Horse community and industry near Medford, Oregon? Team penning/sorting? (Portland: unemployment rate, neighborhoods)

[Karaboo13]

Hi Everyone -

My boyfriend and I are thinking of relocating to the Eagle Point/Medford OR area. We visited and really love the terrain, vegetation, found the folk to be very lovely and nice all around, and were excited by the number of horses in the area. However, the reports of a poor and struggling economy, and the potential for dreary winters and hot summers (100 degrees in July/August) made us a bit nervous.

I am an equine (horse) veterinarian, and my boyfriend would likely be managing his business from afar or possibly retiring. What are the job opportunities for an equine (horse) vet in the area? I have been investigating Rogue Valley Equine, but some of the horse owners seemed to have mixed feelings about the clinic. Who do people use as their horse vet? It was also rumored that although a lot of people had horses, that not a substantial amount of the horse owners could afford and/or were interested in good quality health care for their horses. If this is true, it would mean the quality of life working as a horse veterinarian would not be all that great. Do people agree with this assessment?

Do people think that the horse industry will grow, and potentially support higher quality medicine? (doesn't have to be extravagant, but I want to be able to help the horse if I go see it and not be completely bound by strict low finances of the owner).

Opinions on Rogue Valley Equine? Other equine vets in the area or practices? Who do people use and why?

ALSO, my boyfriend and I are really into team penning/sorting and would love to know more about any local clubs, shows, or opportunities in the area to have fun!

Thanks in advance for your responses!

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Karaboo13

My boyfriend and I are thinking of relocating to the Eagle Point/Medford OR area. We visited and really love the terrain, vegetation, found the folk to be very lovely and nice all around, and were excited by the number of horses in the area. However, the reports of a poor and struggling economy, and the potential for dreary winters and hot summers (100 degrees in July/August) made us a bit nervous.

I can't address the horse or vet issue. I have a great small animal vet - Phoenix Animal Hospital on Hwy 99 - and I have used the emergency clinic/diagnostic specialty small animal clinic near the airport - Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center - but I know nothing about large animal vets.

But I can verify that some of your concerns are true - the economy here isn't great, we do have the typical wet side Oregon winter and July and August can hit (and top ) 100°.

The economy here has (and always has had) a fairly high unemployment rate (down from over 12% at the height of the recent recession). Jobs don't tend to pay well and skilled labor positions (outside of the medical field) are harder to come by than they once were. There is certainly also an affluent retiree/equity refugee/second home/tourist sector that you see in the hobby wineries and big horse farms. Large horse properties are expensive in Oregon, but not if compared to the same thing in California.

This has not been a typical winter, but on average we have cloudy and drizzly, often foggy, days between November and beginning of March. The Rogue Valley is a long, steep-sided bowl and the clouds can really linger. Unlike this year, we tend not to get the Pineapple Express-style heavy rains that areas south of us get. The low temps in December and January are often near freezing and we can get the very occasional snow and road ice. We don't get what I remember from living on the east coast, the long slush season.

Summers are dry and hot, the average high temp at the end of July/beginning of August is 90-92°. There are usually 10-13 days a summer over 100°. The hottest part of the day is very late afternoon and the heat lingers until late evening, when it cools down quite a bit. Unlike the east coast, it is not particularly humid and the nights always cool off.

[gray horse]

I'm hoping to move down that way this summer. Unlike Wilsonville area by Portland, and Tumalo area by Bend, the Medford area doesn't really have a concentrated "horse area". There are horses, but mostly kept in backyards or low cost stables. There are a few show barns in the Ashland area, but mostly you are going to find people that ride western, do team penning and trail ride.

I don't know much about the vet business in the area, but I can tell you that in Oregon one can buy their own vaccinations at the feed store and do their own thing. When I lived in CA I had to pay a vet to come out and do shots, now I do it myself saving on a vet call. I only call a vet if I need something stitched up, have a severe colic, have a severe lameness or have to put one down. You will find more do-it-yourselfer in Oregon. Horse show people spend more money on vet care, then those with ranch horses.

Another challenge with Medford is that lack of close by vet schools in case you have a colic. You have OSU up north and UC Davis to the south. I "think" Rogue Equine has a surgical set-up, and probably the only one in the valley...that corners a certain amount of the market for them. I would think you would want to have a relationship with them in case you had a client in need of surgery. Maybe initially you would want to work for them? Maybe not?

It is hot in the summer and I worry about taking my older horse down there as he gets heat stroke, so he will be stabled during the hot days and turned out at night. You should have plenty of options for team penning, and it's a beautiful area. I'm just not sure you could have a thriving vet practice...but there may be a real need for someone new. Do you have a specialty that could set you apart? Like a lameness specialist, acupuncture, etc.

Good luck with your move!

[gray horse]

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