A job opportunity has come up in Phoenix but I’ve never been and I’m a New England girl. I do like to spend my winters in Florida and I’ve been there as late as July. Someone tell me, will my brain melt in that heat? Will my horse die? How do people live there?? They seem to have a decent HJ scene. Do a lot of farms have covered arenas at least? What about turnout? Is it like CA where everyone gets a tiny dry lot?
Native New Yorker here. I personally wouldn’t ever move to anywhere in Arizona. It’s just going to get hotter and drier. I’ll take my chances with flooding over spending weeks/months out of the year cooped up in air conditioning.
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Phoenix is so, so hot. So hot. It is a different type of heat though. Since it’s dry, it feels maybe less miserable than Florida heat.
However, there are mountains nearby and you could live or even board up there and commute in. My aunt/uncle used to live in a town up in the mountains and it would be 30 degrees with snow on the ground where they were and 85 an hour and a half away in Phoenix.
The further north you go the wetter and colder it will get. Flagstaff (too far to commute) is actually really lovely year round. Driving up from Phoenix to Flagstaff, you will pass lovely green meadows and oak trees and apple orchards.
There aren’t a ton of showing opportunities around that will be close. There’s a local series in Phoenix, and I think there is some rated shows sporadically throughout the year. However, Thermal isn’t to terrible of a drive if you are going for a week or two, and Las Vegas is also not terrible either in distance. Last time I checked they held several shows indoors there.
Land isn’t as expensive there so there is turnout but it’s almost always just dust and dirt unless you go up into the mountains. I’m not sure on covered arenas; because it’s the desert the temperature drops significantly once the sun goes down, so if you can ride at night or before about 10 AM it will actually be pretty comfy. I was there in June and it was 110 in the daytime but dropped into the low 60’s at night.
The area is absolutely beautiful, you will get hooked on Mexican food, there is a ton to do no matter what you like. Hiking? Some of the best in the world. Skiing? You can plant flowers in your garden in the morning and go skiing in the afternoon. History? They have some of the best museums in the country. Food? Some of the most raved over eateries are located in Phoenix and Tucson. Art? Some of the best galleries and museums are there. Travel? You are close to some of the most interesting places; Grand Canyon, mesa verde, saguaro National park, etc.
If I didn’t have horses, I’d live there. Probably in Tucson, because it’s more my style, but both areas are great.
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I could argue, we do the same thing now. Only we just do it when it’s freezing and there’s snow on the ground. There’s a person in Phoenix right now saying they would never live in NY, because you spend all winter inside huddling around the heater!
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Summer there is so, so, so hot. To me, it’s unliveable. Yes, it cools down a bit at night…but it’s still bloody hot at night in the summer. I couldn’t do it.
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Not really. NY is going to be Virginia climate soon. Last week it hit 60, and this week we are in the mid 30s. And only going to get warmer.
Soon? Eh. I guess soon is relative. It’s not like next year suddenly Virginia is gonna have Florida weather. It’s gradual, and probably won’t really be felt for at least another decade or possibly two.
Northern Virginia had one of the worst snow years it’s had in a while last year. We had snow on the ground for almost 2 months here. The year before it was so cold they cancelled school several times because they were afraid the kids would get frostbite waiting for the bus. This year they predicted another heavy snow year. So while relatively it is warming, I’m not moving to Maine next year to prepare for it.
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I could not, would not, live anywhere in Phoenix. Besides the heat, it’s incredibly congested. Think: Miniature Los Angeles, with cactus. 
Yet I know many people love it there and it’s a thriving business hub.
I live in Prescott, up about 5,500 ft. and a good 90 minutes north of Phoenix. Currently I have snow in my front yard. During the summer we’re at least 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix.
While it might be tempting to keep your horse up here (my horses are at a place with irrigated pastures!) it’s next to impossible to find a decent hunter trainer, let alone an actual course of show jumps to school with. Then, to compete, you have to haul down to the Phoenix or Tucson area.
During the hot weather, my friends who have horses in the Phoenix area ride very, very early in the mornings or after dark, under the lights. There are very few covered arenas, although at the bigger stables the barns have fans and misters to help keep the horses (and people) comfortable. When I do visit, it seems they all just “make do” and since it’s a dry heat, the horses just seem to acclimate.
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Went to chandler in September which is just south of Phoenix and it was 110 degrees. They say dry heat but it was hottttt. By 9:00 in the morning no one was out walking around and by 4:00 in the afternoon it was still miserable. I get why people winter there but to live year round, nope!
My Dad, having lived in both Michigan and Florida, always said they were exactly the same - 4 months spent inside hiding from the weather and 8 months of great outdoor recreation. The only difference is the time of year you spent hiding inside.
My Mom disagreed, saying that having to go to the grocery store and doctor’s office in the snow was the dealbreaker for Michigan. 
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I live in the Phoenix area. I feel like the horse scene is smaller, and a lot of the serious competitors are going to head to Southern California for shows.
I personally haven’t lost many riding days due to the heat, but i absolutely adjust my schedule. I ride in the early am June through September, and yes, many places have covered arenas and misting systems for the horses.
Turn out is scarce, if you’re lucky to have it. Many places have hot walkers or other methods of keeping horses moving with reduced turn out.
If you do decide to move here, move in the late fall or early spring, so pony has plenty of time to adjust to the heat. I’ve been surprised at how well they handle it with proper time to adjust.
I love living here and feel like the trade offs are worth it, like mentioned above people in cold climates have to make sacrifices in the winter. Winter season is fabulous and I’m loving it right now!
I live in Chandler, SE of actual Phoenix. It’s miserable in the summer: July-Aug-Sept. High 80s is typical low overnight temp, and it can be hotter than that as an overnight low. I have to disagree with one poster: there are not a lot of covered arenas. There are a few. Lots of barns don’t have actual barn buildings - the horses are in covered pens (“mare motel” setup). This allows maximum air circulation, which is critical for the summer. The horses have fans in each stall in most barns, and sometimes two fans. You can find grass turnout, but most of the h/j barns don’t have that - they just have dry lot turnouts. Most of the serious barns are in Scottsdale (not all of them, just most) and there isn’t an agricultural irrigation system there. The far southwestern and southeastern sides of greater Phoenix have grass turnouts. Colic is a concern every summer - most of us think it is just due to the long, long hot summer. But yes - right now it is AWESOME - lovely days and more to come all winter!
Tucson is about 10 degrees cooler!
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I lived in Phoenix for 5 years with horses and wouldn’t do it again. I’m now also in Prescott.
The summers are really long and hard. I’d also agree that there are less covered rings than you’d expect. You have to ride in a sun shirt and visor to keep the sun off you and ride as early as possible in the summer. Some barns have mister systems which help keep the horses cool but mostly they are just stuck in front of fans. It’s hard on some horses.
One other thing to note is the air pollution. Phoenix is a valley, so any air pollution like from wildfires in CA settles and sticks around. I brought a horse from Canada to AZ that had a terrible allergy flare from a combination of the heat and smog.
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I’m currently in the Phoenix area and grew up in the north east, so have a decent comparison between riding in both places. A good bit of what I would say has already been covered, but TBH some of the people saying it’s way too hot and miserable sound dramatic to me 
I’d argue that spending 4-5 months in an indoor between snow and rain and freezing winters is less fun than dealing with summer here in Arizona.
There are several large facilities I can think of in the Scottsdale/North Phoenix area that have covered arenas, and as others have said many barns have misting systems and fans for every stall. Smaller H/J operations won’t have covered arenas but in my opinion having an arena with some lights is a higher priority for me than having covered, as my ideal schedule in the summer when I had 4-6 to get ridden per day was to be on the first horse well before sunrise and be done by 8am-ish. It can certainly be done but if you consider Heat Index over raw temperature, I’ve dealt with plenty of horrible heat + 90% humidity back east that is dangerous too.
As far as showing for the year, there are 5 A shows split between spring and fall in Scottsdale and a few A’s left in Tucson usually in February and November, but those are getting smaller most likely because people are going to the big series at the Desert Horse Park (maybe a 5 hour drive?).
For A shows in the summer, we tend to go to Southern California as there are a lot of options, and it’s mostly 6-8 hour drives, but there are options in Colorado as well if you’re willing to go further. I know there are some AZ barns that go up there.
I’ve been here about 15 years now and honestly, it’s possible to adapt. There are pro’s and con’s but it’s certainly survivable depending on what your priorities are feel free to PM me if you have any questions too!
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