Possibly moving to equine community maybe in North Carolina. Would love your feedback!

[Ponycatraz]

I never thought I’d say this, but my husband and I are seriously thinking about selling our Michigan “ranchette” and moving to a state with better weather. We are trail riders and are really looking to move someplace where we can comfortably ride 10 months out of the year instead of 6 months. Trying to avoid long cold winters and hot humid summers.

One of the properties we recently looked at is in an equine community in NC. It really seems like an attractive idea. A trail system right off the property. 10 acre lot which would allow us to have our horses on the property instead of boarded at the community barn. Access to arenas, shower racks and other amenities when needed is a plus as well. Lets face it we aren’t getting any younger and keeping up with the upkeep of having to do everything ourselves is getting difficult and isn’t going to get any better over the next 20 years.

We plan on visiting the places first and not hop in blindly, but I’d really like to get input. My only real exposure to “Associations” is what I’ve seen on TV and of course that is never positive. Also my husband and I tend to spend 2-4 hours regularly out on a ride, and I don’t if these kinds of communities are really geared towards a couple old trail riders on gaited horses.

I guess I’d appreciate any feedback on the idea of an equine community, any specific questions we should be asking, etc. The weather sites show NC it to be a good choice on paper, but if there are weather gotcha’s I’d appreciate that as well.

Thanks

[clanter]

might check with Mike Matson, he moved to outside of Ashville to an equine community about four years ago…he used to post here but can be found on Facebook

[EquineJunky]

I don’t see the city mentioned. We need to know where in NC. Central to east coast of NC is hot and steamy in the summer so you’re not going to avoid any hot/humid summers there. Very little transition from winter to summer. We were all breathing a collective sigh of relief when the 90s and humidity finally broke in October.

Mountain area would be your best bet trying to avoid the hot/humid but you’re going to have some winter there for sure. Probably not the amount of snow you get now…

I have no advice on equine communities as we moved as far away from ‘developments’/city as I could get my husband to agree to!

Good luck on your search from another gaited rider!

[NoSuchPerson]

I don’t think you can make any blanket statements about equine communities. They really are quite varied. I looked at one when I was house hunting before my last move and ultimately decided it wasn’t a good fit for me. I investigated another that probably would have been a good fit horse-wise, but had other flaws (by my criteria). It all depends on your tolerance/desire for covenants and services.

As far as weather goes, like EquineJunky said, you’re going to want to be in the far western part of the state. There are lots of trails in the mountains. I have friends who think the Bryson City, NC area is the best area in NC for trail riding but I have no idea what it’s like to live around there.

If you want more specific information about my little piece of NC you’re welcome to PM me.

[mvp]

I think you and your husband are increasingly the demographic living in these places.

I bought land in one in Aiken, SC and I can tell you how I chose it:

Most important, know who already lives there and see if you are doing with your horses (and perhaps your time) what they are doing with theirs. If you want to Horse the way they do, many, many issues with anything about the Home Owner’s Association will work itself out naturally. If, on the other hand, they are unlike you, realize that you are buying into some disagreements.

Read the HOA’s covenents… thoroughly. Then ask how those are handled and adhered to. In older HOAs, where the Board has been turned over to the residents, things can be really good or really bad. If the development is young, chances are that the developer maintains the loin’s share of control. Ask current residents how that is going.

Also, my personal preference is for a smaller, rather than larger development. There are simply fewer cats in the herd to keep happy. But remember, too, that you only hear about people’s bad HOA stories. They good ones are really boring-- they consist of an uneventful board meeting once a year with stuff getting done and everyone having wine and cheese. Other developments here have trail clearing days where all residents go out and work on that together. It actually sounds kinda nice.

[StormyDay]

HOAs don’t have a bad rep for no reason. Many times one person will become ‘king’ of the association and make everyone else’s lives he!!.
I know one that is pretty chill and is a nice community but it’s in Aiken, not NC.
Pretty much all of NC is going to be humid and hot from about April/May to October. The mountainous regions are better but still get humid. WEG was held in Tryon and everyone was complaining how hot and humid it was in September. However, the humidity doesn’t last as long there.
Other suggestions are lower Shenandoah valley, Tennessee, or Kentucky.

[NoSuchPerson]

@StormyDay

Pretty much all of NC is going to be humid and hot from about April/May to October. The mountainous regions are better but still get humid. WEG was held in Tryon and everyone was complaining how hot and humid it was in September. However, the humidity doesn’t last as long there.
Other suggestions are lower Shenandoah valley, Tennessee, or Kentucky.

It’s all a balancing act. In general, the cooler and less humid a place is in the summer, the colder it’s going to be in the winter. You’ve got to pick your trade-off.

It’s also all relative. I spent much of August whining and moaning about the heat and humidity here in far western NC. Until I had to go to Raleigh on business. Holy moly! Talk about heat and humidity! I thought I was going to melt into a puddle on the sidewalk. At least here, it cools off enough in the evening to get in a good ride before it gets dark.

[StormyDay]

@NoSuchPerson

It’s all a balancing act. In general, the cooler and less humid a place is in the summer, the colder it’s going to be in the winter. You’ve got to pick your trade-off.

It’s also all relative. I spent much of August whining and moaning about the heat and humidity here in far western NC. Until I had to go to Raleigh on business. Holy moly! Talk about heat and humidity! I thought I was going to melt into a puddle on the sidewalk. At least here, it cools off enough in the evening to get in a good ride before it gets dark.

Very true. South Florida has NC beat, but NC feels like a sauna compared to upstate NY.
When I lived in NC I always thought it was amazing that there was a real climate difference between Raleigh and Greensboro. If Raleigh got a dusting of snow, Greensboro got 5 inches.
But the ‘bad’ snow days in NC, VA, TN, or KY, are NOTHING compared to winter weather in Michigan. When Southern Pines got a foot of snow, people talked about how much snow there was for years afterwards. Everything shuts down if it starts snowing. In the majority of the places I listed, you can ride year round with maybe only a day or two of weather too cold to ride.

[mvp]

@NoSuchPerson

It’s all a balancing act. In general, the cooler and less humid a place is in the summer, the colder it’s going to be in the winter. You’ve got to pick your trade-off.

It’s also all relative. I spent much of August whining and moaning about the heat and humidity here in far western NC. Until I had to go to Raleigh on business. Holy moly! Talk about heat and humidity! I thought I was going to melt into a puddle on the sidewalk. At least here, it cools off enough in the evening to get in a good ride before it gets dark.

Yes. And, OP, the mountains in NC have their share of clay, plus some ice sometimes. I’m not a fan of Horsing on either one (and I have, LOL), so that was something I considered. But not everyone cares.

Clay-- just know about it and know what you are choosing if you go there.

[clanter]

if summer humidity is the only question then you might want to look at north Texas as you can ride at least ten months a year without a problem Summers will be hot but low humidity

Also there are federal lands that one can access in addition to the approximately 600 miles of improved trails

Suggest around Whitesboro …here is just one of several equine communities

https://www.horsemansranch.com/

[Ponycatraz]

I’m on my phone so forgive me for not replying directly. My husband works remote and I have the option to work remote so pretty much any place is an option though my husband would rather not live someplace with a large rattlesnake population.

One of the communities we were looking at is near Moravian Falls, NC which is more northern/mountainous. Might be a good option. Weather seems reasonable from the Wunderground historical graphs but I know that doesn’t tell the whole storyline livability. The trail system sounds nice too.

The idea of someone seizing control of a HOA and making it a terrible place to live is scary! I’ve also seen a few in my searches that have gone bankrupt! Definitely something to consider on the con list.

I do also really like the idea of northern Texas. Living anyplace with sun more than 170ish days of the year we get here. The nice thing is that we aren’t in a hurry but with so many options it really is overwhelming.

[searlwyn]

DO IT, sooner rather than later! After much research we moved from upstate NY to Moyock, NC (very close to the ocean). The biggest regret when we got here was that we didn’t do it sooner. We moved in in November and felt as if we had gone back to September. Here you can ride all year round. The ocean breezes keep this part of the state very comfortable. I wasn’t a big trail rider but have neighbors that are. They ride in our neighborhood and also truck to many, many areas in NC & Virginia (we’re just 5 minutes from the state line.) We live in a neighborhood of 10 acres lots, some people have horses, some have cows, some have kids, lots have chickens, and any combination of such. Taxes here are amazingly cheap, especially in Currituck County because a portion of our county is on the outer banks where the homes are magnificent and pay a big portion of the county tax base. Another reason we picked this location is the proximity to the Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks. We’re beach lovers and this is the best of both worlds. We easily found great vets, farriers, hay suppliers and horse community in general. In Currituck there is a beautiful county owned facility that has outdoor rings and an indoor covered arena, as a resident you can use free of charge if an event isn’t schedule for that day. All that said… we’re moving to Florida for totally unrelated reasons. Our property is for sale. See it on Zillow, 355 Summit Farms Trail. Moyock, NC. I highly recommend you check out the Moyock area. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. searlwyn@gmail.com

[NoSuchPerson]

@Ponycatraz

I Living anyplace with sun more than 170ish days of the year we get here.

When I was trying to decide where to move, I spent a lot of time looking at Kelly Norton’s pleasant places to live map.

https://kellegous.com/j/2014/02/03/pleasant-places/

[Bluey]

@NoSuchPerson

When I was trying to decide where to move, I spent a lot of time looking at Kelly Norton’s pleasant places to live map.

https://kellegous.com/j/2014/02/03/pleasant-places/

Add looking at this one also, how windy a place is most of the time.
Click on the map to expand:

http://hint.fm/wind/

Some people can’t stand our winds, not a day without some.
20-30 mph many days seems like a breeze to us.
Other places that much wind is rare, a couple days a year.

[Mukluk]

I live in a horse community in California in the mountains. Unfortunately CA is the land of earthquakes, fires, and power outages. Not to mention high cost of living except that I am in the boondocks so I get a bit of a break. It’s nice to have a access to miles of trails from my place and I keep the ponies at home (couldn’t afford doing it any other way). I like living in a horse community.

[Guilherme]

The problem with “activity developments” is that if the activity falls off in popularity your property declines in value. If the number participating declines and the number of people “doing it” falls below the number of people “not doing it” you may find that democracy is not you’re friend.

Not that HOAs are very “democratic.” Yes, the governing board members might be elected buy the “constitution” of the entity was written by the developers and often is a document “set in stone” for at least some long period of time. This was done as a marketing tactic. Changing this fundamental document is difficult but it CAN be done in many areas if right the number of homeowners are for it. But it can also lead to bad feeling, bad neighbors, and generally a bad experience. For all these reasons I’d avoid them like the plague.

Not being a fan from the get-go I’d look around at alternatives. And consider other areas, such as the Nashville region in TN, the Lexington area in KY, or even into Arkansas in the Midwest. All of these areas have four seasons, but are biased towards summer. Clanter suggests No. TX. Not a bad idea, particularly if you don’t mind a strong bias towards summer. There are also some nice areas, such Las Cruces, NM, which are also very conducive to year 'round riding.

Throw a wide net and see what you catch!!!

G.

[JanM]

Another factor with a development centered around an activity, is when people move in for the large lots, etc., but don’t want horses or whatever else the property is marketed around. Then you end up with people who want the horses and any other animals out.

[clanter]

@JanM

. Then you end up with people who want the horses and any other animals out.

well we are on the other side of this equation … over 80% of the nearby former horse properties have been subdivided, the owners took the cash and did whatever, however, now they"like to look at other’s horses grazing in the park like pastures" and have passed restrictive zoning that basically eliminated the remaining 20% from subdividing …so they think.

[JanM]

I’ve noticed that when there is enough developer money involved, zoning rules seem to change very quickly.

I live in an HOA in a regular subdivision. 95% of the people are nice, however the other 5% make me regret moving here. See if there are online reviews of specific subdivisions, or newsletters from the association. Newsletters can be very enlightening, especially if you can find a few years worth of them, and see what issues are coming up over and over.

[Marla_100]

I agree with Guilherme about HOA. Don’t overlook “horsey areas” even if not a formal community. Check out areas where
other horse people gravitate to and ask why. Usually they’re in an area with good trails and comparably priced farms.