Moving to Washington State

[wonderwoman1970]

@costco_muffins

I think it really depends on what you want and what cities you want to be close to. Do you want to be near an urban city like Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia? Are you ok with a smaller, but still urban city like Spokane, Bellingham, Vancouver? Do you want a rural city like Ellensburg, Snohomish, Monroe? Do you want a suburb like North Bend or Bainbridge Island? All of these will be bigger factors as within each subset you can find a location with good board, trails, and horse people of any discipline. Some areas lean heavier HJ, eventing, or western, but all of them can find horse facilities.

Well i am not looking to board him, been there done that and want a place i can have him at home.

[wonderwoman1970]

@Calvincrowe

Where is your daughter and how close do you need to be? It’s a big state.

Property prices in the I-5 corridor can be quite expensive, though not by SoCal standards. Most horse properties are in the 5-10 acre range and horses living on pasture is not easy. We almost all supplement with hay year round. As far as horse care in the rain, we build sacrifice paddocks that are mud free, and limit pasture exposure from October to April to save what we do have. Most of us who keep them at home haul out to ride unless we have all weather outdoor rings or access to an indoor. Boarding barns generally have covered/indoor rings. Trail riding can be limited by our wet weather on the west side as many are too muddy in winter.

In SW WA (Vancouver/Portland) There are lots of trail options within an hour’s drive, some of which are on the “dry side” across the Cascades.

For drier and sunnier, you’ll need to live in Sequim on the Peninsula in the rain shadow or east of the Cascades. Cle Elum is just over the pass and much drier. Lots of riding there, and the horse park is also there so showing is a possibility.

Well my daughter lives in Yelm so i want to be fairly close but i want to have my boy at home and not in mud year round

[wonderwoman1970]

@Calvincrowe

You can always move back. The east coast is still there. All lauriedj was pointing out was there are facilities in Tacoma. Might not be EC style, but still.

OP- come back and give us more info.

It rained a LOT last winter and my guy was a MESS. Abcesses galore, he doesnt do very well in wet weather. My daughter just moved to Yelm and I am wanting to be close but i also dont want to give up my hobbies with horses. So, I am looking for a good in between for my horse and my hobbies. He does not do well in boarding facilities, he needs a calm noneventful place and i have never been able to have him in my backyard. I am really tired of driving to him and spending hours and hours driving to work and to him.

[wonderwoman1970]

@TheJenners

My little island is also in the rain shadow :yes:

@wonderwoman1970 give us more info, Washington weather and facilities can literally change 180* in a 50-100 mile radius. What area is your daughter in and how close do you want to be is really the biggest factor in where you want to have your future home. But like @Calvincrowe said, most people who keep horses at home on the “wet/west” side limit horses to a sacrifice area or gravel runs in the winter to preserve summer grazing. On the east side, you worry more about irrigation! There is a big trail riding group in my area called the Backcountry Horsemen I believe. They are what I call “weekend warriors” and you see their trailers at trailheads every winter nearly year 'round. It’s very social, they have annual poker rides, potlucks, fundraising rides, they do work parties to keep some area trails nice, etc etc. Several of my neighbors belong and post great pictures all the time, and I’ll join if I ever have a horse that would trail ride safely.

Thank you, i went on a page for that group. I will follow them for a bit to get more info. I have replied to others with more info.

[costco_muffins]

@wonderwoman1970

Well i am not looking to board him, been there done that and want a place i can have him at home.

Ok, then your budget will dictate a lot of this. Typically, it rains a lot on the ocean side of the mountain ranges and is less wet on the rainshadow or far side of the cascades and olympics.

Budget will let you know where you can and can’t afford, for instance right now in King County (Seattle) there aren’t properties suitable for horses for less than 1million. Access to Trails and also suitable with dry paddocks and good location even more scarce. However, outside of Seattle you get more options for your money.

[clanter]

Originally posted by wonderwoman1970 View Post
Well i am not looking to board him, been there done that and want a place i can have him at home.

Rather than rain/no rain I would look where the support services are located. Does no good to find that prefect property with the nearest large animal vet being a few hundred miles away, no feed stores within reason. That is unless you are Grizzly Adams and can live off the land.

(Might want to make sure the expected services are available also…internet, electrical power, drinking water, grocery stores, and all that stuff)

[Foxtrot_s]

There is the Woodborook Hunt and just over the BC border is the Fraser Valley Hunt - very good for socialising and getting an event horse fit and bold - if that’s your thing.

[RoyalRain42]

If you are wanting to keep him at home and avoid mud, my suggestion would be Ellensburg area. Right on 90 so it’s not too long a drove over the pass. Eberg is pretty good horse country, and not far from the Washington State Horse Park! This place is amazing, has miles of trails ,cross country course, nice footing in their arenas!! I am about an hour and a half east of it and drive out monthly when I can to work my two main horses. Has hook ups for camping as well.