Philadelphia Relocation Question

[Cortana]

Hi Forumers!

I have the option to move to Manayunk next year and was wondering if anyone has any insight on the city and dressage world? I would be bringing my Andalusian mare (4 years, lightly started). I know shipping her costs $3,000-4,000 for a fight cross country.

My biggest concerns are being able to find a place with correct training and enough green space/trails for a happy horse. Being able to get out to see her (she’s currently a 15 minute drive) is also a huge source of anxiety.

Anymore familiar with the area, trainers, and horse ownership in Philadelphia?

[furlong47]

Getting in and out of that area at rush hour (and often not at rush hour) is a giant traffic pain. There are a number of barns in the Wissahickon which board and have trail access, but not the training and probably not some of the other facilities you might want. Those are the only things really close. Your best bets for good dressage barns are probably 45+ minutes west into Chester County.

[Cortana]

Thank you for the realistic response. I was eyeing Springsteen Dressage (The Chronicle did an article on Sue a while back). The facility is amazing and the training top notch but it would be a minimum of 30 minutes. I’m trying to decide if 4x a week with that is realistic. I would be incorporating training and WFH so this would be my biggest regular outing

[Katie81]

You’d have a ton of choices in Chester County, but like Furlong47 mentioned the commute is going to be rough from Manayunk.

I know someone new has moved into Kevin Babington’s former facility in Blue Bell, PA which might be a slightly less terrible commute from Manayunk. I don’t know anything about who is running the place, and I don’t know anyone boarding there but I imagine the facilities are still top notch. It may be that they have a dressage trainer coming in for lessons. Just a suggestion that may be worth looking into.

I’m not on facebook anymore, but the Bucks County Equestrian page is very active for the horse community not only in Bucks but also Montco, Philly and surrounding tri-state area. May be a good place to get ideas.

[Cortana]

Hi Katie81,

Thank you for the recommendations I found the site for the facility in Blue Bell you’re referring to and that definitely could be an option. It looks like they have a great barn and environment for the horses and riders. Having trails and the option to cross training is a huge plus! I’ll also look at the community you suggested.

[joiedevie99]

When I was in Philly, I lived in Rittenhouse Square and commuted up to Bucks County 6 days/week. It was an easy 30 minute drive as long as I went at off hours (typically 3pm or so).