Will be looking for boarding situation for one young horse. I ride dressage but eventing barn is fine. Would prefer someplace where i can get good quality lessons and possible pro rides. I’d like consistent good turnout, and an indoor. I can even do a boarding only if i can find a trainer to trailer to. Would like to spend 7-800 for board.
Also need hunter jumper barn for lessons for my daughter.
Some areas of the Delaware River valley are flood prone, and there can be lots and lots of standing water after a big rain event. Which may affect your desire for consistent good turnout. Those who live there can better advise.
$700-800/month is going to be tight for a show barn. How competitive do you want to be? No showing? Local shows? Rated shows? Winter in Florida? If the first two are what you’re after I would suggest Karen Pound http://www.pinecreeksporthorses.com/contact-us.html If you want to be more competitive, Mary Morrill https://www.facebook.com/pg/BrintonsBridgeRd/posts/
This is a bizarre warning. While yes, West Chester does reside in that greater region, it’s not even close to the Delaware River.
The Brandywine River runs through the area and is quite prone to flooding in some places, but not so much I’d feel the need to forewarn people about it. Maybe if I saw on a map that the paddocks of a potential property butted up to the Brandywine…
Mud gets bad in a lot of that region of the mid-Atlantic, but consistent turnout is generally not a problem. Drive around and you’ll see horses turned out everywhere.
West Chester, PA is horse heaven, OP. You’ll have no problem finding what you’re looking for in a short drive. The price range is tight for West Chester proper, but if you’re willing to drive 30 minutes north, south, or west, you will have no problem finding something. Seriously, there are so many options it’s ridiculous to try to list them all!!!
Ok we’re hoping to head there in two weeks to house hunt. I just wanted somewhere to start looking. I’m willing to drive 30 minutes that’s fine.
Good place to start:
http://equestrianlist.com/index.php/…stings?cat=Tra
At cursory glance, the majority of the listings are under an hour from West Chester. There are a few errant ones that are far, so double check the address first, but most of them are quite close.
For H/J lessons: http://www.kimberview.com/services.html
I rode with Troy in college and would highly recommend him. I didn’t realize he was back in the area.
It’s definitely an awesome area! I’m from Maryland, keep my horses at home and am more of an eventer, but we do a lot of dressage schooling shows through DVCTA-- I definitely recommend checking them out! Here are some dressage barns in that general area, no idea of availability/ price:
www.dunmovin.net
www.bluegoosestables.com
http://www.ballyvaefarm.com/
https://straightforwarddressage.com/
http://www.ponyislandstable.com/
http://www.emilydonaldsondressage.com/
There are a couple of large farms in West Chester that do have issues with flooding. I’ve driven by several that have paddocks or fields that turn into a swamp after a bad rainstorm. One of them has one particular field that is close enough to the Brandywine river that it’s unusable at times. I see them moving horses out of it prior to a bad rainstorm and then back in a few days later.
OP, fortunately there are plenty of places in the area that you can find something where this won’t be a problem.
I know the area well, including the dressage and eventing communities and can give you suggestions or provide feedback if you are looking for info on a particular place. One of the vets I work with knows the H/J scene very well so if you are looking for a program for your daughter, I can get names as well.
I’ve been through there four times in the past two years, once for a clinic, and many low lying areas were under water, including some road closures. All four times. The D River valley is a massive drainage basin, and there are many many smaller creeks and streams running down into it. All you have to do is look at google maps to see the myriad of little tributaries running through the area.
Hi OP, best of luck to you in your house and barn quest -
Here are some local resources:
The Equine Marketer equinemarketer.com
paequinedirectory.com
The Horse of Delaware Valley thehorseofdelawarevalley.com
If you’re in West Chester proper, Heritage Saddlery (Rick’s Heritage Saddlery) is a few miles outside of town on Rt100. Large tack shop with bulletin boards, show/clinic flyers and folks who can give insight on local barns.
Well, I live in Chester county, not far from West Chester. Some areas are more prone to wet/muddy, flooding conditions then others. Just like areas of Va I lived in and or visited. Esp this past very rainy year.
You’re casting a very broad blanket. I suggest sticking to what you know not what you think you know. No snark intended.
You’re not incorrect that some areas flood. I’m assuming you had to go down 926 or 52 or any of the roads that crisscross over the Brandywine, which have had flooding problems my entire life. If you want to talk about why the Brandywine floods so badly, I spent a lot of my post-secondary education studying just that and would love to talk your ear off about it. :lol:
But painting the entire area as having limited turnout due to flooding is an inaccurate picture.
Being born and raised in Chester County (born in West Chester as a matter of fact), then moving all over the country, I can say with confidence that horses in SE PA get plenty of turnout on the whole. I didn’t even know limited turnout was a thing for horses other than serious show or race horses until I left the area for college.
OP the town of West Chester is not far from “horse mecca” as the Chronicle calls our area. But it is an expensive area to own horse property at $10 to $20,000 per acre. Regardless of size. Might be hard to find a boarding farm with a proper Indoor , ring etc for $700-800. That being said most nice farms are owned by people who don’t have to sweat the numbers. Pay their mortgages and operational expenses from boarding. Their horse business income in general. So there is very good value to be found. But those types of operations, businesses almost always have a waiting list.
Dry stalls/self care at a facility you are looking for starts around $300, more like $400+ if they can even be found within reasonable driving distance of W-C. The best deals are found by word of mouth not advertising. Expect to pay $1,000+. Just depends on one’s expectations and value for money.
I know a lot of farms in the area. None with what your are looking for have any stalls available. Before I sold my farm last year I got $550 for field board with a stall when the weather dictated. I had a large property, proper ring, lots of rideablity on the farm and off. No lessons. But I did not have an Indoor. Which cost around $200,000+++. My farm was a “working” horse farm. No outside income. I couldn’t compete with those who didn’t have to make their living and pay the bills from their horse operation.
LOL, Exactly. I just got my considerably downsized property I bough last winter, the house/structures off the FEMA flood zone map. I live a half mile from the east branch of the Brandywine. Just outside Unionville. It sucked to have to pay to prove that FEMA, the government was wrong. It should be the other way around.
Your first statement is correct, but not your second statement. I wrote, “many low lying areas were under water.” It was just something for the OP to keep in mind as she conducted her search. I did the same thing each time I purchased a farm - if a stream ran through it, or near it, I took a good hard look at the topography.
Congratulations, and if you went this year without flooding, you will probably never flood.
OP, I’m not far from WC (born & raised there) and now live in D’town. You have a lot of farms in the area, but you may need to drive in order to find one that meets your needs, based on your price range. A few I can think of:
https://evolutionhorsetraining.com
https://www.hiddenfarmstables.com/about-us
https://www.sheerchancestable.com
https://innovastables.com/
https://www.oakbourne.net/
thank you! I wil start looking.
Some parts of Chester County flood. Of course some parts of literally every place I’ve ever lived (Pittsburgh, Philadelphia proper, South Jersey, Atlanta, Rhode Island, etc.) flood. I find that to be a weird piece of advice to offer someone asking about barns in Chester County. I’ve boarded or shown at ten or more barns in Chester County and I don’t recall any of them having flooding issues. Other barns may. I wouldn’t characterize this as so pervasive an issue that it merits a mention on a thread simply seeking boarding options for the area.
Not necessarily a recommendation because I don’t know enough about it but I believe Firefly Farm might be a good fit based on the OP’s needs - I think they do a little bit of eventing/dressage and I’ve seen the kids at the local hunter shows.
No indoor, but there is a nice group of adult women who do dressage/eventing at Castle Rock Farm and it’s quite close to Joanne Copeland or Gaye Goldman Cohen (Low Key Farm) for hunters.
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