I am considering a move to Temecula, and am wondering what a small horse property goes for there? How expensive is hay? I have 2 dressage horses and my daughters’ pony. I have an I-1 horse, and a 3-4th level horse. Are there good trainers nearby? I guess you would say I ride in the classical german way, and would not want to veer to far from that path. I ride a lot on my own, but will haul for lessons if it is not too far. What are my boarding options if we don’t get horse property? How much would I expect to pay? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
It’s best to check out horse properties for yourself since there is such a wide range of options including price, acreage, house size, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, whether you would buy a modular home or want a conventionally built home, and location relative to the city and your commute to work.
I like the following sites. You will want to put in your own search parameters, but this is set for maximum price of $2 million and minimum lot size of one acre:
http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Temecula,CA/1p_ls/0-2000000_price/SINGLE-FAMILY_HOME_type/map_v
Temecula is a lovely community. It has an active equestrian scene, very nice homes, shopping, and the appearance of low crime. I say “appearance” because I don’t know the actual stats, but there are a lot of families and retirees living there. It is quite hot in the summer, but nothing like Phoenix or Palm Springs, and the winters are very nice.
The big cities are close for a day trip but far for a daily commute. So if you want to see a museum or a play in Los Angeles, spend a day at the beach in Orange Country, have a Christmas carriage trip and dinner at the Mission Inn in Riverside, go to the San Diego zoo or Old Town for dinner, or even drive to Las Vegas for the weekend, no problem. But daily job commuting from Riverside, Orange County, or San Diego is time consuming – I wouldn’t want to do it.
The wine country and winery scene is a growing industry and a lot of fun. If I were buying a horse property, I would look either to the west in the De Luz area because it is next to the Cleveland National Forest and/or Caspar Regional park; or I would look east toward Sage and the outskirts of the wine region. If you see a big price difference between properties which seem similar it might well be the presence of a paved road which makes that difference; but watch for water availability as well.
Good luck!
There is a lot going on in Temecula. The Temecula Chapter of CDS puts on a very nice show series and I know at least one of the members is a realtor. You might want to start there. http://tev-cds.com/
Good Luck!
Oh, hay.
Alfalfa bales vary by season and by the price of gasoline which affects shipping costs. I pay between $15 and $21 per bale. The bales weigh from 95# to 125#. Lately, Orchard Grass has been more expensive than alfalfa, but it used to be cheaper, so it is one of those prices which varies. Timothy hay is more like $22 to $24 a bale last time I checked.
The training and showing opportunities should be excellent.
Property is going to be expensive, as is board.
Free directories/horse mags that will help you:
http://www.cahorse.com
http://www.horsetrader.com
http://www.socalequest.com
(The first two are print also and can be picked up free in California tack shops.)
Get yourself a map so that you’re familiar with what communities are near Temecula. Before you commit to any real estate, test out your commutes at the time of day you’d be making them.
Be suspicious of any land you look at in this area that isn’t already developed with a house on it. There’s a reason it doesn’t have one; make sure you know what it is and you can live with the answer. Don’t buy any property without getting a report on the well, and don’t buy any property without a well.
To board out three horses in the area would be pretty expensive, with the caveat that it depends on what specifically you’re willing to settle for in terms of footing, turnout, and access. Boarding in California tends to be a la carte, meaning that there are frequently mandatory costs in addition to the stall board for things like turnout, fly masks, blanketing, feeding grain, etc. Temecula et al is still rural enough that you may find affordable options if you beat the bushes, can get to the barn every day, and aren’t needing dressage footing.
Farriers and vets are living in this same high cost environment, and charge accordingly.
I live in De Luz, just south/west of Temecula. Temecula still has some rural areas, but the city itself has gotten quite large. Traffic is awful if you need to commute.
To my mind, hay is quite expensive. I pay $19 - $22 a bale for alfalfa, (approx. 100 lbs), a little less for Bermuda, Timothy and orchard are about $25 a bale right now. Since I’m actually a h/j rider, I can’t help you with trainers or boarding with dressage riders.
Hay is as described, sigh. East of town will probably be cheaper than west of town. I’m up in Sage and the temp can get hot in the summer, but is definitely cooler up here than down in town (about 10 degrees cooler in summer). Wide range of boarding from very expensive top of the line barns to low key full service to cheap backyard places. There are excellent vets in the area, and an excellent vet hospital not too far away (San Luis Rey Equine). My husband is our farrier, so we’ve got that covered. 
There are a number of trainers, but you’ll want to look around to see who you mesh with.
I’m sure that any of us in the area could talk your ear off about our recommendations, if you care take it off board.
I’m paying $400 board for a horse in low-key rehab on the east end of town, actually officially Hemet but referred to as Sage, but that will give you some idea of board. It’s high desert terrain out in that direction which I rather like but is not to everyone’s taste. Hot, but not as hot as closer to Temecula.
I’ve gotten to the point where I avoid driving through Temecula as much as possible. I don’t know what traffic is like during the week, but weekends are pretty bad and many drivers seem to have visited a few too many wineries. Some genius city planner put a traffic circle in the middle of all this and more are planned. The 15 and the 91 getting there and back aren’t pretty either if you time it wrong.
There are are some decent restaurants, including an Afghan place.
It takes me a solid two hours to get to where my horse is from Torrance without traffic but it’s probably 30 minutes off the freeway.
I got a couple of names of upper level dressage trainers from some locals. Several people recommended both Katherine Rich with Green Acres, and Kathleen Elliott (who they said placed very well at the National Dressage something-or-other) (again, I’m not a dressage rider). I don’t know anything more than that, but perhaps they have web pages. Good luck on your move. And I agree with Peggy, traffic through Temecula is horrid. Somehow, there are only three exits off the 15 for 100,000 some homes. Not the most brilliant of planning!
Just got another name, again recommended by several people; Niki Clarke at Dressage Unlimited.
I moved here less than a year ago and can tell you what I have found challenging when it comes to dressage trainers, facilities, etc. Feel free to private message me if interested in learning more.
