Hello! There is a chance within the next year or so that I may be moving myself and two horses down to Jacksonville FL from upstate NY. I have a 7 year old Anglo Arab (very easy keeper) and I have a 14 year old OTTB (exact opposite, hard keeper). I have so many questions! Hoping to get good advice from fellow horse people that live there or maybe had a similar experience of moving from the north to south. Here’s a couple questions I can think of off hand but really looking for any advice. I know it is going to be a big change for the horses, but I am looking forward to the opportunity.
1.) hay! Where’s best to get it? Can I get anything similar to up north? Willing to pay because I don’t want coastal as I am afraid my one horse will not tolerate it at all. I know I’m in for a big shock price wise but want to know the inside scoop on how or where to get the better hay.
2.) pastures- not to sound silly, but does good grass grow in Florida? I’m used to here where I am very spoiled in the summer by nice thick grass. How long can you keep horses on grass before you have to start feeding hay?
3.) best towns near airport?- looking to be near JAX airport as much as possible. Anyone have any recommendations on areas around there that have good land? Ideally looking for a place where I can have 10-15 acres but still be within a 5-10 minute drive from the grocery store (for example).
4.) weather changes!- I have been checking the weather in Jacksonville and it seems that there are quite different weather patterns. Sometimes during the day it’s 70s and then at night it’s in the 50s. Do you guys sheet the horses at night so they don’t grow too much hair where they will be sweating during the day?
5.) grain- again not to sound silly but is there access to grain types such as triple crown and nutrena?
if your still reading, thank you so much. Really looking forward to hearing your stories and advice!
Seminole feed is great. Gets hay from up north also.
I’m a bit less than 300 miles north of Jax. There’s something graze-able in my pasture 365 days/year, much maligned common Bermuda and Bahia grass. The only time I feed hay (Coastal. 5 bucks a bale) is when its both cold and raining. I’ve got 2 20ish nags who are easy keepers. I used to feed hay daily in the winter and they got too fat.
Gnats, threadworms, and a worming schedule pretty opposite of the North-- worms in pasture get blasted by summer heat and survive in the cool winter weather.
if you have a Tractor Supply I think you’ll have Nutrena feeds and I’ve seen them at independent feedstores as well. Seminole is the gold standard.
When buying horse property keep in mind where you might go with horses in the event of a hurricane and leave early as possible because the only thing worse than I-95 dry is I-95 wet with gridlock and horses in a trailer.
My horses start fuzzing up in August and they do get sweaty if ridden on a balmy 90 degree October day…but they also get dry and fluffy pretty quick. A 30 to 40 degree diurnal range of temps isn’t that uncommon here but it would be more moderate closer to the coast. Winter can be exquisite in the Deep South, but as soon as your blood thins you’ll be whining as soon as it gets down in the 40s. I promise you, 39 and raining in FL or GA is COLDER than 15 degrees and snowing in the mid Atlantic or Midwest.
In the summer you’ll want to ride in the morning. In the winter, high noon if you’re close to the deer woods and hunters.
Can’t advise as to towns and land in northernmost FL but South GA is such a wilderness that there’s basically no level one trauma centers between Macon and Florida. There are county seats that are unincorporated…or were the last time I was down thataway.
St. Augustine is beautiful! Check it out. Coastal Bermuda is really ok for a lot of horses. I’d try switching your easy keeper on to it. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding TC feed. They have a dealer locator on their website.
Thanks for the responses so far!!
I’m a bit further south - north of orlando. Re the weather: Its 55. Though I am freezing, the horse is not. And he is clipped because he works hard and is a big sweater. We dont sheet/blanket much overnight unless frost warnings, etc. Clipped horses get a sheet when turned out in AM if its going to be cold. My retired horse grows very little coat and is never blanketed.
Hay will be more expensive down here. Grass is just different. Around here our pastures have sand-based soil. Never get muddy like you get up there. One benefit is that while you dont have lush thick spring/summer grass, you also dont have mud, frozen ground, ruts, ice patches and rocks pushed up for 7 or more months/year.
When I moved I had a 17 yr old TB, he was a “normal” keeper and did just fine. As he aged, I think he was better off with the warmth most of the year.
When you farm shop, one thing to consider is that ideal pastures have some access to shade - either good size trees or a run-in with lots of airflow. Most people have fans for their stalls.
I spent 25 years in Rochester and 14 in Cleveland. Have not looked back.
Edited to add: Wherever you land, if you can split pastures and rotate, that would be ideal.
Thanks for this response! I am wondering, because the grass is different there did you do anything particular with your horses to get them “adjusted to it”? Supplements or anything like that? Or were you able to just let them get used to it on their own? Just trying to make sure my boys have the easiest transition I can make for them 
thanks so much for your help!
PS, were you from Rochester, NY? If so I’m from Syracuse so not too far!
did move from northern Kentucky to Texas…it took our horses about eighteen months to adjust fully. Their winter coats were the main changes… they attempted to put on a Kentucky coat but shed that out pretty quickly… afterwards they just started to change colors from Bays to Black Bays
The horses we have brought in from North Dakota kind of laugh at winters here
OP - no did nothing special re the grass. When I moved, it was just my old TB, and it was late summer. We just shortened his turnout for a few days; by then the pastures were on the sparse side anyway.
I was born in Pittsburgh but moved to Rochester (NY) when I was 14. Its always been “home” though I rarely get back up there.
Good to know! Thank you for the responses! Anyone else have any experience moving their horse from the north to south?
1.) hay! Where’s best to get it? Can I get anything similar to up north? Willing to pay because I don’t want coastal as I am afraid my one horse will not tolerate it at all. I know I’m in for a big shock price wise but want to know the inside scoop on how or where to get the better hay.
You can get Orchard, Timothy, and Alfalfa very easily here, but you’ll pay for it. $20+ per small bale that I paid $4 for in Ohio. The O/T/A here is absurd, IMO - it’s like leprechaun green. I literally had never seen anything like it in my life, and we had excellent hay in Ohio. ::shrug::
I feed Tifton to mine as round bales, and will feed good quality coastal Bermuda small squares. I’ve had zero issues with the Bermuda and my hard-keepers keep weight just fine on it getting the same amount of grain as they’ve ever gotten before. You can get O/T/A for cheaper if you buy in bulk from a supplier yourself - bulk as in a whole semi-truck load (600+ bales) at a time. Peanut hay is an alternative to Alfalfa, and since it can be grown locally people say it’s cheaper, but I’ve never found it anywhere any cheaper than Alfalfa.
2.) pastures- not to sound silly, but does good grass grow in Florida? I’m used to here where I am very spoiled in the summer by nice thick grass. How long can you keep horses on grass before you have to start feeding hay?
IDK about the land in Jacksonville. In Ocala yes we have tons of grass, but no, it’s not the same and not as thick as up north. But, it sticks around a lot longer. It depends on the horse and how much land you have available. IMO you need a solid 3-acres per horse to not feed hay almost the entire year. My two thoroughbreds require hay year round in addition to being outside on grass 24/7, but I only have one acre per horse of pasture space.
3.) best towns near airport?- looking to be near JAX airport as much as possible. Anyone have any recommendations on areas around there that have good land? Ideally looking for a place where I can have 10-15 acres but still be within a 5-10 minute drive from the grocery store (for example).
IDK anything about Jacksonville property, sorry.
4.) weather changes!- I have been checking the weather in Jacksonville and it seems that there are quite different weather patterns. Sometimes during the day it’s 70s and then at night it’s in the 50s. Do you guys sheet the horses at night so they don’t grow too much hair where they will be sweating during the day?
I start below 40F if they’re not clipped, <55F if it’s raining. Only my mare is clipped, I ride her 5-6 days per week, I start clipping her <50F, <65F if it’s raining. They’re going to sweat a little with a full coat on an 80-degree day, it’s just a fact of life. I don’t consider it a problem. My mare sweats all summer with a full clip. Mine stay out 24/7, I don’t bring them in to have a fan, they are significantly happier outside, even sweaty.
5.) grain- again not to sound silly but is there access to grain types such as triple crown and nutrena?
Yes, most all the major national brands are available here but the prices will vary. Tribute is $5+ per bag more than it was for me in Ohio. I feed Seminole instead and like it a lot.
I moved from Ohio to Ocala, FL. I didn’t do anything special to transition my horses to the grass, and to start I fed O/A compressed pasture blocks. When they started inhaling 500+ lb blocks in three days, I started looking for other options and found Tifton, and did countless hours of research on Bermuda. They had zero issues “transitioning” to Florida life; stepped off the trailer and went about their business as normal. I moved them mid-November, used Brookledge, and they each had a box stall.
Absolutely LOVE it here!
We are in Ocala, and are very happy here. Our 3 horses have 10 acres of pasture, so they have grass year round. I do supplement with a flake of alfalfa and handful of balancer pellets for each horse, twice daily. Hay is expensive, but high quality. Make sure you really understand the area where you are buying. Florida has certain areas that are full of mosquitoes. Other areas have sugar sand that won’t grow good grass. Some pastures have standing water with mosquitoes and pithyiosis. Other areas flood and are prone to frequent storm damage. We are happy to have a concrete block barn that will hold up in wind. If you do your research, I think you will love northern Florida. I ride almost every day. There are parks with well maintained horse trails throughout our area. Many people ride. We have been here 2 years, and are delighted with the area.
Great advice! Thank you guys! I do wish I could be closer to Ocala because I know the land is lovely there. Do have to stay closer to JAX but hopefully I can find some good areas around there. Looking forward to the transition.
Rochester person here. Good luck OP. I’ve been fantasizing about moving south since the record breaking cold early November.
thank you! Haha yes I’m so over this cold weather 😂
Checking back with this OP…did you make the move?
I hope the OP comes back. I want to compare notes with them. I relocated from Tampa, to northern central PA and while I grew up in SE Pa, I dont remember the cold being… this cold 
We did! Not to JAX but instead moved south of Atlanta, GA 
Omg me too! Luckily I got an email about this so I came back to respond! I ended up moving a little south of Atlanta GA. And while it is much better than NY, it is still really cold! Thinking I need to move further down…like key west FL south
