What is the best place to retire with horses? (areas, closest)
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Check out Virginia in the area north/northeast/east of Charlottesville (north of I-64 and west of I-95) which is not only gorgeous aesthetically but surprisingly affordable. Winters are fairly mild and summers are shorter/less severe with beautiful autumns and spring. There is a long tradition of riding in the area with plenty of horse owners to network with as well.
Thanks for all the suggestions everybody. I think I will look at New Mexico and Virginia more closely as the cost of living and weather in those areas is more in line with what I want.
My husband and I will likely retire within the next 5 to 7 years. Currently we have 4 horses in Maryland and we like to trail ride. I would like to find a place to live with the following attributes:
1. Horse and riding friendly weather - not too wet, not too humid, not too snowy. Maryland has very humid summers that I would like to avoid, western WA and Oregon get too much rain, Florida, Georgia, SC are way too hot and humid, the northern midwest is too snowy. I want to be able to ride year round and I don't want to battle thrush all the time.
2. A cost of living that is at or below the national average - Maryland, California and New York all have a cost of living that is higher than the national average. I would like to find a house and at least 5 acres for $300,000 or less.
3. A healthy and friendly horse community - I would like to find a group of like minded people to hang out with, ride with and maybe volunteer to help teach riding to kids and or start young horses in training. My husband and I have developed some good biomechanically based riding and training skills over the past 20 years that are not common knowledge so we would like to share what we have learned from our trainer.
I am just beginning the search and so I am open minded. What I am looking for won't be easy to find and we are willing to compromise on weather if we can find something affordable in a horse friendly area.
How can the answer to this not be Kentucky? This is the horse capitol of the world! I prefer the areas east and north east of Louisville....check Prospect, Crestwood, La Grange, Simpsonville, and Shelbyville, KY. Horse farms everywhere and its a huge and respected part of the culture.
Eastern Tennessee. We have folks around here that have horses and go riding in the Smoky Mountain trails, around Iams Nature, etc. We have riding competitions too. I'm not a horse person but I run across horses on the trails when I'm hiking. Maybe you can ask some people who do that what the horse situation is here. I know there is a horse rescue place too.
Hi luv2rack, just wondering if you ever found your retirement home/state & where it is?
I am looking to move from CT because of migraines which are triggered by the barometric pressure/weather. Every time it rains, or goes from 50 degrees to below 30 with snow overnight, which it has been doing a lot lately, I get a. migraine. So I am looking for weather that is year round with a steady barometric pressure, probably 50-90 degree's min/max.
So, I have been looking to move to either GA, SC, or NC. My 23 year old daughter is coming with me & she wants to be near the beach, at least 2 hours.
I know some of these states have area's that get snow, wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't often & not a lot. Rain same, as long as it's not a constant barometric pressure change
I have been looking at houses online & am trying to figure out how to sell my house, buy a new one in another state, & find a job there (looking for an at home remote position) all at the same time.
I had to give up my horses almost 2 yrs ago due to finances, and hope that after the move when I get back on my feet I can get another horse. It is my passion & my soul, and I am just not fully alive without riding in my life, so I am also looking to move to a horse friendly area.
Any info on these states: GA, SC, NC from anyone is welcome.
Oklahoma is certainly one of the top horse states in the country, but many outsiders consider it quite a highly undesirable state to live in due to bad weather and low quality of life.
If you're into trail riding, you should be looking for places with interesting terrain. Sure, Lexington, KY is great if you're a thoroughbred. And Ocala, FL is where the thoroughbreds go for the winter. Florida trail riding is not great. Texas is great for working horses, but most terrain is not great for pleasure trail riding.
Virginia has some great trail riding. East Tennessee, Western NC and North Georgia have incredible trail riding, and the weather's a little cooler in the higher elevations. Land prices are also reasonable. Middle Tennessee has it all for a horseman--every kind of horses are there including great quarter horses, steeplechase thoroughbreds, American Saddlebreds & walking horses.
Figuring out where to live is a quite difficult decision with so many great places with horsemen.
Hi luv2rack, just wondering if you ever found your retirement home/state & where it is?
I am looking to move from CT because of migraines which are triggered by the barometric pressure/weather. Every time it rains, or goes from 50 degrees to below 30 with snow overnight, which it has been doing a lot lately, I get a. migraine. So I am looking for weather that is year round with a steady barometric pressure, probably 50-90 degree's min/max.
So, I have been looking to move to either GA, SC, or NC. My 23 year old daughter is coming with me & she wants to be near the beach, at least 2 hours.
I know some of these states have area's that get snow, wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't often & not a lot. Rain same, as long as it's not a constant barometric pressure change
I have been looking at houses online & am trying to figure out how to sell my house, buy a new one in another state, & find a job there (looking for an at home remote position) all at the same time.
I had to give up my horses almost 2 yrs ago due to finances, and hope that after the move when I get back on my feet I can get another horse. It is my passion & my soul, and I am just not fully alive without riding in my life, so I am also looking to move to a horse friendly area.
Any info on these states: GA, SC, NC from anyone is welcome.
Thank you!
I am still looking. If I were you, I would try to find a job first, then sell the house and buy another. Income is your first priority. I know what you mean about a passion for horses. I cannot live without mine. I am narrowing down to the mountainous regions of VA, NC and TN. There is still more research to do and so much uncertainty with the economy right now. Who knows what will happen after November.
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Still looking
