Just wondering if you moved and are your horses happy? Any info you can share? I am thinking of wintering down in S. FL.with my 2 horses. One 27 and the other just 11. The " overnight" change worries me. The water and sand colic send up red flags. Thanks
Horse hay.
centerline - I think you will find that you need at least 2.5 acres per horse if you want 24 hour turnout (still with supplemental hay) and that it will be harder to manage than you are used to. The ground here is sandy and once the horses start tearing it up, the grass is killed quickly because the loose sand dries out so fast and the horses easily pull up roots and all. Right now good hay is nearing $500 a ton. If grass is a real concern, you need to stay in the top half of the state. If you drive down the middle of the state on I-75 and then the turnpike, the difference in the ground as you go south is fairly obvious. The youngsters tear around so much more than older horses that they beat it up even faster.
[QUOTE=HorseHay;6027257]
I have read what all you kind people have said to “centerline girl”. I hope it worked out for her. I have some questions. I will be lucky enough to spend the winter months in the Naples area. If I bring my own hay, I am guessing I will be all right . I have a 27 year old Arabian and a young appendix. Does the change in drinking water bring any questions and do I worry about sand colic?
Anybody else winter with their horses to S. Fl? My first time. Thank you.[/QUOTE]
Naples is lovely grew up there from birth to 20 and my family all still live there. Will you be boarding them or keeping them privately ? There are quiet a few nice barns and good pro’s in the area or a short drive away either north or across the ally.
Sand colic is a problem anywhere you have horses with limited forage , and sandy soil Naples is no exception. We have kept horses there however for going on over 35 years and knock on wood no sand issues. Give them plenty of hay if they are not on grass and even on grass give them hay lol. Find a good pysilium product and use it.
As to the water it really depends on the water source. City water is normally fine and not many turn their noses up at it. Well water can have quiet the sulphur taste and smell to it and some horses will balk at it. Can try getting them used to drinking with a flavor of gatorade etc if you have one you think is picky. The biggest issue we have with water and colic is as it starts to cool down the horses drink less… and that leads to colics . We solve that by monitoring water intake and anyone who slows down gets soaked feed for a bit and some extra loose salt till they pick back up.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Thank you Hack
[QUOTE]I will be keeping them at a friends place with well water. I sure hope the quick change from here to there doesn’t cause a problem. :)Thank you.
[QUOTE=hackinaround;6027358]
Naples is lovely grew up there from birth to 20 and my family all still live there. Will you be boarding them or keeping them privately ? There are quiet a few nice barns and good pro’s in the area or a short drive away either north or across the ally.
Sand colic is a problem anywhere you have horses with limited forage , and sandy soil Naples is no exception. We have kept horses there however for going on over 35 years and knock on wood no sand issues. Give them plenty of hay if they are not on grass and even on grass give them hay lol. Find a good pysilium product and use it.
As to the water it really depends on the water source. City water is normally fine and not many turn their noses up at it. Well water can have quiet the sulphur taste and smell to it and some horses will balk at it. Can try getting them used to drinking with a flavor of gatorade etc if you have one you think is picky. The biggest issue we have with water and colic is as it starts to cool down the horses drink less… and that leads to colics . We solve that by monitoring water intake and anyone who slows down gets soaked feed for a bit and some extra loose salt till they pick back up.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
I don’t live in FL, but having moved from Maine to AZ - I’ve encountered many of the skin troubles you’ll need to be aware of. Summer sores have been debilitating for me and fungus invades their girth areas in spite of tremendous efforts.
I’m stuck riding bareback with a hackamore a lot of summers, because fungus in the girth area and sores the corners of their mouths (and ANY nick/scrape/cut festers). Ugh!
Last summer, I said to heck with it all and flew back to Maine with the kids! Hung out on the lake with their grampa and fed the mosquitos.
Ocala has most land and lots of vets and trainers for a breeding operation - just hotter due to lack of coastal breeze. Great time to buy now with land and home prices still low.
I don’t have skin issues nor colic issues. Horses kept fly sprayed for bugs and provided plenty of grass and hay (and I have sand in my stalls). Horses prefer city water over well water (a LOT of well water has salt and/or sulfur in it and horses will turn up their noses at it). I give electrolytes during the hot months and have still had issues of the horses not sweating - which IS a problem.
A lot depends on where you relocate to, acreage to horse ratio, and your land management plan. I have seen large parcels of land not be able to sustain even a few animals due to the lack of proper land management. I’ve also seen just the opposite.
I’ve lived in hotter and more humid places than Florida but Florida is hot and humid for a much longer period of time that many other states. We have early summer, summer, late summer and fall (sometimes a short winter). There is no sense of normalcy with the weather anymore.
Hay- hay can cost literally 700 a ton for good quality T&A/O&A if you buy from a feed store that has little competition. And forget buying by the ton b/c this state has no concept of selling hay that way. If you do the math when purchasing bales to see what it would be by the ton it can shock you. It’s cheaper in areas that have more competition- Ocala. If you are willing to do a bit of work, you can band together with others and bring in semis straight from out of state hay farms. I did this for years. I’m now very fortunate to have a very good hay grower from KY that likes to come to FL to fish once a month. 
Horses can live out 24/7 so long as they are provided a way to cool themselves. Not so sure I’d put “happily” in that sentence when August rolls around. A lot of horses end up with anhydrosis in Florida and it’s not so much the sun but the humidity/heat index that is the problem. It can be stifling hot and yet overcast. If in the center of the state, there is no breeze like on the coast. We provide free choice salt and loose minerals year round as a lot of vets suggest.
State regulations with regards to number of horses varies by County, town, etc.
I have grass year round. I’m very aggressive about my land maintenance. Rotation/resting, fertilization, seeding, liming etc all based on what my soil tests tell me and how the pastures look. I throw hay year round even though I mow once a week during the summer. I’m also very lucky in that my soil is true dirt and not sand though I’m on the coast.
As for other drawbacks- bugs, hurricanes, land maintenance costs, hay costs and property taxes (depending on location).
Been down here for 14 years
I made the transition to Florida 14 years ago. I definitely had to go through some adjustments. Can’t write a novel here, but call me up sometime if you want to talk about the peculiarities of breeding in Florida.
If I were going to just move to FL for the horse experience, and breeding, I’d suggest the Ocala or surrounding counties. The limestone is why it became known as “the horse capitol” (a patented saying)…good grass and minerals for young horses. The weather is ok…far enough from coasts to not have to worry about hurricaines as much.
Yes, it’s hot in the summer…but ALL of Florida is.
Tallahassee is a lovely area (where we live). It LOOKS more like Atlanta, GA with the lush Live Oak Trees, Clay Hills and home styles. There is a good horse community here, but we don’t have the buyers that come to the Ocala/Wellington area.
Feel free to contact me if you want to know more about North FL. I’ve been breeding here for the past 15 years and am the president of the local Hunter /Jumper Association…
