Horse Property & Christian High Schools near Boerne/San Antonio (Austin: real estate, co-ops) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Dbazan1 · 10-09-2015, 02:39 PM

Hi,

We're looking to relocate from Southern California to the San Antonio area, and are interested in finding some acreage to keep 3 horses and a few 4-H animals. We really liked the Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch area. We also are looking to be near a good Christian high school for our son, who'll be entering the 9th grade next year. We were told that Geneva is a good school to look into...any feedback on it? We've already requested info from them on enrollment. We need to keep our housing budget under $750,000, and the school budget under $10,000/year. We're currently home schooling, and if not able to find a private Christian school in the area within our budget, we could continue homeschooling, but only if there were local homeschool co-ops to get involved in, lots of outside classes available, and an active homeschool community focused on college prep. We still want to live in an area with an excellent school district though, in case we decide to switch to public school along the way. Also seeking a safe neighborhood with a rural feel and a close knit community that would feel like family. Is that possible to find these days??

Is Boerne the right area of San Antonio to be looking at to fit our needs? Are there other horse-friendly areas/communities near San Antonio we should consider that are within a 45 minute commute to downtown San Antonio and in excellent school distict? We've been told the footing is not ideal for horses in this area...what should we be keeping an eye out for when considering properties there? Also, other than Cordilerra Ranch in Boerne, are there any areas/communities that offer access to ride you horses on public trails? We'd ideally like to be able to saddle up and trail ride directly from our home and not have to trailer to state parks to be able to ride. Or do we just have to find a larger property and ride in circles on our own few acres...?

Would also like to be able to qualify for the Ag. or Wildlife Exemption if at all possible. Anything specific we should know about this in the Boerne/San Antonio area? One last thing...after the severe Memorial Day rains, we're now concerned about buying a home that will then be flooded. Where should we stay away from based on how much flooding y'all have seen in extreme rains?

Thank you sooooo much for your help! It's quite difficult to search from several states away!

WilGar · 10-10-2015, 07:14 AM

I can only applaud Geneva and its total program. I was at Grandparents' Day yesterday. The involvement of the parents and precedent generations in the school is evident.

I know of people in the immediate area that have horses and additional livestock, but cannot offer more information since i live in San Antonio.

SATXRoseGal · 10-10-2015, 03:59 PM

I would recommend you find a real estate agent who specializes in the type of land you are looking for. I have a couple friends who live in the Boerne area and have horses, so I know it exists, but I don't know enough to point you in the right direction.

However, I would like to let you know that 45 minutes to downtown SA from Boerne may be a pipe dream. I used to live off Boerne Stage Road & I-10 (so, 15-20 min closer to SA), and it would take me 45 min - 1 hour to get to / from my office downtown. That was leaving around 7:00 in the morning and leaving work at 5:00. If you can avoid traveling at those times you may fare better. Traffic on I-10 from 1604 to Ralph Fair Road is a mess. There is a proposal to build a toll lane each way. I haven't been following the status of it, but I cringe to think about the impact the construction for it would have on traffic out there.

Gigi45 · 10-11-2015, 11:46 AM

Boerne Area Christian Homeschoolers www.bachboernehomeschool.org is a large co-op(300 + kids) that offers a wide array of high school classes. There are many horse properties in the area, should not be a problem to find something. Geneva is a good school, but can be hard to get into (waiting lists). Good luck!

Gigi45 · 10-11-2015, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dbazan1

Hi,

Is Boerne the right area of San Antonio to be looking at to fit our needs? Are there other horse-friendly areas/communities near San Antonio we should consider that are within a 45 minute commute to downtown San Antonio and in excellent school distict? We've been told the footing is not ideal for horses in this area...what should we be keeping an eye out for when considering properties there? Also, other than Cordilerra Ranch in Boerne, are there any areas/communities that offer access to ride you horses on public trails? We'd ideally like to be able to saddle up and trail ride directly from our home and not have to trailer to state parks to be able to ride. Or do we just have to find a larger property and ride in circles on our own few acres...?

I am pretty sure nothing like this is available-- Guadalupe River State Park offers a 5 mile equestrian trail and some of of the other state parks offer trails. There are larger subdivisions that would allow riding-- River Mountain Ranch (well outside of Boerne) and Trailwood (right off of I-10) come to mind.

Dbazan1 · 10-14-2015, 12:47 AM

Thank you all for the post replies. Looks like maybe we need to reassess what we're looking for if we want to be within a comfortable commuting distance to SA, or perhaps direct our search to Austin's surrounding areas. Maybe we might have more affordable/suitable options there. We liked Dripping Springs and Driftwood when we were out there a few months back, but are concerned about flooding areas. Looks like our search continues...

Gigi45 · 10-25-2015, 07:28 PM

Honestly, you are not going to find large acreage property with a short commute to a major city. Most people just get accustomed to the drive if they choose to live out. Good luck!

ognend · 10-31-2015, 09:44 AM

You should look into the area south of SA, like Natalia etc. You can get a 10-15 acre property with a mobile home or a small real home for $150K and up. You can ride on many of the country roads just fine. Find a good realtor. Boerne area is for the rich horse people.

spursfan · 10-31-2015, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ognend

You should look into the area south of SA, like Natalia etc. You can get a 10-15 acre property with a mobile home or a small real home for $150K and up. You can ride on many of the country roads just fine. Find a good realtor. Boerne area is for the rich horse people.

OP could buy a whole trailer park with a $750k budget! Probably should stick to Boerne..

ognend · 11-01-2015, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spursfan

OP could buy a whole trailer park with a $750k budget! Probably should stick to Boerne..

True. But there is nothing special "horse" about Boerne except that it has been made to sound like horse country. The only positive I see to it is some proximity to Hill Country SNA where there are miles of trails. However, I would rather trailer an extra hour (since I already have to trailer) and have 5 times more acreage and save $300K in the process.... To each their own