Ideal location in SoCal

[Doctor_sOrders]

Well I’m starting to consider myself lucky with my current set up! If I could get my job closer to barn/home (which are pretty close together already) then I may be set!
Still planning on taking a trip out to Temecula though and see what I think!
I would LOVE to find some open land/nature to enjoy with my horse again. I was spoiled rotten in Alabama.

I’m seriously considering trying to get a group of people together once a month or so to go trail riding/nature walking/whatever! just to get the horses out of the city and arena. I’m fairly close to Griffith Park but I’ve heard it can be quite the nightmare there if you go on weekends due to the eternal feud between pedestrians, cars, bikers and horseback riders. Seeing as I only have time on the weekends and don’t have a death wish…

[Temecula_Jumper]

I’m in Temecula and I love it. There’s still some open spaces and it definitely has a more rural feel to it than most places in So Cal. Unfortunately, the job market is not great so you may need to be prepared to commute. My office is in Irvine and takes about two hours to get to each way. Luckily I am able to work from home most days, but if I had to commute daily, there’d be no way! There’s lots of nice barns in Temecula and most places have turn out. It also has Galway Downs and is an easy drive to the major shows at The Oaks and Showpark. If you’d like any barn recommendations, feel free to PM me!

[Coreene]

Work in Irvine or Fashion Island and board in Huntington Beach. But you’ll have to search really hard to find somewhere nice to live for what you are currently paying.

[Linda]

OP - I used to live in Palos Verdes and rode at Seahorse riding club. Great barn. great training and great location, but yes its $$$. So some options to make that work are: rent a stall at a private residence in the neighborhood.

Not all of the residences with barns actually have horses. Also, there is a boarding stable next to seahorse that is more reasonably priced. So you could hack next door to seahorse for training. This area also has a number of public arenas that are open to the public. So if you found a stall on someones property, you could ride in the community rings and take lessons at Seahorse.

In terms of where to live. Seahorse is in Palos Verdes - a very nice residential area and pricey. But there are other towns very close by that are more affordable: such as Torrance or San Pedro. You could drive to Seahorse from either of those areas in 15 to 20 minutes.

That area also has a lot of companies so finding a job there is a real possibility. When I was still in LA, I used to ride at seahorse and have a lesson early in the morning about 7, then head to work in town. I took a bag with my work clothes, and hit the gym at work to get cleaned up and into my work clothes. It worked. And I loved riding in the morning. Great way to start the day.

[Linda]

Several people have recommended Temecula. I’m not a fan of Temecula. It used to be a sleepy quiet community. Its crazy now. Tons of traffic and it takes forever to get from point A to point B. Amazing how it has changed.

And it is HOT…really HOT!

I just don’t deal well with that kind of heat. Much prefer riding closer to the ocean - such as long beach or Palos verdes. PV is pricey but you don’t have to live there.

[OGSponymom]

Check out Del Mar/Solana Beach/Carmel Valley. Relatively close to downtown San Diego (w/ lots of jobs, and train to avoid traffic), and ShowPark in Del Mar has several HJ barns, and AA shows on the grounds Also Encinitas/Olivenhain is nice, and a horsey area and may be a bit cheaper, and you can still take the Coaster from Encinitas to San Diego to avoid traffic.

[mypaintwattie]

I used to be in OC- kept my horse in Huntington Beach and loved it there but the commute from where I lived in the Mission Viejo area was over an hour in the evenings. I moved to San Diego and have found that there are two very different horse cultures here. In the north it is just as expensive as OC in areas like Del Mar, the further south or east you go the cheaper it becomes but finding a quality trainer, vet, farrier, ect can be difficult the further out you get. So it’s all a sacrifice. Temecula is nice, if you can find employment out there. Otherwise the commute will kill you. Some areas of San Diego are just as bad as OC now in rush hour traffic- all of the major freeways are parking lots. Personally if I could afford it I would be back in OC, but rent and board are definitely much cheaper here in San Diego.

[snowrider]

Moorpark is really a great area but you have to be able to find a job nearby. Simi, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks etc are all a very easy commute but are fairly uninteresting places for a single person to live compared to LA proper. More family oriented. Oxnard and Ventura offer a bit more in terms of restaurants, nightlife etc and also have the beaches. Calabassas and Agoura also have a bit more going on socially, but are quite expensive and not many jobs.

I think it really depends on what industry you are in as far as find a job in that area. Lots of people have insane commutes and that’s no fun as you’re discovering. Bell Canyon off the 101 is an option if you’re living north to, it’s a nice horsey community and much closer to LA than the Conejo Valley or Moorpark. I don’t know who trains there now but the facilites used to be quite nice.

[Chef_Jade]

You generally can find cheaper living in pockets near employment centers if you ow where to look. I was in San Diego for work this week Ned took the trolley from MISSION valley to downtown and it was awesome! you could find a cheaper living and horse situation inland then trolley to work.
I live/ride in OC. My barn is inland but has great trails for a decent price. If you tie the toll road it is minutes from the Irvine employment centers. Because it is inland, living is cheaper, too.

[Plumcreek]

OP, I would look for jobs in your accounting/finance area around Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks. That seems to be a regional area of upscale employment, and it is near Moorpark and Somis. Camarillo also is likely area (sister lives there, so have driven around some) and is very near the Somis area. I would say you would have to pick between night life and horsey area - mutually exclusive.

[Overnight_Turnout]

If you consider Temecula, I would check out Breezeway Farms. They are privately owned and have really nice facilities including great footing, lots of turnout, and GRASS paddocks. It can get hot but there is a a breeze that comes through in the afternoons and it cools off. It’s actually pretty pleasant and the winters are nice. They attend shows including Del Mar, Blenheim, and Thermal.

[Doctor_sOrders]

Thanks all! My lease is up end of September, so I’m driving around a bit and getting a feel for everything. My nightlife is nonexistent and I like it that way :lol: so I’m definitely willing to compromise nightlife for horse life.
I’m really feeling Thousand Oaks/Moorpark area. I am headed that way for a wedding soon and plan to take a day to drive around and visit some barns! Very excited