Fun random fact, if you want to get a tattoo in Aiken you won’t be able to and you’ll have to drive to Augusta to get it 
Aiken county and the city of Aiken literally do not allow tattoo shops.
And adding to the consensus that there is plenty going on in Aiken year round, not just the winter!
I live in Aiken, and I’d be happy to answer your questions.
On property taxes: There are city taxes on top of county taxes, but you are unlikely to run into that problem if you are buying horse property (though if you have deep-ish pockets and want to keep horses on tiny bits of land (with places to ride), you can buy a horse place within city limits.
Aiken County charges 4% of assessed value on primary residences, and 6% on secondary ones. Do your homework before interpreting anyone’s tax bill. I don’t recall whether the percentage being paid on a given parcel is listed on the Assessor’s website.
I believe there are surgical suites at the two big practices here-- Southern Equine founded by Jamie Carter, and Performance Equine which does a lot of therio. But the problem is keeping board-certified surgeons here. I’m not sure there is quite enough work to pay their specialized salaries, but I could be wrong about that.
Otherwise, you will find good, competent vets. I think the same is true for farriers, though I had my horse shod at Cornell by a world-class guy for a long time, so my perceptions of what counts as a good or great farrier have been screwed up. I believe there is a guy from Rood and Riddle in KY that comes to Aiken on a schedule. I believe Rood and Riddle is the last/only vet practice in the US to keep a farrier on staff. So if you want/need a $650 shoeing job here, that can be had.
OP, I hear you and see you and feel you about the PTSD of keeping horses in sh!te markets. It sucks the joy out of even owning them when you can’t protect them. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Aiken. And I moved to Aiken with relatively shallow pockets, given my taste in horse expertise. I grew up on the SF Bay Area and had lived for a time in the NY/CT corner of the world, so I had enjoyed the benefits of high-end markets… where I could never afford real estate. Aiken was a very good compromise for me, though the costs are escalating now.
Feel free to ask me more questions if you’d like.
I’m not that poster, but I rode year round in Aiken. Yes, it’s hot – and in the summers, I usually rode after work, so around 5-6. It’s doable. I wouldn’t be doing gallop sets at 5PM in 100F weather, but you could get decent schools in on a blooded horse after work. I’m not a morning person so the riding before work never appealed to me.
What I really, really loved about Aiken that will never not be a novelty to me, is that I could ride (like, actually RIDE!) in the months between October and February without an indoor. People, don’t take that for granted – I’ve lived nearly my entire life and not been able to do that. The ground is perfect in the fall, and even the rain isn’t cold enough to spoil a ride. I’m from the North though, so maybe my interpretation of “cold” is a bit stiff.
If I ever become rich enough to own a second home, it will be in Aiken. Just have to break the news to my horse that he’s actually supposed to work year round, not just in the summer…
This is all great info! Thank you!
I’ve been in IL my whole life, never took winter off from riding until I got my own place. Mostly indoors, but I remember in my (relative) youth taking a trail ride in 15F weather. I’m not a morning person either, on the hot days I ride as late as possible. Current record is dismounting at 11:30 pm. I think getting going in September to show in October or November is sounding really good. I think I may need a covered arena though since I can’t stand blazing sun, or I’ll hide on wooded trails.
Are there any wacky taxes? My cousin was telling me MO has some personal property tax assessed annually; you don’t know how much it will be until you get the bill. 
I have to imagine truck and trailer plates are more reasonable there, Illinois has majorly jacked those up. Any other unusual things you can share? Does Aiken have restrictions on horses/acre? I imagine some of the subdivisions do.
Yes, I believe they do. My truck and trailer are both 20+ years old, so perhaps I don’t feel the sting of those taxes too much and forgot to mention them.
I’m not sure how the City of Aiken rolls with respect to horses/acre limits, but Aiken county doesn’t care. This is the South (as well as the first state to secede from the Union), so there’s a whole lot of “we don’t care” and “mind your business/don’t tread on me” things going on when it comes to zoning.
This can come back to bite you when you get badly-kept dogs (plenty of them being some form of pit bull) that pack up and attack minis and horses. This happens in the outskirts of the County from time to time.
In the fancy sub-divisions like Three Runs Plantation, you are limited to the number of horses of the whole acres you own. So if you own, 5.67 acres, you can have five horses on that farm. I’d have fewer horses than that, myself, and just how much land you need to feed horses from that is a much larger topic.
Another thread prompted this question: any unusual wildlife in Aiken? Feral hogs? Snakes? I was a tiny tot when we visited Hilton Head Island and there was a sizable lizard on the wall where we were staying; that may be my earliest memory.
I’ve heard there’s not a lot of non-horsey things to do in Aiken. Two things I’ve been into are Zumba and country dancing (line and couples); anywhere to do those in Aiken?
I would be very surprised if they have country line dancing or couples dancing in Aiken. I say this as someone who used to line dance regularly. Most places in the south surprisingly don’t do it. Or if they do, it’s a Cotton Eye Joe and some two stepping. Maybe some hip hop songs but really no variety. But maybe someone who knows will tell us otherwise!
I saw the largest non-constrictor snake of my life at Full Gallop. It was easily over three feet long and sunning on the backside of the jump I was jump-judging. So cool but we had to kindly escort her off the course. I never saw any lizards and I spent a lot of time outside. I worked for a landscaping gig for a bit and saw lots of interesting bugs and birds. Fire ants are a concern. I never saw or heard of any feral hogs.
Other than that, I think the only real nuisance with respects to animals is feral domesticated animals. You will see lots and lots of them. If you are a dog lover, don’t look on the side of roads or you’ll end up with six new dogs in a week. I went to Aiken petless and came home with five pets – that is not counting the some dozen dogs/cats I picked up and fostered out to connections along the way.
There are cotton mouth snakes in Aiken
I don’t think water moccasins are running all over the place. Just be careful around large, unlandscaped bodies of water. I.e. lakes and creeks out in the wild areas.
I do remember being able to do this in Alabama, and miss it here in the pacific north WET. My arena is still “curing” and we’re probably going to add a french drain on the uphill side, but I haven’t ridden in the winter/spring in probably 10 years. Indoor/covered or just pull shoes and find a winter hobby. Sigh. So in my next farm incarnation, I’ll have something covered.
Ooh… and also gen-u-ine quick sand in Hitchcock Woods. I was so excited to see quick sand… which looks like wet sand. So excited, tho! Wanted to walk in it to get the full experience. I did not.
If we only had alligators, giant sea squid and lava, we’d have a really theme park.
I too live in Aiken and the Sand River crossings in the woods are for sure something to avoid after rain!
But don’t you have the morbid curiosity that makes you want to walk in (on your own legs, definitely not on a horse’s legs-- that’s a different nightmare)?
But this might be just for those of us who watched TV in the 1970s. I heard that quick sand was A Thing in that decade and it started making appearances in shows like Gilligan’s Island or Star Trek or similar, and also in the movies.
I bet if you do go along when your husband goes to visit, that the locals will set you up with a good realtor who will show you properties. I’m sure they’ll show you all kinds of properties, and I’m betting there is a specialist in farm, and horse properties. Remember that property taxes may be higher, but other taxes might be lower, so it’s not the entire picture.
Property tax is variable (whether you’re city or county), the acreage (anything over 11 acres gets an ag exemption), whether its your primary or secondary residence, whether you’re a vet or over a certain age, etc.
If you do come this way, I’m happy to show you around! I’m a realtor here in Aiken and also my husband is a professional trainer.
We love Aiken - moved here 4 years ago and couldn’t be happier!
@mvp @BraveSC I thought of another question. I know all the Aiken subdivisions have trails, what about trail availability for the people who aren’t in a subdivision?
So is buying more than 11 acres generally the way to go? Does 12 acres have lower taxes than say 8 acres? Do some smaller properties qualify for ag exemption?
I’m really thinking about making this move. Of course a complicating factor is I’m a pharmacist and SC and GA look like not-the-easiest states to get a license in.
There are lots of places to trail ride, most famously, Hitchcock woods. That’s literally down town. There are also sand roads around the old section of town that are near the (small, training) race tracks. BTW, there’s one for TBs and one for harness racers and a track kitchen that’s straight out of a 1940s horsey novel.
But there are some places further out, as well farms with cross country courses where you can pay a day fee and go school.
If you don’t want to be in a subdivision or on one or the tiny farms that are within city limits (where you’ll find high prices and an additional layer of property taxes), then I think it makes sense to buy 11 acres.
Twelve acres might not have lower property taxes than 8 acres. It depends on how much you (or the last owner when assessments were done) paid per acre. The rule of thumb is that you need 10 acres to get an ag exemption. It might be that folks are having a single acre tax lot for the house which is taxed at a residential rate and then pay a lower ag rate on the remaining 10, set up as a different parcel. Oh, and ag rates vary with whether or not the acreage is fenced, the idea being that what crop farmers are doing is valuable and requires a ton of land.
When you go farm/land shopping outside of the subdivision world, drive around a look at the area near you. Ask about trailer that might be close by to your property.
I can’t believe it’s so hard to get licensed in one of these states. IME, folks aren’t persnickety about other things like building codes.
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