Not mentioned…but I grew up in Chantilly, VA. still Fairfax county schools but as it was near the county line so getting to Middleburg was a straight shot. Tons of barns between Chantilly and Middleburg. Dulles isn’t far. The metro isn’t close.
66 is toll inside the beltway during rush hours and you have to be willing to pay ~$45 to go the whole way… each way…
Parking at end of line Metros has not been a problem for me, at least commuting during normal hours. Metro is actually seeing a decrease in parkers and some are even offering reduced rates to attract people. I have heard Reston is an issue, but because the lot backs up at the end of the day.
TJ is very difficult to get into so I would not make any plans based on that.
I’m NoVA born (well, DC born) and (NoVA) raised and I find it very difficult to live a “convenient” life here, if you love both the city and horses. If you can live farther out, which it sounds like you can (except I feel for your husband’s commute), then you will likely be very happy. It’s a beautiful state and even the “boonies” have enough infrastructure that you’re never really in the middle of nowhere.
Not any longer. Most of the horse properties that were off of Rt. 50 between Chantilly and Gilbert’s Corner are housing developments now. There are a few still, but just a small fraction of what used to be there.
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Is there nowhere left to ride in Great Falls these days? I’ve been gone from the NoVA horse world for a while, but I grew up in McLean and rode with the Hubers at Stoneridge for many, many, many years. My parents worked in the city, I went to high school at Jefferson, and everybody sat in traffic a lot, but at least at the time, I don’t remember the sentiment being that you had to go to Middleburg or further to ride at a reliable place.
So Poolesville only has 1 intersection - a 4-way stop at that but it does have a couple of good restaurants, a tack store, a good vet, and soon a good grocery store, a hardware store, drug store. There are several good h/j barns within close proximity of each other and that’s not counting dressage and event barns. The OP could easily live in areas between Bethesda or Potomac on 2+ acre lot which would give her a living in the country feel without being in the country which would also allow for a better commute for the DH. OP is also interested in hunting, I’m not familiar with any barns that would do local to /rated shows and also fox hunt but I know of 3 that do in Poolesville 2 of those barns would have lesson and/or lease horses available. Either could help find a horse to purchase, one I’d probably recommend over the other. While is great to toss out recommendations for show barns, the problem is often those barns don’t have horses available for lessons or lease. I am assuming the OP would like to start riding something soon and then look to purchase.
I don’t think the OP can go wrong by living on either side of the river - we are very lucky to have such a large equine community. Having lived in MD and Va, worked in DC and MD, and ridden in VA, DC and MD I’ve found that working in DC living and riding in MD was much easier.
Hopefully the OP is working with a realtor who has a lot of experience in relocation who can help present areas that will meet both her school, riding and husbands work needs. Until you get here and see the lay of the land it’s pretty hard to visualize
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Another vote for Terri Young at Clairvaux. I used to board with her until my gelding passed away…she’s been super supportive during the entire process and is going to help me find a new horse once I’m ready. It made me realize she’s not just an excellent trainer, but also one of the nicest people you can ever hope to meet!
As far as life in NoVA goes, the traffic is beyond terrible. I live in Fairfax Co., and work in MD…there are days when I spent four hours commuting back and forth. If you have some flexibility with commute times you might be ok…otherwise, be prepared to sit in traffic.
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Born and raised in Arlington (still live here), rode all over NoVA, run a barn in Aldie now. (There ARE barns off 50 between Chantilly and Gilbert’s Corner… mine!)
I live on the edge of Arlington, right next to Mclean. It takes me 35-45 minutes, sans traffic, to get from my house to my barn. And my barn is one of the closest barns to Fairfax off rt 50. With traffic puts it at 1.5 hours or more. We are relatively close to Cavallo Farm, which I highly recommend (rode with Michael as a kid, he’s awesome)!
To get to the Plains/Marshall area takes me easily an hour without traffic. Middleburg is about the same, since 50 is often a dumpster fire. Purcellville takes a little over an hour. However, it takes me maybe 10 minutes to get into DC, 30ish with traffic. Anywhere in MD is highly dependent on time of day, what roads, etc. I’d look at Virginia Equestrian, or FB groups for barns. There are plenty, you just have to know where to look.
I would say that someone will have to sacrifice something for traffic. I live inside the Beltway and work outside… it’s glorious to go against traffic! It’s bumper to bumper even at 6am when I leave, and 7pm when I head home.
As for school districts, Falls Church is #1, Arlington is #2, then Loudoun, then Fairfax. I’d say they’re all very good, but Arlington is the best IMO! Middleburg, Leesburg, western Fairfax… even Warrenton and Manassas are great options for houses. Vienna, Tysons, Chantilly, Centreville… all great. You may also want to consider somewhere close to Metro to make commuting (somewhat) easier. The farthest metro stop west will eventually be Dulles, but right now it’s Reston (I think). Personally, if I worked in DC I’d try to live close enough to a metro line where I’d either not have to change trains, or would only have to change once.
TLDR; Moving to Loudoun or western Fairfax will mean you are closer to barns, but anyone going to DC will fight traffic. If you move closer to DC the drive to DC will be better, but you will potentially hit traffic when taking your daughter to the barn after school. Someone has to sit in traffic, that’s the way it is around here.
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Re: commuting, there is also the coach commuter bus from Loudoun/Purcellville, Manassas, etc., and the MARC train gets fantastic reviews from everyone I know who uses it.
I have ridden with several of the other trainers mentioned on this thread, including the person most frequently suggested thus far. However, while the atmosphere at the barn was fun, I found the quality of horses lacking and a few broke down from being pushed to do jumps that were too high for their ability. I also rode a school horse that was a stopper and had previously stepped on a girl’s hand and broke it. The trainer told me she taught the horse to jump by chasing him over jumps with a lunge whip.
I guess the moral of the story is to find what works for what you want and your goals. It took me almost 8 years to find the absolute perfect place for what I wanted to do. Other places I rode for a season or a couple years and then moved on, no hard feelings.
Coming back to this late… Poolesville is no Middleburg. It’s small and charming in it’s own way, and I personally love it because it has a really great small-town feel, but it doesn’t have the shops and old Virginia feel of Middleburg. You also don’t have to battle the traffic on 50 or the influx of tourists on the weekends, though.
The best hunter trainers with the best programs are all in Virginia. There are a few decent-to-good h/j trainers in Poolesville that do well at shows and have horses to start riding on until you lease, but if you want all the bells and whistles, Middleburg/Upperville is your place. We would live way out in Leesburg/Bluemont if it wasn’t such a miserable awful slog to get into DC for work.
Hi there, I assume you’ve already moved to the area, but if you’re still in searching for just the right barn home, I recommend Katie Petronelli at Shades of Bay in Purcellville/Waterford. She is great for kids and adults…good emphasis on horsemanship.
