I have a new job in Zion National Park. I have short-term housing. Eventually, I’d like to have a permanent home, maybe a small acreage for 1-2 horses, few chickens, et cet
Any suggestions on towns/communities to check out for land? One big plus would be access to public land for riding as well as horsey community/neighbors.
I love to trail ride, do a little dressage (not necessarily compete).
St George? Your nearest big city is Vegas but that’s an out west “near”. You are moving into a very conservative, formerly religiously exclusive area but it’s getting much better and more accepting. Recommend waiting until you get there and settled in, make friends before deciding on anything.
I did a week long trail ride in SE Utah back in '90 and LOVED the riding there. If you like trails, it is a fantastic area to ride and tons of it. I also stayed in Sandy (near Salt Lake City) with my sister and did some local riding with friends. I also drove around the state visiting several National Park and was amazed at all the people engaged in outdoor activiites.
However, it does get very cold there in the winters, but then there’s always skiing, snow boarding, etc
We have a second home, five acres in Hurricane, 30 minutes from Zion. When we were looking, I saw some attractive possibilities in Apple Valley except that it was a little too ‘high’ for us elevation wise (and thus a little cooler in winter), we wanted down low where palm trees grow. The trails in the area are like restaurants in Paris, you’ll never run out of possibilities. The new, not quite yet complete bypass from the St. George airport up through Hurricane will have a beneficial effect on properties in the Hurricane to Zion corridor.
Thanks for the insight, Beverly.
I have vacationed there often as far as hiking. I decided to switch carees and work at national parks (did Yellowstone last summer) and was able to get on at Zion.
Hurricane, Virgin and Apple Valley are all on my radar. So is New Harmony, I’ve done hikes in the Kolob and Kanarra areas.
Are there any trail riding or equestrian clubs locally? I plan to get involved with those.
My horse is staying behind until fall so I can get settled and find a good spot to board him, plus he’ll avoid that real summer heat.
Back Country Horsemen of Utah. Go to their page and check out the chapters in the southern part of the state. I’ve done that in the past for trail suggestions and even had a very nice couple in my target destination offer to show me and my friends the trail. We ended up having a great day, and made new friends, too. This wasn’t in Utah, but the Back Country Horsemen can be a great place to start.
I have family in St. George. While I have seen plenty of horses in pasture out there, not much as far as riding facilities. Watch out in Hurricane for the people with the big hair! The Walmart in Huricane is where you go for polygamist sitings!
Zion is so beautiful! We found a really cool, old cemetery in Virgin, UT. Had to stop and walk around, it was such a beautiful cemetery.
North St. George is higher end. So if you are looking for dressage, you might look out that way. I could definitely ask my brother and sister-in-law if they know of anything.
Color Country Equestrian Club has a show series in the Hurricane / Cedar City area.
Best Friends Animal Society is on the Kanab side. A friend who works with a rescue in western Colorado goes over to Best Friends to pick up dog food when there is extra. She says that place is worth a visit! Not useful for your horsey side of life, though…
FatDinah yes, Back Country Horsemen is a good place to start, I know the folks at the chapter in St. George as well as Kanab (I belong to the Mt. Ridge chapter myself, in the SL Valley). You might also want to ask to join the ‘Southern Utah Trail Riders’ FB page, that’s a good resource for hooking up with new friends and tons of data on trails.
I have friends who sometimes board at Reinmakers Equestrian Park in St. George, including one who has some dressage contacts down that way (she events herself). Also check out the Washington Co equestrian facility calendar, there is a riding club listed there but I haven’t had time to check it out myself, yet.
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