against undocumented workers and the places that employ them, and you’ve got a ton of barns that are now facing a boatload of issues around keeping staff and employees that are very afraid of being deported.
FL unemployment is closer to $300 when I last looked. I think the cap was $275. So def something to consider.
FWIW, we ended up buying a house here bc I couldn’t stomach the costs of throwing away 20-30k for a few months of a home rental. Figured if this was going to be an on-going thing, it was worth it to just buy something.
TL:DR Maybe think about some of the other options and do some serious homework before making the jump. Happy to help!
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Uhhhh I’ve been paying at the top end of that range and higher for training board in Ocala for years, and rates have been going up consistently since 2020/2021 as everything gets more expensive and WEC has driven the cost of property in the area up significantly. I’d add at least 40% on top of that for Wellington area.
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Yeah… that’s why I said AVERAGE.
Honestly, Wellington isn’t even a factor bc it’s just ridiculous. Then again, it’s relative to the real estate surrounding it. No different than Westchester/Bedford Hills area. $5000 for board is a drop in the hat when your real estate portfolio is in the double digit millions.
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Which part of the Florida east coast? We are a long state
Atlanta has a thriving group of talented trainers to address all levels. It has a wonderful local show community that is great for cost-effectively giving younger horses experience in a low press environment. The local shows generally sell out and they are very well run.
Most of the hunter trainers are up in Milton, Alpharetta, and the Canton area. The land here is expensive and board and training reflects the high value of the land (currently $100,000-$200,000 per acre just for the land).
If you work/live in the city, the traffic is horrendous. I moved from Midtown further north to have better access to the barn, but still my commute is 50 minutes on the weekends.
Atlanta has great access to multiple show locations - it’s 6 hours to Ocala, Lexington the the Gulf Coast shows, 4 hours to Tryon or Blowing Rock, a few hours to Aiken.
There are a few small rated shows in the metro area, including a few at the gorgeous Chattahoochee Hills (which sadly has few nearby housing options and is a bit remote).
Wills Park in Alpharetta is currently renovation and has added a new ring and has made massive improvements to the hunter ring, including all new footing. Over time they will renovate the barns - it’s a thriving horse community.
As for training, there are many options. It rains a lot so a covered or indoor is ideal, but honestly not necessary if the footing is good. I’ve been at facilities with no covered, a covered and an indoor. The indoors are my favorite as it can get cold here, and that will cut the wind out.
The more rustic facilities will cost less. The nicer facilities or ones closer in will cost more. $1500-2500 + a month board training is about the hunter range here, with the $2500 being closer in and with full service. It might be hard to find a barn that offers what you’re looking for. A few ideas might be Centurion (Karen Hendrickson Boysen) or HMS (Heather Steinman). Hunter’s Glen is more of a jumper program but the trainer is kind and knowledgeable and a hybrid program might work there, too. Holly Hugo Vidal might also have some ideas of what might work (and she’s from Cali so she likely has some familiarity with what you’re used to). I would advise looking on the GHJA site and going from there.
I love Atlanta. It’s getting crazy expensive with so many people moving from PA, NY, CA and WA (flocking, rather). Fortunately I’ve also gained equity from this trend but with it not letting up we have a housing inventory issue that is driving prices up.
I’ve had my horse in Ocala and loved it there, too. Farms are ridiculously affordable there by comparison, but they lack the commerce of Atlanta. I struggle with what I would do if I needed a job change as there isn’t much going on. In Ocala you’re still feeding psyllium to help cleans sand, etc…. Here in Atlanta we just have red clay which gets all over everything. If your horse is white, go to FL!!! I’m kidding, but not really kidding – it’s very easy to keep a horse clean in the sand. You just vacuum it off. Red clay and the mud that we have elsewhere in the country can be really difficult to clean in comparison.And red clay stains white horses. I digress…
As for PA, my company has a facility in Quakertown, north of Philly. It’s gorgeous country, houses are ridiculously affordable in comparison and then you’re close to Devon! But then you have that nasty white stuff people call snow…
When was the last time that you were in Ocala? In the last 3-5 years, prices have doubled and tripled. So I would not think that it’s considered “cheap” by any means of the imagination.
Also, grey horses can develop melanoma and we’re going through a crazy heat wave here. I would not recommend Fl for horses that have the propensity to burn. I cannot tell you how many horses here have pink noses and sunburns this year. Red clay is a nuissance, but skin cancer is fatal. There are people that specifically will not buy them and list it in their ads.
When was the last time I was in Ocala? A few months ago and our realtor has alerts set up on properties for us. Believe me - we are continuously amazed at how affordable Ocala is in comparison to North Fulton and Cherokee counties. You can get a farm for under $1M in Ocala. You can’t even touch the land here in North Atlanta metro for that price. It’s not “cheap” but definitely waaaaay cheaper! We are continuously surprised at how much more affordable it is then up here.
As for the grey horse, I was merely commenting on how moving a horse from sand to clay or dirt may change a grooming routine. California is generally sandier and it can be a new experience to move to dirt or clay. Melanoma is a whole different topic…
You seem like you have some axe to grind with my post (or maybe even me?). Not sure why but I wish you well.
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What an odd comment, Tini. There is no apparent relationship between sun exposure/sunburn in horses and melanoma development, and instead has everything to do with the genetics of being grey, especially if no flea-bitten pattern or chestnut markings.
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I’m in the Albany NY area and barns that do local shows and a few A shows are about $1k for board. The closer you are to a population center, the more expensive because of convenience and high property taxes. Quality of instruction may vary. Not sure of lesson prices but trainer where I am riding (part leasing) is $60 on any horse they don’t own.
We have Saugerties and Manchester within 1 1/2 hours and Saratoga is closer. The local show scene is not great.
For an idea of human cost of living, a nice 2000sqft house built in the 2000s in a solid but not fancy suburban neighborhood is about $350k. Property and school taxes are quite high. Apartment rents are high but a nice condo or townhouse could be found for $225k close to social amenities like restaurants and theaters, entertainment venues.
This is equivalent to my area in central NC. Barns, house prices, everything. Tryon is 2 hours and the local scene is not Atlanta-active but there are some options.
That might hurt a little, as $1k board and $500k++ mini farms is not what I expected when we moved out here to the “boonies” from GA. But maybe that’s modern cheap horsekeeping
