I applied to a job with an equine practice in Pittsburg Texas which would require me to move from Northern California. Anything you can tell me about the area would be great. I’ll be leaving my horse in California for the first 2 months (minimum) and if the job seems to be working out then I’ll move her to Texas. She’s an Irish Sport Horse that I do a little bit of everything with, English and Western. I’d be looking for a smaller barn to board at. I’m not in to big training facilities. I’ve read I can possibly find some timothy (at a price) as I’m not a huge fan of Bermuda, but I’m guessing I’ll likely have to drive a bit to find it.
Looks like you will be way out in East TX, almost into the next state.
The Dallas/OKC corridor is known as one of the most horsey ones in the SW, with all kinds of top trainers and many of the biggest shows and so many other small shows and tons of horse activities.
I expect you will have plenty to do with horses in that area.
Good luck with your move.
timothy is available, it is all imported from either the west coast or northern states. I was buying it in 1000# bales when were having issues getting long stem Bermuda
Pittsburg, TX… is nothing like California.
[QUOTE=clanter;7172838]
timothy is available, it is all imported from either the west coast or northern states. I was buying it in 1000# bales when were having issues getting long stem Bermuda
Pittsburg, TX… is nothing like California.[/QUOTE]
That last is one of the biggest understatements.:lol:
well the closest In-n-Out Burger will be in Rockwall, Tx (east Dallas area)
at 1106 I-30 E. I30 E Fwy. ; between Goliad and Townsend… 86.55 miles one way
[QUOTE=Bluey;7172864]
That last is one of the biggest understatements.:lol:[/QUOTE]
I appreciate the responses, but could you please be more detailed and useful than sarcastic? I already know the town is an hour from almost anything and just because I’m from California doesn’t mean I’m going to die if I can’t get to an In N Out. I’m not a fan of big cities so a small town is right up my alley.
Can anyone be helpful with my boarding question? Are there some out there? I’m a little concerned with a lot of people having their own property there may not be as many (if any) boarding type facilities. Thanks to those who mentioned I can find Timothy.
[QUOTE=The Blue Bullet;7173124]
I appreciate the responses, but could you please be more detailed and useful than sarcastic? I already know the town is an hour from almost anything and just because I’m from California doesn’t mean I’m going to die if I can’t get to an In N Out. I’m not a fan of big cities so a small town is right up my alley.
Can anyone be helpful with my boarding question? Are there some out there? I’m a little concerned with a lot of people having their own property there may not be as many (if any) boarding type facilities. Thanks to those who mentioned I can find Timothy.[/QUOTE]
Well, I would say, you are going to need first a good sense of humor.
Yes, there are feed stored and yes, they have different kinds of hay and can get you what you want, for a price.
One neighbor’s home ranch is from around there and he used to say there was more there when it comes to what you are asking than where we are and we have enough here, so I would say, yes, you will find it acceptable to, eventually, move your horse without worry.
I think that maybe poster Cowgirljenn, that runs the Bluebonnet Horse Rescue, lives somewhere close to that location.
Why not PM her about it?:yes:
I am with Bluey, east Texas is vastly extraordinarily conservative …one east Texas county (Lamar) in 2011 every elected official changed parties. The old style Texas Blue Dog Democrats values are closer in alignment to the Republican party than the national or (Austin) Democratic party.
I used to work in Chatsworth, CA so have some idea as to what California is all about, my sister-in-law (and my wife) ran away to Chico ,CA area in the early 70s bought 20 acres up in the mountains and built a cabin…SIL still lives in the area.
The cultural shock of East Texas may be overwhelming
(Actually Pittsburg is about 30 miles from Mt Pleasant which will have all the normally expected signs of civilization)
It isn’t close to me - I had to go look it up, looks like it is out near Sulphur Springs in deep east Texas, not one of my favorite places (not one of my favorite places thanks to a run in with a very ugly county sheriff’s department and judge’s office).
I DO have a member of Bluebonnet who lives out that way, and if you want to send me a PM with your email address I can have her email you and give you more info than I can.
In my experience, east Texas has been more ‘good old boy network’ and conservative than many other parts of Texas I’ve been in. Animal care is sub-par and the majority of the neglect cases I’ve helped with in the last 4 years have been split between that area and near the San Antonio area.
It seems that land is less expensive and you can get some nice pieces of land for little money. I don’t know about boarding barns, it doesn’t seem the type of area to need a lot of them (the member of mine does do some limited boarding and has contacts in the area, so she might be able to give you a better idea on that, too)
If you compete, you are probably going to be traveling to D/FW for the most part.
That wasn’t a lot of help, I’m sorry. Good luck with your decision!
I’ve been there…
My favorite part of east Texas is the part when I leave.
(Despite my username, I’m not actually FROM Texarkana, ha!)
On a more helpful note, it’s really, really rural. Very conservative. Very “country.” There are a lot of horses around, though. Should be easy to find feed, hay, farrier, etc… I just have no idea how great the quality will be. As far as boarding? I have no idea. Never scoped out boarding in the area… like I said, I just try to drive through as quick as possible!
If you need a martial arts instructor in the area, I know a great one! :lol:
Not sure of your riding discipline, but there is virtually nothing in the way of hunter/jumper trainers in the area. There is a professional in Longview, I believe (not sure how far that is from Pittsburg.
I live in the DFW area and while I like small towns, there isn’t enough money in the world that would convince me to move to that area of Texas.
[QUOTE=cowgirljenn;7173426]
It isn’t close to me - I had to go look it up, looks like it is out near Sulphur Springs in deep east Texas, not one of my favorite places (not one of my favorite places thanks to a run in with a very ugly county sheriff’s department and judge’s office).
I DO have a member of Bluebonnet who lives out that way, and if you want to send me a PM with your email address I can have her email you and give you more info than I can.
In my experience, east Texas has been more ‘good old boy network’ and conservative than many other parts of Texas I’ve been in. Animal care is sub-par and the majority of the neglect cases I’ve helped with in the last 4 years have been split between that area and near the San Antonio area.
It seems that land is less expensive and you can get some nice pieces of land for little money. I don’t know about boarding barns, it doesn’t seem the type of area to need a lot of them (the member of mine does do some limited boarding and has contacts in the area, so she might be able to give you a better idea on that, too)
If you compete, you are probably going to be traveling to D/FW for the most part.
That wasn’t a lot of help, I’m sorry. Good luck with your decision![/QUOTE]
Thanks. I’ll send you a PM with my email.
I live in the DFW area and love it. East Texas is a series of small communities and unfortunately except maybe for Jefferson, there isn’t much small town charm to be had. There are occasional horse shows in Athens but you will need to drive at least a couple hours to get to most shows.
All this to say that it would have to be a pretty compelling job offer to make me move to East Texas.
We’re looking to move to the Sulphur Springs, Tx. area from NE Oklahoma. (You can’t get much more rural than here!) I’ve been told that there is a nice horse/sports complex in SS, but I haven’t seen it yet. SS is a good bit closer to Dallas area than Pittsburgh, but at least they know what an English saddle is in that part of the state…as opposed to NE Ok.!!! Good luck with your search. Have you tried Googling “boarding barns” in that zip code??
Well you are probably closest to me. I’m from Texarkana, about 75 miles from Pittsburg. Pittsburg is roughly half way between Texarkana and Dallas. Politics aside, east Texas isn’t all that bad. That area is mostly cattle, lots of dairies. The land is rolling pasture land. As others have said, there isn’t much in the way of English riding around there. Dallas, Longview and Shreveport all have English trainers and there may be one here in Texarkana. I think you will find that most people in this area keep there horses at home so I don’t know about boarding. I think I saw a flyer in the local TSC for boarding over in that direction, I will look and see if its still there. I also picked up a little local horseman’s magazine at the feed store that has ads for various training and possibly boarding facilities. I will look to see if anything is listed in your area. I do know some boarding places in Texarkana but that’s not really close.
Be prepared for barb wire fences. That’s the norm around here. Also you may as well get prepared for Bermuda hay. You can probably buy timothy but its going to cost an arm and a leg and you’ll probably have to buy the bagged stuff from the feed store. You can order timothy if you are willing to pay for and store a trailer truck load. You don’t want to feed local alfalfa either because there is too much chance of blister beetle.
I don’t know anything about competing because that’s not what I do. There is decent trail riding at the parks around the lakes in the area. I have friends that ride at Lake Wright Patman and the park close to Sulphur Springs has been featured on Best of America by Horseback. There are lots of lakes so lots of water sports, fishing, etc.
I wasn’t aware of an equine practice in Pittsburg, I knew there was one in Winnsboro or Quitman because my vet referred me there to get my cryptorchid colt gelded. I didn’t go because the price was too high and I found a local vet that would do it. Your clientele will most likely be Quarter horses and Paints, western folks, reiners, rodeo people and so forth. Probably higher end horse owners as the lower end folks will either use their local large animal vet or won’t use a vet at all.
I’ve been through Pittsburg and while its not large, it does have more than a gas station and EZ Mart. Sulphur Springs is a pretty decent town. Canton has the ginourmous flea market every month. You can find some neat stuff in the way of tack there. Texarkana has all the major chain restaurants and big box stores and if you really want big city life, there is DFW. Personally I avoid Dallas like the plague since more than 3 lanes of traffic makes me nervous. There isn’t enough money in the world to make me pull a trailer through Dallas traffic.
Hope this has been helpful. If you want to ask anything else, pm me. If you are here October 5, come to the Hagansport horse sale, I’ll be there.
On a bright note, they have a pretty cool winery there - Los Pinos. I do have an acquaintance who lives in that area whose significant other is a farrier (does mostly padded/saddleseat horses) and also has a hay business. I’ll see if she has more info.
Good luck in East Texas! I left there and haven’t looked back! There isn’t a whole lot in the way of good quality boarding barns. You really have to look in the smaller towns. You might find someone that will let you keep your horse on their property. Your best bet is to get in with one of the local dressage clubs (Dallas Dressage Club or Tri-States Dressage Club - Shreveport) would be your best bet to find someone local.
Tyler has an impressive Hunter/Jumper facility that puts on quite a few shows a year - http://www.texasrosehorsepark.com/ and there is also Holly Hill Farm in Shreveport http://www.hollyhillfarm.net/
But, there is no shortage of things to do with horses in East Texas, lots of trails, farriers, etc. Good luck!
This was all very disappointing to read. I hope there are better things to be said about College Station as I applied to a job there as well.
[QUOTE=The Blue Bullet;7184773]
This was all very disappointing to read. I hope there are better things to be said about College Station as I applied to a job there as well.[/QUOTE]
You need a course in Texas geography … College Station is not East Texas.
You will enjoy College Station…
I sent my horse to be trained near Pittsburgh. There is a wonderful dutch woman who has a bunch of friesians and who does amazing things with them.
Here’s her website:
http://www.annekesfriesians.com/
She thinks the area is heaven on earth.
