Considering a job move from center city Philadelphia to north of Wilmington - right off of 95. I’d have to move my horse (or never see him but on weekends), and yes, this would be a consideration in taking the job! :winkgrin: Where do people who work in Wilmington ride and board? Since my everything-else life is in Philadelphia, I wouldn’t want to go farther south in Delaware. It’s the wrong part of Wilmington to be convenient to Kennett Square/Unionville/West Chester. I would be driving south on 476 to 95 - for now at least - since I live on the main line. What are my options?
Where on the main line do you live? And what kind of place are you looking for? Plenty of places to board in Radnor Hunt, but $$$$$$ 
Along those stretches of 476/95, you’re not going to be able to find much that’s a quick hop off the highway, unfortunately. I do the 476 commute too, and I pretty much only see my horse on the weekends. I can’t afford Radnor-area board, and everything else is too far away.
[QUOTE=BigHorseLittleHorse;7775060]
Where on the main line do you live? And what kind of place are you looking for? Plenty of places to board in Radnor Hunt, but $$$$$$
Along those stretches of 476/95, you’re not going to be able to find much that’s a quick hop off the highway, unfortunately. I do the 476 commute too, and I pretty much only see my horse on the weekends. I can’t afford Radnor-area board, and everything else is too far away.[/QUOTE]
I’m near Ardmore and my horse currently lives northwest of me, so that won’t work if I’m headed so far south every day. I couldn’t really think of anywhere in Radnor area with an indoor - I’m not great with that area. And yes, the board can be mega bucks in that area.
How is the 476 commute? It seems like it could range from easy to nightmarish on any given day.
Is Malvern a reasonable driving distance for you if you live in Ardmore?
[QUOTE=tua37516;7775223]
Is Malvern a reasonable driving distance for you if you live in Ardmore?[/QUOTE]
Malvern might work - depending on where in Malvern because that address seems to span far and wide (well, to me anyway!). It looks like I could take back roads to/from Delaware from there (anyone who knows this please chime in!). I was trying to think of who’s there or in Radnor and came up empty.
What is your price range/farm spec requirements/level of riding/showing interest? I may be able to make some suggestions in the area.
Turn-out is mandatory for my horse’s health issues. CCHSA shows. Indoor or lights and an aggressively plowed/maintained ring in the winter! I’m assuming that the price range for this will be starting at $1k.
Recommendations would be good, but more than anything, I am just curious about what kinds of commutes people are doing to/from Wilmington. The commute from work and the barn is I think going to be a make/break for me. With the hours I’d be working, if other people in Wilmington are boarding 45+ min away in the hinterlands because there’s nothing convenient, I don’t know that the job will be able to work for me.
It really depends on what time you’re on 476 – if you have to be on it during rush hour, be prepared to sit. If you have any flexibility to shift your schedule slightly earlier or later, it’ll be a breeze and you’ll be there in 30 minutes. I work 9:30-6, which is just enough that I miss all the traffic in the morning and most of it at night.
I think you’re pretty much on the money (pun intended) about your price expectations for what you’re looking for, boarding-wise. There are lots of places in the Radnor Hunt/Malvern area with indoors – the two areas kind of overlap. Radnor Hunt is generally considered to be the area north of route 3, west of 252 and south of Berwyn/Paoli/Malvern-the-actual-town along route 30. There are a ton of horse farms in the area and a really nice trail network, but the prices are not cheap. Hopefully someone more familiar with the H/J scene can chime in with some specific recommendations.
[QUOTE=BigHorseLittleHorse;7775419]
It really depends on what time you’re on 476 – if you have to be on it during rush hour, be prepared to sit. If you have any flexibility to shift your schedule slightly earlier or later, it’ll be a breeze and you’ll be there in 30 minutes. I work 9:30-6, which is just enough that I miss all the traffic in the morning and most of it at night.
.[QUOTE] This is exactly the info I’m thinking about! Apparently the standard hours are 8:30-5:30, which made my jaw drop a bit initially. (Yes, yes, I know how spoiled that sounds to many!) I’m guessing the mornings won’t be so bad but going home will be tough. My poor dog will NOT be happy with this schedule plus commute…so I’m trying to figure out if there is a way to ride straight from work that won’t get home SO late (and he’ll have to live with a dog-walker those days).
I did look at Wellspring Farm, about 5 minutes from the potential new office. I have never been somewhere like that - while I love the idea of taking a long lunch and riding mid-day (and then working later and missing the traffic!), I don’t know that it would be the right place for us.
Two suggestions for nice facilities in the Malvern area. Both will be under the 1k range for basic full care.
Reinbow’s End Farm attends both rated/CCHSA shows with great success. Board will be in your price range and plenty of turnout, but the fields are so-so. Indoor, and two outdoors with lights. Knowledgeable staff/trainers. http://www.reinbowsendfarm.com/
Great Scott Farm more of a focus on rated shows, younger trainer but quality horses and a nice facility with indoor. http://www.greatscottfarm.com/
[QUOTE=tua37516;7775447]
Two suggestions for nice facilities in the Malvern area
Reinbow’s End Farm attends both rated/CCHSA shows with great success. Board will be in your price range and plenty of turnout, but the fields are so-so. Indoor, and two outdoors with lights. Knowledgeable staff/trainers. http://www.reinbowsendfarm.com/
Great Scott Farm more of a focus on rated shows, younger trainer but quality horses and a nice facility http://www.greatscottfarm.com/[/QUOTE]
Yeah, both of them will be too far - know exactly where they both are. But I think they are both great recommendations in general!
In Delaware…Laurie Jackabouskus at Vicmead .
I think Wellspring Farm is more eventing oriented, but I could be wrong. What about Derbydown? I know it’s not low key, but it is close by.
[QUOTE=Pandora;7776235]
I think Wellspring Farm is more eventing oriented, but I could be wrong. What about Derbydown? I know it’s not low key, but it is close by.[/QUOTE]
I don’t really know much about Wellspring but that it is VERY close to the office. The website indicated that it would be an eventing place, and I guess there is a pony club there, but it really just struck me as an old-school type enormous lesson & park-riding barn. I could be completely wrong though!
Just have assumed that Derbydown would be well out of my price range - and definitely outside of my showing budget.
I’m getting the feeling that a move to Delaware will still mean long drives to any barn. Ugh.
[QUOTE=awaywego;7776293]
I don’t really know much about Wellspring but that it is VERY close to the office. The website indicated that it would be an eventing place, and I guess there is a pony club there, but it really just struck me as an old-school type enormous lesson & park-riding barn. I could be completely wrong though!
Just have assumed that Derbydown would be well out of my price range - and definitely outside of my showing budget.
I’m getting the feeling that a move to Delaware will still mean long drives to any barn. Ugh.[/QUOTE]
Where are you working? I work right off of Carr rd…very close to Wellspring 
What about farms off of Paoli Pike (I think its 252). You could shoot straight up 202 and hit 252 in West Chester I think…
[QUOTE=Pandora;7776439]
Where are you working? I work right off of Carr rd…very close to Wellspring
What about farms off of Paoli Pike (I think its 252). You could shoot straight up 202 and hit 252 in West Chester I think…[/QUOTE]
Ahh, then we could be neighbors in the corporate center at 200 Bellevue? Teehee. How long would it be to 202? I’ve heard 202 is very bad at rush hour…?
And to clarify - I’m not there yet - I know they are checking my references now…so I’m doing my research to consider everything about what working there would mean for my life.
I drove 476 between the PA turnpike and 95 and it was terrible.
More recently, I drove 202 between the turnpike and 30. That is equally terrible.
Hours were 8-4:30 but I typically went in earlier and stayed later due to traffic and workload. It still was a bear.
By the way, Derbydown is in Kennett, which you said is outside of your driving range from Wilmington. Although I am curious if that is true as I know quite a few folks that work in Wilmington that ride in Unionville area.
I live in Chadds Ford and it takes me roughly 15-20 min door to door… I stay off of 95 and spend little time on 202. Mostly backroads for me ;-). Kennett and Unionville shouldn’t add too much time to your commute, its again 15 - 20 North of Wilmington. When I was commuting to Villanova from Unionville I generally took 926 to 3 to 476…back in the day it was a 40 min commute…might be a little more now
[QUOTE=comingback;7776491]
I drove 476 between the PA turnpike and 95 and it was terrible.
More recently, I drove 202 between the turnpike and 30. That is equally terrible.
Hours were 8-4:30 but I typically went in earlier and stayed later due to traffic and workload. It still was a bear.
By the way, Derbydown is in Kennett, which you said is outside of your driving range from Wilmington. Although I am curious if that is true as I know quite a few folks that work in Wilmington that ride in Unionville area.[/QUOTE]
Yuck. This is not looking great for me - there is a point when there is no amount of $ that can make up for spending your life in traffic…
Yes, I know where Derbydpwn is. Google tells me it’s 15 miles (in the wrong direction!) from the Wilmington office. My concern with that is the subsequent distance home from Kennett, which is another 30 miles.
It sounds to me like the consensus is looking like that area, which would be tough for me from where I currently live.
Did you look at www.equestrianlist.com? That might be helpful. Many of the trainers listed in Chester and Delaware counties I have heard of, but am not familiar enough with to actually give an opinion one way or the other.
And regarding the drive…for me personally, I just hated it. But depending on other circumstances, it may work okay for you.
