Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Moving to Loudoun county/ Northern Virginia HELP! (Cross post)

Off Course
#1

Obviously an alter here :slight_smile: I am not sure if I’m taking the plunge yet and I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too soon. Recently I got a great opportunity to move up to Northern Virginia. It’s been my dream for several years to relocate there and now all the stars are aligning… except being able to find a suitable horse property. Since I only have a limited amount of time before I need to be up there I am going to have to settle and either rent for a year or buy a property and make it work. But anyways, I have a ton of questions about horsekeeping up there and questions about the area and I know many COTH members are from there. Any help or input is appreciated!

I (luckily) will not need to commute into D.C. at all but I need to be within an hours drive of Dulles. I’m looking at Loudoun and fairfax counties right now, fauquier seems to be out of my budget. I’m afraid to be in Maryland because of traffic.

Loudoun county house keeping issues? What is the maximum horse amount per acre? Am I better off in another county?

What’s up with traffic? How about the 287 and 9 intersection? Looking at a house near there and sat for 15 min on a Saturday!

Taxes?

Cost of horse keeping?

Any weird regulations on keeping horses here?

Snow amounts?

How muddy are my fields going to get?

Riding on grass year round or is putting in an arena a priority?

Any places I should 100% avoid living?

What type of grass is growing here?

Any weird building restrictions you have run into?

Land use?

Amish to build barns?

Place to get gravel? Fencing?

I should add I’m in the south so I haven’t dealt with snow or mud in years. Am I in for a shock?

#2

This is my first year in Loudoun, I’m from NC. Its a truly shocking experience living up here. Totally different. Look in the Leesburg and Purcellville area. It’s beautiful and very horsey. Taxes are insanely high here. Traffic is awful all the time here, you just learn to deal with it and plan accordingly. 287 and 9 are not bad for around here, but plan on at least 45 min-1 hour to Dulles in morning or evening work traffic.

You can’t beat the vets and farriers up here. Amazing trainers as well. Plenty of stuff horse wise to do.

#3

I’m currently driving 2hrs to the airport so 45 min sounds like heaven!
How was the mud for you? I’m used to sandy soil.

#4

Excellent advice…find a place to rent and get a feeling for the area (and the job, just in case it doesn’t work out). This is true horse country, lots of places…just find out where you’ll be happiest.

#5

^^ What Ironwood said. I’m in Rappahannock County. Low low taxes (lower yet if you make some sort of land use), 45 miles to Dulles, not an hour if you time it right.
Loudoun is lovely but built up like crazy and not much ride-out (though this may not be your M.O.)
Horsekeeping - 4 shoes $140’ish if you shop; standard vet; $80 teeth; $10-20 feed; $300 dumptruck of sawdust.
Snow - zero in 2016; two 3’ snowstorms a couple years ago. You just plan ahead.
Yes mud. Sacrifice lot for sure.
Yes riding arena is a priority.
Grass - fescue always ‘wins out’ but orchard grass and nice native grasses, great limestone-y base with good mineral content to forage.
Land use - ‘tree farm’, commercial horse farm, hay land, let a farmer graze his cows, get a few sheep/goats/hogs, conservation easement. Lots of choices.
Amish are fine though I think pricey. Lots of local guys who can do it. (I can share my contacts if you end up here.)
Gravel - plenty of quarries, fencing - plenty of fencer guys.
Horse business infrastructure – we got that. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#6

The Loudoun County website has a page of useful information for homebuyers -

https://www.loudoun.gov/homebuyer

#7

You can research the livestock and zoning guidelines here: https://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=2682. I don’t think there is a minimum per acre of livestock. If you want to explore another county, I would suggest Clarke which is just west of Loudoun. But…you will be adding time to your commute.

What’s up with traffic? How about the 287 and 9 intersection? Looking at a house near there and sat for 15 min on a Saturday!

Very heavy traffic because this is a main artery from WV to the east. Also this is an area that is under siege by developers, so rideout might be limited. Best to look for land below Rt. 7 and above Rt. 50. This is prime horse/foxhunt county (Middleburg Hunt, Snickersville Hunt, Loudoun West, and Piedmont Hunt territory) with open land and lots of rideouts. We also have the highest number of gravel roads in all of Virginia - historic, quiet, and excellent for riding on during the wet/winter.

Taxes?

High unless you put your land into land use which is strongly suggested.

Cost of horse keeping?

Depends on the area, and if you board or keep at home. We have lots of really high quality boarding stables hereabouts with plenty of ammenities. But keeping at home is typical for most properties around horse county. Lots of hay suppliers, lots of local feed stores.

Any weird regulations on keeping horses here?

None that I know of.

Snow amounts?

Varies from 3’ blizzards to 3" of flurries all winter. All depends on Mother Nature, but Virginia is far enough south to escape the deep snows for the most part.

How muddy are my fields going to get?

Depends upon how high they are, and substrata. But for the most part they will get muddy in the heavy trafficked areas.

Riding on grass year round or is putting in an arena a priority?

A ring is always a good idea if you want to practice your flatwork. If you like cross county work or hacking out more, look for the areas with the most interlocking gravel roads (like southwestern Loudoun) to ride on when the grounds are too soft.

Any places I should 100% avoid living?

Anywhere east of the Rt. 15 N-S line.

What type of grass is growing here?

Good pasture grass. Nothing noxious or bad, unless you have Johnson Grass invading.

Any weird building restrictions you have run into?

No.

Land use?

Yes. Very active in western Loudoun. Also land conservation is highly practiced here.

Amish to build barns?

Yes.

Place to get gravel? Fencing?

Quite a few local places have been in business here for decades providing these services. Easy to find them - just Google them

I should add I’m in the south so I haven’t dealt with snow or mud in years. Am I in for a shock?

Yes.

1 Like
#8

I’m in Fairfax County (so right next door) - the first thing that hit me once I moved my horse here was the traffic (it really is as bad as people say, and then some). The second thing were the prices!!! We moved from the north shore of MA (so not a cheap area by any stretch) and I had to seriously increase my pony budget to just maintain the quality of life my gelding was accustomed to :smiley:

We board, and while I like the people and the care at my current barn, the facility is old and tired. I wish my horse had a nicer roof over his head for $1K+ a month!

The good news is that the quality of vet and farrier services are excellent. The bad news is that you’ll pay dearly for their expertise. I had had a hard time finding a good saddle fitter and masseuse in this area - they do exist, but they don’t advertise much and book up months ahead. Lots of great schooling shows in the area, and access to trails and XC courses for schooling is also fantastic.

Last winter was pretty mild, and my wimpy TB seemed to enjoy the lack of snow drifts up to his belly. Mud wasn’t that horrible but the barn is also half full so the fields are no where near over crowded. I think once the empty stalls fill up, then we might have more mud.

#9

Ironwood: strangely enough, I can’t find anything for rent outside of Loudoun and faquier counties. I would love looking in culpeper and surrounding but I just can’t find anything :frowning:

thank you to to everyone who responded!
What are your thoughts on 3 horses on 4 acres? Am I pushing it? The property is on the top of a hill so I should have excellent drainage. Maybe if I put in a sacrifice pasture?

#10

RE: Land Use and conservation, Loudoun has a quite a lot of land with permanent conservations easements.

http://loudoun.gov/gismaps

There’s an interactive map of the easements in the Environmental folder.

In addition, Loudoun has a good public transportation system, with a number of options for commuters.

https://www.loudoun.gov/bus

#11

WOW what a great resource! Thanks Bedina!

Speaking of trail riding, it looks like on the property I will most likely go with that I would have access to some trails but in order to get to them I would have to ride through the back of one of those mega mansion subdivisions cropping up. In the county I live in now that is no problem, as long as there is not a no trespassing sign that’s legal on horseback (thanks foxhunters!) is it similar in Loudoun?

#12

OP. work with an equestrian relator. Lots of rentals never come to market, just word of mouth.

2 Likes
#13

Three horses on 4 acres can be done but will be harder than having 5 or 6 acres. I have 3 horses on 5 acres and it works well. What is your price range? We are 20 minutes from Dulles and are thinking of retiring to Florida.

#14

I will PM you :slight_smile:

#15

We had a farm in Western Loudoun county, sold it and moved south. The taxes on our farm in Loudoun had tripled in ten years. If you have the flexibility to be an hour away from Dulles then I would say stay out of loudoun. If you concern is being near an airport then consider Charlottesville or Richmond would be viable.

#16

3 horses on 4 acres works if you keep them in stalls 4/5ths of the time. :slight_smile:
Otherwise you’ll have only mud.
I pm’ed you re: rentals. I know of some places.

1 Like
#17

I’ve lived in Loudoun County (almost) my whole life, and I love the area! Feel free to DM me.

Loudoun county house keeping issues? What is the maximum horse amount per acre? Am I better off in another county? If there is a rule, I’ve known of some farms that are probably breaking it an have been operating that way for years…

What’s up with traffic? How about the 287 and 9 intersection? Looking at a house near there and sat for 15 min on a Saturday! The barn where I board is just past this intersection. Yeah, it’s annoying. Especially bad in the afternoon.

Taxes? Very very high. This would be my #1 reason for looking outside the county. Clarke County is much friendlier this way.

Cost of horse keeping? Board is $650-$900 a month, depending. Not sure what discipline you’re in. Farrier work is ~$200 for a set of 4 shoes. Good hay is pretty expensive- $7 or $8/bale.

Any weird regulations on keeping horses here? Running a horse business out of Fairfax County is a beast. Plus there’s not much land there.

Snow amounts? Depends on the year! Some winters we get almost nothing. I can remember a couple years with literally no snow. But then other years, like two winters ago, we had 3 feet all at once that shut everything down. For the most part, I consider the winters to be mild, with January and February having the possibility of being miserable.

How muddy are my fields going to get? Pretty muddy in the spring- but since I don’t know where you’re coming from and I’ve only been here I guess it’s all relative!

Riding on grass year round or is putting in an arena a priority? Arena is definitely a priority. Definitely. The ground gets very hard in the summer. And super flat ground is not the most common here.

Any places I should 100% avoid living? Depends on what you like. :slight_smile:

What type of grass is growing here? I don’t even know…

Any weird building restrictions you have run into? Again with the Fairfax thing. I know of someone running a riding school in Fairfax who had to ahere to some crazy restrictions, but that was specific to the county and type of business. Other than that, no.

Land use? Some places are designated for farm use and cheaper.

Amish to build barns? I’ve used Amish builders who ship from PA. For a couple shed barns and also an indoor.

Place to get gravel? Fencing? Lots of contractors in the area. FICS is great for arenas!!

I should add I’m in the south so I haven’t dealt with snow or mud in years. Am I in for a shock? There’s no mud in the south? Interesting. Like I said I’ve only lived here, so to me the winters aren’t bad at all. But yes you will have stretches of days that don’t go above freezing. If you’re here more than a couple winters you will see a couple feet of snow at a time. BUT you will also have:

  • all 4 seasons
  • access to the best trainers you can ask for
  • access to great shows in various disciplines
  • tons of great farriers, vets, etc
  • the best foxhunting in the country
  • high income customers (if you run a business)
  • great schools (if you have kids)

To name a few things!

#18

I’ve been in Loudoun for my entire life. Be prepared for over crowding, insane traffic, high taxes, and great horse shows. In terms of environment, it is known for being all over the place. It can either be freezing or mild in the winter, but is usually pretty toasty in the summer. occasionally we get monster snow storms of 2 or 3 feet, but definitely not on a regular basis. We usually do get a little snow every winter and usually an ice storm or two. Fields could be muddy early spring.
As far as building, Fairfax permits are known for being a nightmare where Loudoun is a bit easier. It is expensive. Almost everywhere else is cheaper, but it is great horse country here and there is endless amounts of horse related activities. Find a place now because development is a constant issue here. There are so many vets and farriers it will actually be hard to narrow it down.

1 Like
#19

@Hunter’s Rest i PMed you back :slight_smile:
@mdp9 we have sandy soil so there isn’t much mud, if any at all. I have been trying to get the contact info on a barn near that intersection, maybe you could help me? It’s just past that intersection heading up towards lovettsville, on the right.

#20

The big farm on the right called Wheatland? It’s right after the light on route 287 heading towards Lovettsville. I’m not sure what boarding they offer as they are actually a therapeutic riding center. However, they have been working on building new rings and I think they are planning on hosting shows. They have an indoor and a couple of outdoor rings and a grass field.
https://www.wheatlandfarm.org/

If that’s not it, I know most farms that are visible from the road so let me know. The big one after that is Lucia Farm. They DO board and also have an indoor. I haven’t been there in years.
http://www.luciafarm.com/

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse