Those considering moving where they have not lived before should, maybe, go rent there for a bit before committing to buying?
That also will let them fine tune more where exactly is best for them in the new place.
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Come to Idaho!
Sheilah
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You could look at the area around Salt Lake City, Utah. Much the same scenery as Colorado and tons of outdoor activities as well as horse sports.
A?lso, Flagstaff, AZ, might be something to explore.
I keep 5 horses on 5 acres in Parker, which is on the SE side of Denver. The further east you go (farther from Denver/Boulder), the less expensive land gets (and less politically progressive the people get too LOL, even though we are mostly a blue-ish state these days we manage to live in harmony). The Boulder area or west of Denver is not where you should be looking if you want inexpensive. Western slope also has lower land prices but as you point out it is more arid.
You will not have significant grass anywhere unless you have agricultural irrigation/water rights, and I doubt you will find that on a 5 acre parcel. If not irrigated, the ag office says plan for 35 acres per animal to maintain them. Irrigation rights is not the norm here (also $$$$) but it can be found on larger properties. Iāve never had problems finding nice hay.
I do not have an indoor arena and I ride all year round just fine. Granted I do work to maintain my outdoor (snow removal is key) and I have appropriate clothing (we also foxhunt) but itās rare that I canāt ride at all. Itās also rare that itās so cold that I canāt ride for more than a day or two at a time. Sunshine is powerful here ā a sunny 20 degree day is actually really comfortable! For summers, there is virtually no humidity and bugs are minimal. We have a fantastic horsey community here with excellent resources (vets, farriers, shows, foxhunting, trails, tack shops etc).
Good luck!
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@rhymeswithfizz, every time I see a post from you, it reminds me how much I miss the Parker area. I spent 25 happy years there. I drove my horses year round for the 15 years I had them, with only a few short breaks here and there due to snow and ice on the road. One year I had a six week break due to snow, but that was unusual. The rest of the years had plenty of opportunities to get out as long as I bundled up. And those occasional winter days when the temperature would rise into the 50s and 60s felt like such a treasure.
Rebecca
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If you are looking at Oregon, and donāt have to be connected to a city, far northern Northern California may also be an option. In general, though, anywhere west of the Mississippi, you will need some sort of irrigation to have year-round grass. Thatās available in some places and not in others. Boise area may also be of interest.
That said, hay can work just fine and in some ways is a lot more convenient to work with than maintaining pasture.
Also be aware that for many states in the western United States water rights are governed by the āprior appropriateā doctrine while states in the eastern United States are primarily governed by the doctrine of riparian rights. Some states have a hybrid of both riparian and prior appropriation.
Prior Appropriation is āfirst in time - first in rightā and developed in the western United States because water is scarce.
If you are coming from a state in the eastern United States, donāt assume that how you used to āobtainā water, say from a river or stream, is the same in the western United States (a quick look at a link I found shows AK, CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, NM, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY as prior appropriation).
Research water use rights to determine what is conveyed upon purchase of land. You may not be able to put in a well depending on where you are located or the gallons out of the well may be limited.
Water Rights in the US can be an interesting topic.
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Yes, but before you consider the very northern most part of California, ask yourself about how much horse infrastructure you need and how high quality you want it to be.
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Aww that is so cool. You might not recognize Parker now!! It has grown up so much, though still manages to hold onto its horsey roots.
It hasnāt been that long, and I go back frequently because I love it there so much. I moved in 2017, and make it back there several times a year. I was in Colorado last month, but spent most of my time in Fort Collins, looking for a car for my daughter after hers got destroyed on I-25. We found her a good deal in Loveland, but just never made it farther south than the Tech Center for that trip.
I lived in Homestead Hills for most of my time in Colorado, if you know where that is. Great place to live, short commute to the Tech Center (or Meridian, or Inverness). I also lived in Cottonwood, Hills of Cottonwood, and Stroh Ranch. Homestead is where we had the horses, on five acres. I miss it so much!
Rebecca
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Rebecca, you nailed it on the head. I lived on the north side of the Springs for over 30 years and miss it pretty much every single day. Donāt miss the cold and snow so much but everything else yesā¦ Pikes Peak, the crisp air of fall, the vibrance of springā¦ sniff.
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I lived and rode in Colorado for 20+ years. A few things have not been mentioned:
- The ground is very hard because itās so dry. It affects the soundness of some horses.
- It snows a lot of the year. Keeping horses in snow isā¦interesting. In many/most parts of the state, the snow starts in October and ends in mid-May. Even in the Denver area.
- Everything is far. Want to go to a show? Hours of driving. Need a surgical clinic? Hours of driving. Want to go somewhere on vacation? Hours of driving. CO is huge. Obviously if you live in the Denver metro area, thatās not quite the caseā¦but itās holy expensive.
- The massive temperature swings are a colic nightmare.
Can you tell I didnāt love it? I moved to the south. Other than the bugs and lack of indoor arenas, I prefer it down here for horses.
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Yeah, CO is large compared to some of the eastern seaboard states.
Driving for āhoursā to shows and surgical clinicsā¦ depends on where you choose to live. I volunteers for a few years as a jump judge mostly in the Denver/Springs area. Never had to drive more than an hour from my house to a venue.
Had my mare at a well regarded vet clinic for almost a month. Took me just about an hour one way to visit her. Took her about 1:15 from where I boarded her to the clinic when she did need surgery. In 15 years of horse ownership, 2 colics and the second was due to crappy hay.
Driving hours for vacationā¦ I love driving vacations 
It can start snowing in late October and yes, Iāve had snow on Memorial Day. But, solar energy at altitude can be amazing. Snow on the north sides of buildings may not melt if you donāt shovel but roads, theyāre usually dry within a day of a storm (unless multiple feet of snow and that doesnāt happen that often). The arena I rode in was usually dry within a few days of a storm. 35 in January when the sun is out and the sky is blue is not cold and just great weather to ride in. Paste in the backdrop of the Rockies :love-struck:
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Pikeās Peak was the view from my south-facing windows. I could see all the way up to Longās Peak, from my west facing windows. My house sat on top of a ridge, so the view was absolutely amazing.
I think if I hadnāt gotten priced out for retirement, Iād find a way to deal with the snow again. I do co-own a house in Fort Collins, but my daughter lives there and that was the purpose of buying it with her. Too many stairs for me at my current level of disability, anyway.
I like where I live now just fine, but the Front Range still feels like home.
Rebecca
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I moved from GA to CO in the early 90s. Best move I ever made. The worst was when I had to move back.
Things to pay attention to for the newcomer:
The weather is beautiful but can become severe for a short time. Buy quality clothing (boots, thermals, coats) and several good snow shovels. You will be surprised about what you will start carrying in the trunk of your car. With the right gear, riding with the temps in the teens on a sunny day is surprisingly great.
Driving your rig in the snow for the first time will get your attention, particularly up in the hills.
Someone mentioned water rights. You need to learn about how it affects your property.
Horse care is different. Ask why before you criticize. I rode problem horses at a ranch that had one barn and a lot of wind breaks. Yeah, what we called hurricane force winds in GA, they call just troublesome in CO. It can be constant for several days.
Elevation makes a difference in just about everything.
Trail riding - you will just have to experience that to see the difference - more majestic, longer, steeper, tougher, weather changes, bigger critters
Donāt let politics get in the way of making good friends and neighbors. The longer you are in CO the more often you will need them and they you. CO is 90% sunshine and beautiful and the greatest place but that other 10% can be a bugger.
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As to the fires, I have family in Boulder and they were concerned on Saturday. I think things have improved a bit. Yes, fires are a concern and we are factoring that into the equation along with water rights and hay versus grazing. Fact of the matter is living in the South is cheaper than out West or the PNW, so pretty much anywhere else is going to be more expensive than our current cost of living. But shouldnāt retirement be a bit of an adventure? We plan to visit various places several times over the ensuing years. Our first choice is Oregon, but weāll see. Weāve got time and itās fun to research the possibilities and learn. All the fun places seem to involve risks, i.e., Colorado = fires; Wyoming = winter; Oregon = super volcano/subduction zone; East Coast = hurricanes. :grief:
And Idaho looks gorgeous too, but like Wyoming, I expect the winters are a bit much for what I want to weather through in retirement.
I LOVE Colorado. I love the mountains, low humidity, sunshine, the people, community, the food! I wouldnāt say itās a horse loverās paradise though. Iām from the Midwest and it was a shock moving here. Many others covered a lot of things, dry lots, water rights, hard ground, wind (nothing like Wyoming though), at times lots of snow or intense heat/sun.
The wind in Wyoming is quite brisk, quite often, to say the least. If the wind bothers you you donāt want to be there.
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Weird how you are so much more welcoming to this poster than meā¦
