IF an equestrian community were opening up near you

IF you were to hear about a community like the following (it doesn’t exist in my area to my knowledge; I’m just wool-gathering) would you be interested in moving there? Assume a really awesome HOA full of smart, experienced, reasonable adults who understand leadership (humor me, people).

Also assume:

  • Well-maintained community ring(s)
  • Several-acre-pasture turnout and also dry lots and a track system
  • Trail system of at least 15 miles
  • Full board available (for a fee)
  • Hospital within 30 minutes
  • Places to work (maybe not a big city, but something) within 30 minutes
  • Community hot tub and pool/small community building
  • Clusters of single-family homes and townhomes, most with rental access to a couple acres each of adjacent land.

The bulk of the land and the horse amenities would be privately owned and maintained according to landowner’s preferences, like it or lump it, so as to manage at least some of the whining about what should be this and what should be that and clique A wants to turn this community pasture into a soccerfield, and clique B wants to allow ATVs on the trails, etc.

What would allow you to move? What would make you say, “This is exactly what I was looking for.” What would make you say, “It’s not for me?”

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No. I may be interested if there were central amenities (indoor/ring/trails etc), and larger enough lots to have my horses and some boarders at my house.

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Best of luck with this one. I speak as one who lives in an equine farmette community.

At least it protects us from pickleball courts and tennis courts and basketball hoops and target shooting and open trash burning and holiday fireworks and political signs.

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{2dogs starts packing bags…}
Where is this Unicorn Village?
& Can I assume it’s too pricy for Fixed Income Me? :hushed:

My Ideal would be a Tiny Home community with 3ac lots, horses allowed.
Not THOW, but the Park Model homes that go on a foundation.
My pipedream now is to attach one to my indoor, rent the house & never have to go into the weather to care for my horses.
I’m a whole 250’ from my barn, but weather - especially Winter - is making life a tribulation.
Admittedly minor, but still PITA.

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After our experience in our current equestrian community, the minute I hear/read HOA no matter how good, I’d be running for the hills. We are currently building on land right outside of the equestrian community we live in now and will be putting our place on the market along with an empty lot we own in the community too (currently it provides extra turnout for my horses). We’ll have the same great views, the same house (building using the same floor plans because we love it), same access to endless trails and my own lighted arena. Now I have two other horse properties which are similar to what I just described but we really love this area and a lot of the neighbors. We just aren’t fans of the HOA or paying HOA dues.

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There was a lovely single story house, Pear Orchard House on HGTV Tiny House Hunters series.

“Oregon Pear Farmers Build Tiny Home With a View in Their Orchard”

Oregon pear farmers are building a custom home on their orchard. Since they don’t want to cut down any of their money-making trees, the house has to fit on a tiny 600-square-foot plot. They look at several upscale, ultra-modern prefab home.

It was all one level. One bedroom and one bath, stacking full sized washer dryer. It had conventional plumbing too. It would be great for aging in place living.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIX7Eh_kE0s This is a link to a short version of the episode.

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Same.

If I had enough land to do my own thing on my own farm, central amenities like an indoor and trails could be enjoyable.

But no way do I want to deal with a boarding type situation attached to my mortgage.

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Yup, that’s pretty much what I want :heart_eyes:
This builder isn’t too far from me & this model is - IMHO - perfect.
I’d adios the bunk beds :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:, & don’t love a breakfast bar, but otherwise it checks all my boxes

https://coolcottagesbydmr.com/index.php/galleries/deluxe-dragonfly-cottage

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& Where are these 2 properties?
Are you selling?
Would a Tiny be permitted?
Apologies for the LookyLou asks.
Winter makes me want to relocate.
More with every passing year :hushed:

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In a perfect world I’d love something like this. I’d like the lots to be big enough to keep horses at home. If (when) the privately owned amenities fall apart or something happens, I don’t want to be in a boarding bind.

I’d also want enough guidance that the homes don’t adversely impact resale but a very reasonable set of guidelines. Some of the communities I’ve dreamed about have a minimum square footage and taken a maybe one day into a never going to be able to afford that type of build.

I also wouldn’t want to pay out the rear for things I don’t value like tennis courts and community centers and things that realistically are probably needed to make a community like this viable.

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We have horse property in Prescott, Arizona, which will be for sale likely in March. We also have horse property in Scottsdale and North Phoenix. At this time there are no plans to put either of those up for sale. I’m afraid a tiny would not be permitted on the property going up for sale.

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My experience with equestrian communities as a boarder is they are all eventually bought by non-equestrians and the value is no longer worth it.

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I have one close neighbour and that’s too many - my 40 acres is a corner lot and I have farm fields on all sides except one. Community, clusters of homes, shared facilities and HOA are all turn offs - no matter how sensible the HOA starts out as it will turn into a drama fest. Rather trailer to an indoor arena and pay the haul in fee than deal with drama. My barn, my rules and peace and quiet.

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I would not be interested. I want full control over my property.
There was a small community near me about 25-30 year ago and it failed. Big arguments about horse husbandry were partly it’s downfall IIRC.

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Agreed. That way you can set up your property the way you like and the arena owner can run theirs how they like and it can work really well and if it doesn’t you can split ways amicably and find another arena to haul to.

Yes I’ve seen this as well. Or parents buy the horse property for horse crazy daughter who eventually moves on but parents stay because it’s their home and barn and arena sit empty. Or the property owners are horsey and keep horses for many years but eventually age out, but again stay because it’s their home and barn and arena sit empty.

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That’s the kind of place I’d like to retire to!

Is there an existing house/barn on the sale site!
If you don’t mind, could you PM the listing?
TIA

Not likely!

ETA that, in the early '80s. I lived in one “equestrian community” that worked well, while it lasted.

It was one of the first “housing developments”, west of Washington DC, to be built after W W II. Most houses were on 2 acres or more, and many had their own barns. There was a HOA that mostly ran a community swimming pool. AFAIK they never interfered with what homeowners did with/to their own property. There was a Riding Club that was legally a subsection of HOA, but functionally independant. The original owner had left a large area undeveloped, and the Riding club had full use of it, as long as they maintained it and paid the property taxes. (As far as I know, it s basically a “handshake” agreement, and not binding when the landowner died.) That land abutted a county “stream park” with trails, and had it own trail complex. It also had two riding rings and an outside course, that could be modifeid to be a cross country course. The Riding Club put on two (schooling) shows a year, ran group trail rides, and occaisional clinics. The Riding Club did not provide any boarding facilities, though many of te people with barns provided boarding for a few horses each.

But then, sometimine the early 90s, the landowner died, and her heirs sold the land for (dense) housing development. They were able to build a ring on another piece of property, but it was in the flood plain of the said “stream park”, and didn’t drain well. There were still a few trails, but you had to ride through paved housing developments to get to them. I think that the community swimming pool has been filled in and developed too.

I’m very glad I moved out when I did, and wouldn’t move into an “equestrian community” now.

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Two words - cliques and HOA.

No.

I agree with @JSocks.

In a city north of me there had been a contractor/builder/investor who decided to start an equestrian community. They built several houses, were supposed to have an extensive trail system throughout and the lots were sizeable enough to be able to build whatever type facility you wanted. It did not get past the spec house stage and failed. No more houses were built and those that had been built were bought by non-equestrian people. Who complained bitterly about the horses on the three properties that had been purchased by equestrians.

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I only like breakfast bars if they are counter height. The bar height is often one of those two tier counters, and a total pain. Bar height means you can use regular stools, and have your legs supported, and don’t have to climb up on the bar stool.

I know too many who develop vein issues and the taller chairs or stools put a lot of pressure on the back of your legs.

I agree the bunk beds are useless. However, I don’t know if they show the finished house on the short clips that I linked. I don’t think they had bunk beds, and the stacking, full-sized washer dryer was in the hall way. So, you could fold items on the kitchen / bar counter if you wanted to. The main bedroom bath was a nice size, and the closet was fairly big too. If you need a guest accommodations, there are always the sideways Murphy beds that are a sofa, and the bed pulls down, instead of the full sized conventional one that takes up a lot of wall space.

The problem with equestrian communities is exactly as shiloh states, people want the life style, but don’t want the horse facilities, horse poop, dust, horse noises, etc. They just want a pretty view, and nothing that goes with it. Eventually, they will drive the horse owners out.

Also, rational and HOA don’t go together. There’s always the possibility that HOA leadership that’s reasonable will change. When the HOA takes over from the developer, the community has to pay for everything, when the builders often finance items to keep the place looking pretty, and then when the homeowners take over they have to finance everything.

HOA fees always go up, insurance and common area property taxes go up, maintenance of amenities go up. Non-horse owners don’t want to pay for amenities they don’t use. When the non-horse people get into office, you’re going to have problems.

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