I am not close to NYC but still in NY and $450 is reasonable board but certainly not even close to the very nicest barns around here. I am guessing there is not anything even close to that down state.
Here is a comical look by P.D.Q. Bach at the NYC cost of living issue. It’s called “Classical Rap”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDgaLjgczrc
Don’t be put off by the intro; it’s quite comical and maybe even topical!!! 
G.
The Staten Island ferry is frequent and pretty reliable, and keeping a car in Staten Island isn’t as much of a pain. The drive from there to NJ is much less awful than Manhattan, too. Think of Staten Island as a kind of dense suburbia with much more of a car culture than Manhattan.
A fair number of people do live in Manhattan with cars and keep them on the street, and if you’re trying to make it there on 70k you probably will too. Driving (or parking) during the workday will probably fill you with hate, but otherwise there’s a fair amount of parking on the streets if you don’t mind a bit of walking, making sure your car is on the correct side of the street a few times a week, and the occasional bumper ding. (Depends on the neighborhood, though; far-upper west side and west village were both OK to park in, but when I lived in midtown (even really far west, between 10th and 11th) it sucked.) Getting from the far upper west side to horses in Westchester was also not nearly as bad as the rest of the island, and access to the GW bridge from there is also pretty good if you’re pointed at NJ.
$450 a month will possibly get you field board at most within 1 hour of NYC. You need to budget twice that amount if you want a stall and an indoor. If you’re fine not riding all winter and keeping your horse in a field then OK.
you also need to account for shoes if your horse wears them. People go into shock when they find this out here. A cheap 4 shoes will run you 200 per visit. Most people I know pay 250-350.
I very strongly urge you to make a budget and dig deep on the line items making sure to include everything you can think of. If you are living outside NYC and working inside you will need train or bus passes and probably subway passes as well. Car, insurance and parking depending on where you live. Weekly cost of gas if you’re driving 45 minutes each way to the barn. Board. Shoes. Rent. Electric. Food. Emergency vet bills. Phone cable internet etc. Everything is more expensive here.
you also need to account for commute time. When I was living in NY there would have been no possible way to get to any barn on weeknights with my long hours and most people I knew worked just as late. You may wind up with a horse you can only ride on weekends. If you’re dead set on having your own you may want consider half leasing to offset those costs.
I’ve lived in Brooklyn for years and ride in NJ so I’m not fully up on current rent pricing north of the city, though I am well aware what board prices there are! You’re definitely not going to get any deals in Bedford, Scarsdale etc. I was thinking more if you boarded farther up in Dutchess County and found somewhere un-glamorous to live closer to the Bronx? Not my area of expertise, so I’m just spitballing and this might not be doable.
I do stand by my Jersey City recommendation, as I’ve run the numbers for that myself.
There is a stable right in the city called Riverdale, I think? Ashley Holzer runs her dressage barn out of there and there is a hunter/jumper and lesson operation there as well. I image board is outrageously expensive, but perhaps not so much when you factor in the time and costs of trying to commute out of the city.
$1700 a month. :eek:
I lived in NY a long time ago and rode in Westchester (North Salem). Most people I know who ride now, ride in New Jersey. Honestly, the traffic in and out of the city is insane now. If I were going to do any regular commuting, I would try to do it via train and ditch the car.
To clarify, I wasn’t implying that I thought I could get board for $450. I was commenting that I knew it would be a big difference from the area I am in now.
The more I think about it, the more I think that while I could maybe swing bringing a horse with me, I don’t know if I could swing bringing my horse with me. :no: She has some special dietary needs, and also needs maximum turn out. The less she is stalled the better for her health, 24/7 turnout being the best. 
It’s not actually right in the city, but close – 2 miles north of the island of Manhattan – just below Yonkers. You can see it from the Henry Hudson Parkway. I was there once, years ago (to look at a horse a friend of mine was interested in buying) and the place was pretty run down. But according to their website rennovations have been done and/or are in the works.
I found an interesting article that sounds like those renovations were mandated by the city. :eek: They got into some legal trouble with not paying their bills.
Wow. Next time I head into NYC I’ll do a drive by.
I love jersey city having lived there in paulus hook for about 10 years. I also lived in union city for quite some time.
That being said, You MUST be familiar with the neighborhoods before you commit to renting there. There is a small square between liberty state park and Newport that I would consider living in, nowhere else. Rent in these neighborhoods is only slightly lower than Manhattan now with the big financial fims moving into the area.
I have a place in midtown manhattan. I don’t live there full time (in fact, I am rarely there, at this point I should just rent it out to pay for it) a 1BR place in Westchester county is an easy $2k/mo. White Plains, $3k.
I looked into it and it was cheaper for me to buy 800sq ft in Midtown than it would be to rent a high rise in Westchester county. I ended up not doing it because it’s cheaper to put myself up in a hotel when I visit my clients than it is to rent something.
A cousin of mine just bought a condo in Elmhurst pretty expensively, but her husband has an hour and a half commute to get to the city. She teaches in Queens.
I am more familiar with the Connecticut side and the area around Stamford is quite nice, but $$ expensive just like anywhere else within commuting distance.
That is wild, and not too much about NYC real estate surprises me any more!
Re: Riverdale, it’s now being run by the same folks who run Twin Lakes in Bronxville as of about… 2015? I’m not sure if Ashley is still based there. I was there a few months ago and they’d definitely spruced it up since my first visit right after they took over.
That would be my biggest fear, that I would end up getting an apartment in a super sketchy area!
I grew up riding in NYC and currently work there now.
A few things:
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72k sounds like a lot but as you’ve seen, apartments start around 2500 if you’re looking for something in an easily accessible area. It is possible to find apartments for less but you really have to look and often they are in the outer boroughs (or you share with 5 roommates).
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Cost of keeping horses here, especially in Westchester is astronomically higher than almost anywhere in the world. The stable in the Bronx - Riverdale Equestrian Center - does board horses and their board, last I checked, is $1,700 which is the lowest I’ve seen. Most barns in the Westchester area are $2,500 but most are closer to $3,500.
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Commuting to the barn is not easy. Depending on where you are (I think you mentioned the job was in Chinatown?) - you’re looking at close to an hour, maybe more, by car. Longer if you’re dealing with midtown traffic during rush hour. I agree with what others have said, stay away from Long Island if you’re going to commute from Manhattan. New Jersey has some great barns, but be warned that bridge/tunnel traffic can be a nightmare. In addition to the fact that you’d have to garage your car (or take your chances with street parking but it’s really more trouble than its worth in some areas) and that in itself can add on another thousand or two to your monthly expenses.
It is do-able to keep a horse while working in NYC but I would be shocked if anyone could do it on a 72k salary. 72k sounds great on paper, but it unfortunately does not go far in NYC.
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Not to hijack this thread - but yes, Riverdale is now being run by Scott Tartar (same person who runs Twin Lakes). I’m not sure if Ashley still has her horses there - I’m guessing not since they did get into a lot of trouble with the city as they were basically running it as a free stable for her and her horses but I haven’t been there in a while and don’t know if she’s moved them somewhere else.
How timely! A quick Google came up with this article about keeping horses in NY , and which seems to confirm that Ashley is still at Riverdale. https://dressagetoday.com/lifestyle/urban-horsekeeping-with-ashley-holzer
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At a 72K salary and working in lower Manhattan, your best bet is to commute in from NJ somewhere convenient to a bus or train line. The monthly pass is going to be lower than paying the $15 toll/ $25 per day parking/ and gas to drive in. A good bus or train line will save you a lot of commuting time too. Getting off the island during peak hours is not easy. If you live somewhere in NJ, it will put your in a better position to find affordable and good board in NJ. Anything in Westchester County NY is going to start at $1200/mo, Long Island is a no go, and CT would not work for you unless you want to expand your distance a bit. Also, the train into CT sucks. I’ve been doing it fro 17 years. I work off hours so I can ride in the mornings and then drive in against traffic. It can be done.
