Relocating Ft Lewis with 2 horses-need info/advice (Seattle, Tacoma: for sale, rental homes)

[susanauthement]

Hello, instead of retiring after 22 yrs of service we just found out we are on levy for Fort Lewis. We have all ready purchased our retirement farm and 2 horses here in upstate NY. We love the horses and are not going to get rid of them this close to retirement so we will be PCSIng with them. (We have truck and stocktrailer) We really need advice for where the best areas around Ft. Lewis to live with horses. We also would like to know how difficult it is to find good boarding facilities near the base (I understand the base has a stable but they do not respond to our calls or emails...). Which do you all believe would be the best option , rent a single family home off post and board off post, live on post and board off post, or live on post and board on post ? I have no idea where the housing areas on post are located but we are E8 (senior enlisted) . Fort Lewis looks quite large on the map , i dont want to live on one side of the base and have the horses far away on the otherside of base if it is as large as it looks. Please help me with advice on what to look for and where to look for it. Im panicking now. We are due to be there in Apr. if we cannot get a deferment for teens school year. It does not leave alot of time to decide on a plan of action and make preps. for selling our current farm.

Thanks in advance,
Patrick and Susan

[Ira500]

Here's a link that might help.
The closest places on that list to Ft. Lewis are Olympia, Rainier, Rochester, Roy, and Yelm.

Horse Boarding Stables in Washington listed A to Z beginning with Aberdeen, WA

[susanauthement]

Thank you very much. I will read up on these. Are there any Ft. Lewis families with horses reading this that can respond ? Any first hand experiences would be so helpful. Is there a Fort Lewis forum for spouses or families that i could join ?

[allforcats]

I Googled and got this. Looks as though it might be what you want:
Fort Lewis Forum - Topix

[marita]

Fort Lewis riding Club and McChord AFB Horseman's Club info listed in the link below.
McChord AFB is next door to Fort Lewis.
http://benefits.military.com/misc/in...FB__WA/61.html

Roy is out of back gate of fort Lewis which is about 20 minutes past the ranges from the center of post.
All around Fort Lewis are areas where People have Horses next to there homes.

[Sandy Nelson]

Susan,

I'm sorry that your retirement plans didn't work out. I suppose you're affected by the Army's stop-loss program. I hope it's at least a consolation for you that you're being sent to Ft. Lewis. There are so many worse places to be stationed.
The Ft. Lewis stable probably is not responding to your inquiries because they are most likely booked. The last time I checked for a client of mine, I was told there is a long waiting list.
Rental homes with pasture and a horse barn will be difficult to find. I'd recommend finding a good boarding facility near riding trails and preferably an indoor arena (it rains occasionally) and renting a home nearby. There is a large stable in the Tumwater Bush Prairie area that boards horses, has a trail network, a huge indoor arena. Here is a link Home Page
If you're considering buying a home that accommodates your horses, then the best locations near Ft. Lewis would be Yelm, Roy, Rainier and Tumwater. A client of mine who recently moved here with her two horses from Ohio (husband is dentist at Ft. Lewis), did a lot of research and decided she wanted to live near Capitol Forest, which is a state park west of Olympia. It has extensive horse trails with easily accessible trail heads. Let me know if you want to be put in touch with her. Maybe she's interested in boarding your horses at her property.

I hope you'll have a safe trip out here.

Sandy

[nwcountrygal]

Hi -- Good Luck on your search.

I live in the Yelm/Roy area. It is a big horse community. Allot of western riding but also hunter jumpers. Rodeos and huge arena in Yelm - Stewerts - team rope- barrel - team pen - western show - allways packed on weekends. I actually ride my horse on Ft Lewis allot (shhh LOL) There are many people in area who board... less than an hour away is Elbe on Mt Rainier with Horse park .... many trails - the mountains are to die for riding in Washington... I have done in one year alone over 1000 miles. There are also rentals with pasture in Yelm and Roy area. Look on craigs list for Yelm/Roy - it depends on what kind of riding you do? I can then steer you in right direction - or even find a place for you to board with friends. Do you want just pasture - full care stable- self care???

[Barnstuf]

Try www.MilitaryStables.com

The web-site offers a pretty extensive list of stables that are located on Military Bases and Posts throughout the United States.

[momomk3313]

There are horse stables on Ft. Lewis! There on North Fort im not sure how much is cost to rent a stall but i do know there are stables.

[outwiththehorses]

If you are still looking for a place, we have a 1,700 square foot house with a 2 stall barn on 5 acres -- about 3 acres of pasture we are getting ready to put up for rent in Olympia. It is about 20 minutes to the main gate of Ft. Lewis. You can find our house listed for sale on Craigslist.com Seattle/Tacoma. If you search Olympia, look for key words: Privacy huge shop barn. It should come up. It should have pictures of a green rambler and a big shop with a red roof.