Hi all, this is my first time posting, and I was told this was the best place to get advice. I am moving to the DC and Northern Virginia area in the middle/end of august. I will be going back to school, and REALLY want my horse to be able to come with me. I was hoping to find a lovely place to keep my horse (and even live if possible) in exchange (or at a reduced rate) for barn and farm work. This is the arrangement I currently have where I live now, and am hoping to find the same thing in a new and exciting area. How can I find a set up like this? Do they even exist in the DC/VA area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! thanks so much in advance.
Where will you be going to school? The DC area is large and traffic can be difficult. Therefore, you should try to board fairly close to school. What kind of riding do you do and what facilities are you looking for?
Hi, thanks for responding. I will be attending Georgetown University come the fall, and primarily event, but have done some foxhunting. What are the best areas to live/board if I am trying to commute to the city? Not sure if it is best to live near school and commute to my horse or live close to the horse (preferred due to my personality) and commute to the school. I understand that traffic is not pretty there, and suppose I am anticipating anywhere from a half hour to an hour commute. Any recomedations for the area? Thanks!
Not sure if my barn is a bit of a stretch, but we’re an hour (give or take depending on traffic) west of DC. The barn is right off of 70. We’re an eventing barn, and I’m pretty sure that the girl who does the barn work right now will stop when school starts up again. PM if you want more info.
There is an ad in the VADA/Nova (www.vadanova.org) website classifieds for an apartment ($900/mo) and stall ($500) in Clifton, VA, which is about 1 hr 15 min in rush hour and 45 min outside rush hour to Georgetown,
Driving anywhere around DC is a bummer. You will kick yourself if you live anywhere out of walking distance of your SCHOOL. That might oughta be your focus. Plenty of time on weekends to ride, and tons of places to do it. Tons of school vacation etc. but seriously, even Clifton will be a huge detriment to your SCHOOLwork. It looks like it is right there in terms of being close to DC but it is far away in terms of hours of driving and wear and tear on your soul as you rush thru horse work to get to school, and vice versa.
Commuting is for the birds.
I tend to agree with Hunter’s Rest. Maybe you could try living close to school for a year, see how it goes, and if you really hate it, then find a place closer to your horse. I live in Springfield, and it takes me about an hour to commute by car and metro into DC (45 minutes to get to my barn in Nokesville). Now, on a GOOD day, like this past Monday, traffic on 395 was a breeze and I was at work in about 20-25 minutes. That NEVER happens! And for some reason, traffic this summer has been a b**ch compared to other summers when it seems much lighter because school is out, etc.
When I was your age (God, I feel so old saying that), I would have preferred to live closer to school and closer to friends that I was going to make AT school. Now that I’m older and vehemently opposed to city life but am still suffering living in the burbs (for now), I am anxious to get away from it all. I would much, MUCH rather rent some horse property somewhere within reasonable driving distance to the MARC or VRE trains and commute into DC that way, even if it takes longer. I can deal with a longer commute if I’m not the one driving and sitting in traffic.
Also, keep in mind that Georgetown can be kind of a pain to get in and out of, at least IMHO. Everything moves slowly and there isn’t a metro that’s “right there” in the middle of it all. There are several busses and Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn are within a reasonable walking distance I suppose, but if it’s humid or bitter cold or rainy, it can be miserable.
We’re a good solid hour from DC in Middleburg–I couldn’t imagine paying Georgetown tuition, and trying to juggle horsework with commuting and class loads. Commuting even to a no-brainer job is a pain, horse work and classwork are both huge un-skipable commitments that will conflict with each other not infrequently. There are loads of places to keep your horse at, but my advice, like Hunter’s Rest, would not be to try to tie school and horse together.
Where do the VRE trains run from/to? I’m spending a lot of time in D. C.(I live in NYC), love Middleburg, but could never deal with that commute if I had to drive. Is it feasible to think about getting a place in Middleburg, driving to some kind of train (where?), and taking the train into D. C. when necessary? FWIW, I’m a mature (at least theoretically) professional and I have a certain amount of freedom setting my schedule, but would certainly need easy access to D.C. 3-4 times a week.
Reactions?
The closest VRE station to M’burg is Manassas. But by the time you drive to Manassas, park, get on the train, and get into the city, it would probably be easier/quicker to drive. I commute in most days, and it takes ~55-60 min from our place using the Greenway and Toll Rd. For us to just drive to Manassas from the farm (and we are on all paved roads), it is 30 min in light traffic. Rte 50 by Gilberts Corner and rte 15 can get VERY backed up in certain areas, and you have a lot of turning traffic on rte 234.
There are commuter buses that run from all points of Loudoun County directly into DC and to the metro stations. The closest (in a direct line) metro station to Middleburg is in Vienna - not a commute I’d want to make in a car during rush hour. But the bus is a joy to ride - very smooth and super comfortable, plus it can use the HOV and restricted roads which means no backup of commuter traffic heading in or out of DC. 
If the classes are between 10 and 3 the commute is easier - about 40 minutes from the center of Middleburg to the Mall in DC via Rt 50 and the Dulles Access Road. But I have to agree with Hunter’s Rest – it would be better to live close to (or on) campus, and commute to the horse than visa versa.
Agreed with all above but I guess it depends on the kind of lifestyle you prefer. I used to live close in and work in DC and commute out to my horse but hated it. I never made it to the barn.
Now I live out in Loudoun Co very close to my horse and commute in. I arrange my schedule so I am on the road early in the am and out of the city by 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon, tons of time for the barn! It is the best change I have ever made. Plus cost of living is less now and I really feel so much better living “out in the country”
On an average weekday afternoon during rush hour–between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. or so–it will take around at least an hour, probably more like an hour and fifteen minutes to go from D.C. to Manassas. Some days it has taken two hours. The traffic here is unbelievable.
She’s going to Georgetown - VRE(pretty much up along 95/395?) and MARC (MD) trains to go Union Station (and maybe various metro stations along the way) Her only option would metro to Rosslyn and then WALK or bus across Key Bridge to the University… so public transportation is pretty much out…There are some great eventing barns…not too terribly far from Georgetown U and depending on your school schedule certainly afternoon and weekend rides are doable… I would forget the apartment over the barn thing - you will have a blast in Georgetown/Dc - after all they are FiLMING 2 reality shows right now.:lol:
A couple of college girls ride at my barn in Poolesville, MD - one goes to GW and the other went to Gettysburg in PA… problem is many places might not have any openings.for stall board… I will PM with some suggestions…
It took me an hour last Friday to drive from Fairfax(rt 50) to the beltway exit. I was cursing the entire time.
I would LOVE to live in Middleburg but could I see myself driving into DC everyday. NO way. I would be a nervous wreck and develop some form of involuntary cursing.
I work on a Air base in the middle-of-nowhere MD and love my commute. It is 10 minutes to work, and 15 to the horse. There isn’t as many niceties but it is a pretty area.
When I was younger(early 20’s) I had no issues dealing with city traffic. Now…I just want no part of it. IF I didn’t have the horse or hubby I would think about living in Alexandria and taking a train into DC to work. I just hate driving in the traffic.
I’m planning to move to Middleburg in Aug. so that I can bring the horses and be in horse country. My fiancee will have to commute 3 nights a week to Fairfax for school, he has to be in Fairfax at 6pm and will leave around 9pm
Will that be a bad commute? I’m hoping since his driving in in the evenings it won’t be so bad, but anyone have experience with that?
He’ll be fine for most of the trip, as he’ll be going “against” the traffic, which is primarily headed west. If he has to go past rte 28 towards I-66, or has to take either one of those, he will run into traffic, as 6 PM is still rush hour. He’ll have to do it a couple of times to figure out how much time it will take, and of course listen to the traffic reports in case there is an accident. Most professors around here are WELL aware of how bad the traffic is, and are understanding if you are late for class a couple of times as a result.
Coming home for him will be a breeze.
Wow - I want to drive some of your routes! I have NEVER made it from M’burg to DC in 40 minutes. More like an hour at best. Last year when getting ready for a three day I rode two mornings a week before work - the drive out from Arlington was about 50 minutes (at 6:30am), coming back, if I left the barn right at 9am, I could make it to my desk in Penn Quarter by 10:30 if I was lucky. I don’t recommend that particular commute and wouldn’t want to do it every day!
For G’town, I second the recommendation to live close in and then have the horse up in Maryland - it’s a slightly better commute, and you’ll appreciate being able to walk to class. Trying to park regularly in Georgetown is a disaster, and there’s not great public transit (the Metro Connector isn’t bad, but doesn’t run as often as you might like). May depend on how many days a week you have class, but I can’t see wanting to try to fight it regularly. For living close in, things get a bit cheaper if you cross the river and live in Rosslyn (and you can still walk across the bridge) than if you try to live in G’town proper.
