Almost two years ago I moved to Sarasota/Bradenton with my semi-retired trail gelding from Connecticut. I came twice and researched numerous boarding options, all in the approximately $1000/month range. I settled on a lovely stable in the polo club in Sarasota, and his care there was excellent, and the drama was tolerable.
After a year here watching my sweet boy miserable with bug allergies (that he never had before moving to FL), treating his hooves and skin daily (April-November) to keep him from falling apart, and trying to solve his difficulty sweating and heaviness with the humidity, I decided to retire him. He is looking amazing retired in Tennessee!
So you can take my negatives with a grain of salt. The reality is that I would still have my horse if we lived somewhere else, but it would have been selfish of me to keep him here, and I miss him every. single. day.
OK… There are many positives in the Sarasota area! If you are willing to pay for good boarding care, you can find it. Most regions have their difficult weather issues. Yes, the heat, bugs, and wet are very hard on the horses here, but most horses muddle through the summer. If you like your horse in stall, fans and a dry stall will make summer easier. My horse did much better out, not stalled. They are all individuals.
Possible cons to consider:
- Hay does not grow here. Few barns have a consistent source. Some barns just buy hay every couple of weeks or couple of months from local dealers rather than having a big rig deliver from up north. I learned to supplement my horse’s hay with Alfalfa cubes. He did fine on hay and supplements in CT but lost weight and muscle when we moved, probably because the hay was not of the same quality. He was and is an easy keeper.
- Some less expensive boarding barns ($500-$700) range, bed stalls with sand, not shavings.
- Sand is under any grass. It is not just sand colic, but sandy soil and wetness that crumble hooves over time. I was warned before we came that his “hooves would fall apart.” They did not, but only because I used Keratex hoof gel daily in summer months.
- Sweating can be helped with supplements. We used beer and One AC, which did work, but he still had to be hosed down once or twice a day. The problem is that the night temps never get low enough in the summer for horses to be able to recover before the next “feels like” temp in the 110s with 100% humidity.
- Look up summer sores. We never had them, but I groomed meticulously daily and used medicated shampoo every other day.
- There are 23 types of no-see-ums. Be sure your horse is not allergic to them. Mine was. The result was that he had hives multiple times and lost hair, and then would sunburn because he is a paint.
- People are fearful because horses have been slaughtered in the area for meat.
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There are positives!
- If you can purchase a 5-10 acre estate and are willing to face the climate/hay woes on your own, there are gorgeous horsey areas here (ie. Panther Ridge) with nice horse communities.
- There is a hunter pace group here and a beautiful place to ride with some trees for shade about an hour away (Alafia State Park), and some smaller places that are closer.
- The Venice show venue is lovely.
- Ocala is “only” 2 hours away.
- Trainers are plentiful.
Just don’t trust someone who promises great care. Look at the details and ask where they get their hay, and how often, and if they have ever run out.
Best wishes! As I said, most horses muddle through summer. November-April is heaven.
