Winter here’s not so bad! Galloping in the snow is awesome - and we (N VT) don’t get nearly as much ice as MA and parts south. But yeah, ok, there are people who aren’t so happy Nov - April. Maybe May.
Location-wise, I’d suggest the S Royalton / Strafford area. Lots to do eventing-wise, and still, I think, pretty affordable. Fun, fun people to ride with. Not posh though.
@beowulf I had not thought out the horse professional services issue. I am so spoiled by the vets, farriers, etc here in Northern Virginia. When horse shopping, I am often so dismayed by the lack of good vets even in areas like Aiken and Southern Pines. And my vet clinic is amazing and about 35 minutes away.
@Saaskatoonian, I will look at the Strafford area. And where is GMHA? Someone above recommended that area too.
Moving away will be odd since my roots are firmly in Virginia. But in a few years, I will not have any immediate family members left (everyone around me is either ill or over 90). I have dear and close friends but with the internet, phone, and travel, I am sure those will continue. Everyone wants to visit New England in the summer!
When I visit New England, I feel a strong connection. I always feel like I belong there. Of course, my visits to NE are primarily upstate NY and Coastal Maine.
FYI, GMHA is just outside of Woodstock, VT. Considered posh by some of us :winkgrin:
I just googled GMHA and OMG, I had no idea it had such awesomeness!!! :encouragement::encouragement::encouragement::encouragement::encouragement::love-struck::love-struck::love-struck::love-struck::love-struck:
It IS awesome!!
So I work on a farm near GMHA in VT but will soon be moving back to my family farm in southern NH. If I could choose one place to stay forever it would be in VT over NH for a few key reasons.
VT has less humidity than NH and VT has fewer bugs, and the biggie, VT has better trails and hacking. From the VT farm we can go out for miles and miles year round on dirt roads with minimal bugs in the summer. My own farm in NH has trails but not many and because it is in a fairly suburban area most of the trails are on our own property or adjoining conservations lands. The bugs are so terrible in the summer that our hacking is restricted to the open land.
Vermont has a fantastic eventing community although I would recommend staying a bit south of strafford only because being up there adds another hour to getting to all area 1 events EXCEPT for huntington and hitching post which can be a bit of a pain. Something to remember is that area 1 events are quite different from those found in area 2 and 3. They tend to be softer, smaller venues with a lot less fanfare. If you drive all the way to the southern CT and NY events you’ll find something closer to area 2 and 3 events but it is a really long haul from VT and we rarely go that far for in area events and instead choose to drive down to area 2 if we need a bigger test.
Hawks Nest, that is good information. I think based on what I see here, I am going to look in the Woodstock/Strafford areas, as close to GMHA as possible. I am not into big events and actually have really enjoyed doing a series of starter events this year with young horses. I envision going to the big events more as a volunteer/spectator/official than as a competitor. What is more important is an eventing community and access to good places to ride and train.
Also, I do not like cold winters and my plan is to go south with the first snow. Seasonal rentals in Aiken are not that bad and the sort of place I will purchase up north will be modest. I have lived in big homes and I am really happier in a smaller cabin-like place as long as it has a great kitchen and access to the outdoors.
I am also considering boarding my horses but I really don’t do well without horses at home. I just like to take care of them myself and am never fully satisfied with the care provided by others. But if I did that, I could live in a village and have more access to community life. I currently live on the side of a mountain (!) about 2 miles from a very small but elite town in Virginia. I like that but sometimes wish I lived in the town itself.
Anyone else make this move from south to north? When I was in Maine (Blue Hill) this past summer I met a couple of artists who had retired up there and loved it.
I stayed in Strafford as a teen for a working student gig with a BNT eventer in that region. I really liked the area. It’s not too far from other “major” areas, but remote enough… However… you need AWD car[s] for winter, and for sure, a good tolerance for cold.
I really liked the area. In the summer it is downright gorgeous. The next town over had an awesome coffee shop, and there were lots of college-age kids from nearby colleges that kept the influx of posh and funky going… otherwise you’re looking at more cows than people in that general area.
Woodstock VT is quite posh 
Honestly winter in Aiken & summer / Fall in New England is my dream. I love living in MA, even though it’s expensive & where I reside, not a ton of land (20 acres of useful land would be considered a large farm!)
My context: born in suburban Boston, moved to Wisconsin, family now lives in southern NH/southern VT/western MA.
Drive around and imagine what it would be like hauling a horse trailer over some of those roads. I still have trouble simply driving around where my brother lives/has lived, and the idea of hauling a horse there makes my palms sweat just thinking about it. Maybe your experience in VA has prepared you for it but I’m used to WI where roads are straight, fairly flat, and have nice open sight lines and wide shoulders. I bought a horse who had lived near Dartmouth, years ago, and he came to me with trailering anxiety. Now I understand why! Those of you who live in that area and haul horses safely and calmly have my great respect.
I am so interested in exploring Vermont! Like I have said previously, I love New England and the time I spent in Upstate NY and Maine was very special to me. I have a horse friend who lives in Strafford and I am going to go stay with her next summer for a bit to explore and get a feel for the area. When the time comes, I would most like rent a small farm for a year to see how it goes. My roots are deep and wide here in Virginia and leaving my community and dear friends will be hard. I have to make sure i can do that before making the leap.
Oh, and AWD is a necessity where I live now due to steep hills and hollows and ice/snow.
How are you, beowulf???
We just made the move from Maryland (hunt country) to SW NH. LOVE IT. The vibe here is so much more laid back. I’m near the VT/MA borders, near the highways, so pretty close to everything (2 hr to Boston, 1 hr 20 min to GMHA, CT and NY both within 2 hrs). Besides the laid-back vibe and overall slower, better quality of life, we’ve been impressed by the value. Traded from an 8ac farm in rural-suburbia in MD to a 46ac farm with 30 stalls, indoor, 2 outdoors (and a VIEW) in NH. We can hack for MILES AND MILES from our property on old dirt roads, logging trails, and active dirt roads. It was pretty easy to find a great farrier and vet, but I’m not sure that there are more than a few around here.
Now I just have to figure out what to do with all of those stalls…
Good luck with your research–NE really is a pretty special place!
Okay, I think you may have me sold on this move! The high energy of Area II Eventing was very appealing to me when I moved back to Virginia from Michigan 20 years ago. But I am older now and I want more laid back. This realization has come to me over the past couple of years during which I have had young horses and have been competing at starter horse trials.
Love these smaller local events for many reasons. People are friendly, everything is simple, and it is so much more affordable.
And if you move close enough to rttigrl, maybe she’ll let you organize a starter trial on her property or help you organize one on yours:D That would be great for all of us. We have so many great property owners around here who have developed their holdings into terrific schooling/ low key show venues and who are very generous with access. I’m afraid to list lest I leave someone out!
Okay you guys, now I am looking at Vermont, as close to GMHA as I can be, OR maybe just board my horses at rttigrl!
Maybe when I make my trek up there next summer, I can meet some CotHers and learn more about the different areas.
I’ve been perusing Zillow.com and Realestate.com when I need a distraction.
ohhhhh… !!! YES! This looks fabulously fun! Thank you for posting!
Oh, fabulous! More to be grateful for! A schooling event (have always wanted to build a xc course) and Winding Down as a summer boarder?!? Sign me up. 
I know of a great farm you can board at 30min from GMHA in Brownsville, VT. And there are lots of fantastic properties tucked into the area in heartland and West Windsor. easy access to GMHA without having to go through Woodstock, great hacking, and awesome people.
Hawks Nest, the OP has been banned.
As an eventer who lived and boarded horses near Boston and competed regularly in Area I before moving down to NC, the most painful things about horses in NE were: winter, weather generally (rain, ice, mud, etc.), cost, bugs, lack of true XC/galloping courses, a bit of uptightness, and fewer top-notch trainers. Best things? GMHA, riding on the beach, culture, aesthetic. I recommend boarding with access to trails and an indoor … and going for VT if the bugs aren’t as bad. In MA they were intolerable. Between bugs and ice, there were only a few months of good riding and caring for horses without exasperation. Because of the proliferation of ticks, Lyme disease is a huge issue. When I was up north it was quite common for horses to have it (or be suspected of having it). However, I will never be a southerner … New England will always be “home” for me. Like the OP, I have a strong and inexplicable connection to it. :yes:
Flaxenmane, I don’t know if it’s climate change or just the luck of the draw, but things have changed a bit, even here living on the marshes of northeast MA. Autumn has been prolonged and so our bugless good riding season now extends well into Dec. Even today we have painters working on the outside of our house, and they will be able to get in a day or two next week. Totally weird but lovely riding weather! It’s not toasty by southern standards, but in the mid to high 40s just about every day and only a few days so far below freezing at night. WOOT!
Also I believe that the OP is no longer on this forum so we might not get any response.
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