I’ve spent some time in the south, and I’d be happy to elaborate further if anyone cares. As a fairly progressive/liberal gal (and honestly, I went in with a very realistic “people do not think the same way here” mentality) I found the South incredibly beautiful and with many perks. Unfortunately I couldn’t get over the violence that seems to surround -every- city down there, the rampant ignorance on every topic from food production to racism to global warming to school funding (of which there is NONE); I’m not sure who has spent any time in the south and emerges without feeling that there are immense racial issues which are much larger than personal bigotry, they are systematic. Repeat for wealth disparity- ask any black family about the wealth gap they will probably give you an earful, ask the upper-middle class white families (and YES, it IS that segregated) and they’ll ask “what problems?”. Bottom line even -before- you factor in the bugs (I’m from New England, I know ticks- they dont compare to the ones in the south! and don’t forget about the GIANT poison sumac, chiggers (tickXspider- have fun!), the giant mosquitos and huge array of other biting bugs and “things”). Bottom line I feel the south is a WONDERFUL place to visit, or even to winter- but full time living there is not all it’s cracked up to be.
I love New England, but unlike yourself I hate snow. If the winter weather doesn’t bother you there’s a lot of 15 acre opportunities- some land some already farm/barn. Budget obviously will dictate how far you farm would be from any of the larger cities, but if you just want the grocery/restaurants/shopping/movies etc that’s nearly anywhere.
Currently I’m in Northern California and intend to stay here for quite a while. The weather here is perfect year round for horses- it doesn’t get incredibly hot or cold here, and you can kind of tailor to your preference, inland (even just a tiny bit) will be warmer, coastal a bit rainier in the “wet” winter season. Generally temps in the winter tend to be in the 55-65 range and there’s a lot more rain- but no snow, ice, and just a covered outdoor is more than most people think you need, and did I mention no snow?! (though if you like winter sports you can drive an hour or two to the mountains and do all the skiing you want, drive home and go for a barefoot walk on the beach like my friend did last month). Summer here is turning out beautifully, and is a MUCH longer season than the rainy season, temps about 65-75 with plenty of 80 degree days too, and again you can go inland just a bit and get much warmer temps. But there’s no turning out overnight to avoid the heat, getting up at 4am to avoid the heat, not doing anything outside for most of the daylight to avoid the heat, etc. Also, and this does vary a lot- but where I am on the coast WE HAVE NO MOSQUITOS. The bugs are super minimal, especially the chewing on human flesh varieties. Although I was in the woods inland a bit the other day and there were a few.
The one downside I’ve encountered as an eventer is that the riding styles tend to definitely gravitate towards western disciplines. I’m finding more and more folks who do dressage or jump, but in terms of trainers for english disciplines and event and show accessibility we are lacking. If you only care about going to an event or two a season there are several in Oregon and further inland- neither would be something I’d do in a single day, but for someone who doesn’t need to be campaigning their young up and comer at a ton of USEA rec events I don’t think it’s a huge issue. I think a lot of this is because land is affordable and it’s such a great climate for keeping horses that there aren’t a ton of large boarding barns, for the most part everyone keeps their horses at home. And the boarding facilities that do exist are pretty darn cheap- the farm I ride at has a few options but for $80 a month you can get a good sized paddock w a shed, 2x daily feeding of whatever you choose to supply; the facility has two outdoors, a roundpen, 180X60 indoor, trail/obstacle course, wash area, tack room w lock, is ten minutes to the beach and just off the river with hundreds of acres of trails right off the back. No one cares about bringing outside trainers and the rings are always open because most of the boarders just hack anyway.
