Need info on Aiken Horse scene (how much, neighborhood, buying) - City-Data Forum

cabalina · 05-09-2011, 09:51 AM

Hi, My husband and I currently live in TX outside of fort worth. We love it here, but also love to foxhunt. There are only two hunts here and they are quite a ways to drive every weekend.
We have been looking at Aiken and I'm amazed at how horsey it is! and all the foxhunting and eventing there!
So is it the real deal of horse heaven? What are the hay prices like? How hard is it to find hay? Here it's incredibly difficult...sounds funny, but true.
Three runs plantation looks too good to be true! Anyone live there?
Although, I realize Aiken is a small town, it would be an adjustment from DFW (soo much here), but Texas in no way offers the opportunites for eventing and foxhunting. Also, my hubby works from home, so job opportunities don't matter......and we also have a 10 yr old son....how is aiken for kids?

Carolina Knight · 05-15-2011, 07:17 AM

Yes, Aiken is horse heaven. You are bound to find steeplechase and polo events going on throughout the year. Events also occur in the lovely Hitchcock Woods

Headin' South · 05-16-2011, 06:29 AM

My husband and I foxhunt and I also event. We bought property in Three Runs and will be moving there by the end of the year. We looked for several years before deciding where to relocate to from the midwest, and once we'd decided on Aiken we made four trips there before settling on Three Runs. The eventing scene is amazing. Tons of horsey stuff to do ALL the time. The horse community there is very friendly and open and embraces a wide variety of disciplines and all levels of expertise. I've hunted with three of the hunts there: it's quite different from the hunt country I'm used to that is full of wide open gallops and paneled with coops, but is fun in it's own way. We love the well-maintained trails and other amenities at Three Runs, and the wealth of conveniences for riding as well as all the horse support stuff (fencing companies, vets, show facilities, tack and feed stores, etc.) and the great restaurants and day-to-day conveniences (box stores). Aiken has a lot to offer for a town it's size, and isn't far from bigger cities for when you need something more. Hay prices are a RUDE awakening after the midwest, though my friends living there do not complain about it being tough to get.

Butterfly4u · 05-28-2011, 10:22 PM

Cablinia,
Send me a message, or email me, I can put you in contact with someone who owns a horse farm and will be able to answer all of your questions. She has all the connections.

evb1 · 06-17-2011, 06:34 PM

Hi Cabalina! There are five active hunts right in Aiken. We get large bales of excellent quality coastal bermuda delivered and stacked in our barn for $6/bale. You can get quality Wyoming alfalfa at Aiken Saddlery and Feed. It's about $13.75 for a 70 lb+ bale. It's hard to find quality timothy at any price in my experience. Check out The Aiken Horse, the local, very well done equine newspaper if you can online. Three Runs is nice. Watched Mark Phillips clinic there last winter. Kim Severson, Boyd Martin etc. rode. Amazing stuff like that all the time! Good luck!

cabalina · 06-18-2011, 10:02 AM

Hi,

Thanks for all the info!! We just returned from Aiken and have decided to move.

We did look at three runs, and it is a possibility, but we really love the hopeland farms area, since it's sooo close to town and there seems to be a ton of kids in the neighborhood. Braeloch, was amazing as well.
Three runs does have a ton of amenities, it's just VERY VERY quiet out there. The trails are the best part! So much area to gallop!

Whiskey Road hounds sounds like a blast to ride with! But all the groups sound wonderful too. And my son wants to learn to play polo....no shortage of that there!

It only took me two days to realize Aiken is where I want to be. Truely overwhelming horse mecca! My favorite part of the trip was the horse district with the dirt roads and the old TB stables.

sweetchas · 06-19-2011, 08:24 PM

I was born and raised in Aiken, its a great place to raise a family and for horses LOL.

innovator82 · 06-19-2011, 10:46 PM

cabalina - that is really cool that you have found your place! I'm not a horse person but I love Aiken - you'd be amazed how much it's still a best-kept secret kind of place to people from South Carolina who have never been. When they go, they can't believe how nice the city is.

Headin' South · 07-03-2011, 10:22 AM

Glad you had a productive visit. Aiken does sell itself!

Hopeland has a great location, but I spoke with someone who changed their mind about buying there when they discovered that there is no deeded trail system. I have not confirmed this elsewhere, but it is something you should check out. Any place with trail access that is not deeded can lose that access, which coukd effect usefulness and property value.