Okay my fellow hunters, help me out. I have a few hypothetical questions and only you can answer them for me!
If you had to live within 45 min of Reston, VA for your spouse’s job, want kids someday soon, you didn’t have to work, and you owned a hunt horse that could handle any type of territory…
Thanks!!!
Well, before we get into your real question; you DO realize this area is extremely expensive. It’s possible you WILL have to work to afford your own farm or board or hunting or house or…but I’d need more info to fairly answer your questions. What’s your hunting experience? What are you looking for in a home? or in a hunt. Because of the traffic; 45 mins makes it too limited to live in our area for example and we are only 30-35 miles from Reston. I used to commute there from here and had to stop because of the traffic. Look west of Reston but Loudoun county is all developed so becoming less desirable for horse owners unless you go really west. I’m pessimistic but at least there’s a great selection of hunts. Most suffering from decreasing territories.
I suggest you board further out than you live and hunt even further out.
Leaving at 6 AM in the morning, it takes me about 45 min to get to the Reston exit, via the Greenway and Toll Road. We are in Middleburg, about 10 min drive north of the village. The time it takes you to go “x” number of miles around here can really depend on what time of day you leave. If I left at 7 AM, it would probably take me 60+ minutes to get to Reston.
M’burg is great. Totally horsey, although some areas have gotten built up. It is, however, a very expensive area, and not part of the “forclosure” area that has hit other areas of northern VA. You can get an idea of real estate prices here: http://www.middleburgonline.com/realestate.html. Houses are usually ~$500k, and small farms usually start around $850k.
We are within 20 minutes of the fixtures of the following hunts: M’burg, Orange Co., Piedmont, Fairfax, Loudoun, Loudoun West, and Snickersville. It would be hard to recommend a hunt without knowing what kind of hunter you are. Are you (forgive my phrasing), “balls to the wall,” or out for a nice gallop? Do you need to have lots of things to jump all the time, or happy with more time to watch hounds work? Etc. Also, some hunts have restrictions (OCH requires you have 50+ acres in their territory ($$$$), Piedmont is limiting members because their fields have gotten so big, etc., so where you live can have an impact on what hunt you belong to.
If you are looking to board your horse, prices around here are generally $500-1000/month for full care, and $300-450 for field board, depending on where you are and the ameneties offered. Shoeing is generally about $185-200 for 4-'round steel, etc., etc. As I said, it’s an expensive area.
Oh boo, wateryglen, how the heck am I supposed to have a good attitude about this whole moving thing with your big ol’ thumbs down posted up there? 
Anyway, I guess I should remember that I’m posting under an alter. I don’t want my local horsey friends to know we’re moving yet. Yes, I know it’s expensive 
but we lived in NYC for 4 years, so we’re used to it. I’ve hunted for three years, first flight, with what I would think is a fairly demanding hunt, country-wise. Out generally 3-4 hours, extremely hilly, well-paneled, mainly coyote, several thousand acres of territory.
DH isn’t wild about the horse thing, at least in the caretaking way, so I’ll probably be boarding at first. I guess we’re looking for a home in a safe area with some space around it where I will be relatively happy and can find like-minded horsey people while he travels for work 80% of the time. I would like to find another relatively demanding hunt, that leans more traditional than not. I don’t mind strict rules re: attire, etc as long as the people out hunting know their sh*t and don’t hold everyone up with their crazy horse and/or fear issues. And I’d rather hunt live than drag.
So… am I screwed?
Haha, SidesaddleRider, you’re cracking me up over here! I love hound work, especially when I get a nice view of the pack working a line, and am definitely more “balls to the wall”. My horse is always there at the end and some of my best hunts have been in the pouring rain when only 10 other people show up. Don’t really care about the jumping. I enjoy it and my horse will jump anything in front of him, but a day without the jumps is just as good as long as we go on a great run. Actually, the more action the better as “Dobbin” gets pretty fed up with the situation if we have a blank day. And for the record, if we do move I’m hunting you down for some sidesaddle advice!
Well, it sounds like you would enjoy Piedmont. A lot of the top eventers and ‘chasers hunt with them, and they can RIDE. Trust me, if you can’t ride, you don’t last long with them. The last time I went out with them, we were out over 5 hours and I lost count of how many fences we jumped (30+, probably). You do have to have a TB or TB-type horse to keep up with them (from you’re handle, I’m guessing you have a Trak? If so, you should be fine. ). Fences can range from 2’6" to 4’, with paneling, walls, rails, etc. The last I checked, their dues were around $5-6k, with an anticipated $2,500 new member fee being instituted next year. They hunt 3x/week, although if you’re are going to go out more than 1x/week, I’d recommend getting another horse.
Ooh, that sounds fun! We have some 'chasers in our group, as well. My jumper was a Trak, but my hunt horse is an appendix. He’s 75% TB and thinks he’s 100% steeplechase material So far, I haven’t found his bottom, so that sounds like a great hunt! Thanks for the info, I will definitely check them out.
We are so lucky to live in an area that has so many options. There are also great hunts & places to keep horses in Fauquier county area. Middleburg borders with Loudoun (north) & Fauquier (south). Fauquier has breathtaking views and open space. It is very horsey, and a tad less pricey. The commute to Reston would take an hour. Could consider it for boarding and/or hunting. Hunts are Old Dominion, Warrenton, and Casanova.
We are so lucky to live in an area that has so many options. There are also great hunts & places to keep horses in the Fauquier county area. Middleburg borders with Loudoun (north) & Fauquier (south). Fauquier has breathtaking views and open space. It is very horsey, and a tad less pricey. The commute to Reston would take an hour. Could consider it for boarding and/or hunting. Hunts are Old Dominion, Warrenton, and Casanova.
Hmm, an hour actually might not be that bad. He will be traveling Mon-Thurs and only in the office on Fridays. Maybe I’ll guilt him into it 
Thanks!
JMHO!
Last I heard the cap fee for Piedmont was $250/day…:eek:
Most others in area are $150. Further out $100/125.
Warrenton is well over an hour to Reston during regular commuting hours. It’s awful, been there, done that.
But most hunts are still hunting fox so the runs are much different than the coyote you’re used to. And remember, the hunts around here have a shortage of territory in most cases. It’s gotten terribly overdeveloped with little open land; I mean REALLY opened land.
Sorry, but I find a lot of outside people think this area is like “the promised land” of hunting and yes in some ways it is…but it’s highly overrated and the DC area is problematic to live in IMHO. I love the hunts, the horseypeople but…BUT…you need to be prepared and come with your eyes open. Many of us who live here wanna move further away. Many of us do and are.
I really do appreciate your input, wateryglen. To be perfectly blunt, I do NOT want to move. I am very happy where I am, have put down some serious roots here, and have the perfect set-up with my horse, the hunt, and well, pretty much everything. Moving to a new place where we know no one and DH will be traveling all the time when we’re thinking of starting a family… ugh. It’s good to know we have at least a few options, just not the “horse heaven” DH keeps touting to get me excited. Oh, well, c’est la vie!
I live out in the Rixeyville/Culpeper area and there are some nice farms and farmettes our way if you don’t mind commuting. I don’t personally hunt, I can ride english a that is what my draft mare goes in but I prefer western so I am only speaking from a land you want aspect. Boarding can and often is expensive here, you may want to look around for a place with some land to it and have your animals with you.
Middleburg and the like is down the road, beautiful farms, pretty nice people and experienced horse people who I have found are willing to help you out.
Good luck.
If you want to hunt, I’d cap around the first season and find a hunt that suits you. As you know all hunts have a different personality and are not a fit for everyone, and not everyone is a fit for all hunts. As one of our masters commented, there’s a hunt on every corner down here.
I think that you’ll find that the territory is pretty much gone in Loudoun County. Its the main reason my wife and I moved to Madison. In Fauquier, Prince William, Culpeper and Rappahannock you can find everything from flat territory to mountains. You can find territory that requires lots of jumping to almost none. Jumps very from routinely pretty low to some pretty stout stuff. The speed of the hunts varies quite a bit too.
I will tell you not to believe all hunt’s reputations as a lot of those were established years ago and don’t hold to form. The best thing is to get out and ride a couple of times with them.
As far as commuting goes, I can go from my house in Madison to meetings in Reston in an hour and a half, if I leave at 5:30. Traffic really sucks around here and there is little to no mass transit. Nothing along the lines of NY.
I am surprised no one mentioned Thornton Hill.
A really great pack and real people.
Claude S. Sutton, Jr.
Thanks so much for your input, everyone. I am definitely going to be checking all of these places out! Now I know where to start.
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