For many city dwellers, the dream of moving to the country and keeping
horses at home might have to remain a dream. But there are still pockets
of horse property available here and there in suburban settings.
While much different than rural living, buying a small horse property
in an equestrian community can bridge the gap between buying a big spread
and boarding your horse. The trick is to know how to begin your search,
and determine what works best for your needs and your budget.
Horse Property Basics
Your first step is to find a qualified real estate agent to help in
your search for the right place. Retaining the services of someone who
knows the ins and outs of buying horse property in your area of choice is
an absolute must. Shannon Kessler, a Realtor with Prudential Hunter
Realty in Arroyo Grande, Calif., says, “A knowledgeable Realtor will
save you a lot of effort. Horse property specialists know the needs of
horse people as well as the land and access to trails, neighborhood
support, et cetera.”
Once you secure an agent’s services, take the time to think about
exactly what you want in your dream place. “Determine what you want to
do with your property,” says Shannon. “Do you need an arena, a barn
or just a shed row? Will you be hauling out or riding to get to the
trails? Visit small horse facilities you admire, and knock on doors in
the area. This is also a great way to get to know your potential
neighbors.”
Wendy Kaufmann, a Horse Property Specialist with Prudential California
Realty in Orange, Calif., recommends researching and ferreting out
horse-oriented areas where you might want to live before you even start
house shopping. “Locate areas that are vibrantly and actively
horse-oriented,” she says. “Make sure the area offers the amenities
that you particularly desire, whether it be a community arena, a local
parade or drill team group, Pony Club, 4-H, trainers, good trails, et
cetera.”
Start Shopping
Next, look at as many properties as you can in your price range, and
use a critical eye when you consider each one.
“When evaluating a property, focus on the actual usable area of the
lot,” says Alicia Morrison, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Legacy. “Is there an arena? Sufficient turnout
area, or large pens or stalls? If the property has an existing horse
facility, is it workable for your use? If it requires renovation, how
much? What would be the costs? Sometimes you are better off with a
property that has no horse facilities in place and building your own.”
Wendy Kaufmann recommends evaluating the home’s land to determine if
you can achieve your horsekeeping goals within the confines of the
topography. “People sometimes have unrealistic expectations as to what
they can do with their land,” she says. “Some things to think about
include how much of the land is usable, and whether there are steep
slopes and areas that would not drain well in winter months. If the land
does not have existing horse improvements on it, see if there is
sufficient room to set up enough stalls for your needs and still have an
arena and turn out areas for your horses.”
In addition, Lee Allen, Horse Property Specialist for Realty
Executives of San Antonio, Texas, also recommends you research the
details on the trails, zoning and other specifics in the area, including
how many horses are allowed on a certain size lot. “Find out about the
particular restrictions for the neighborhood, if there are any,” she
says. “And find out if there are accessible riding trails too.”
Shannon Kessler agrees it is important to look at the neighborhood
association rules and regulations (known as CC & Rs) for the homes in
the area, as this will tell you how many horses are allowed per acre,
what the scope of preservation of existing trails is, et cetera. “Many
neighborhoods are zoned for horses, but are not friendly toward them,”
she says. “Look at what your potential neighbors are doing with their
properties. If most of them do not have horses, chances are they are
going to complain about the dust and smell.”
Avoidable Mistakes
Horse Property Agents have seen first-time horse property buyers make
a slew of mistakes, most of which were avoidable. One of the biggest
errors buyers seem to make is not purchasing enough land for what they
ultimately want.
“The biggest mistake people make is not looking toward the future,”
says Shannon Kessler. “You must ask yourself, ‘how many horses do I
plan to have in 10 or 15 years?’ ”
Not thinking about the details of what you’ll need besides corral
space is another problem. “Buyers often overlook things like the need
for hay storage, tack storage, shavings and straw storage, manure
disposal, farrier facilities, and trailer and truck storage,” says Bill
Kraatz of Bill Kraatz Real Estate Services Inc./Huff Realty Inc. in
Florence, Ky.
“I’ve seen people make mistakes by not thoroughly checking the
covenants, conditions and restrictions [CC & Rs] for the area where
they are buying,” says Lee Allen. “I’ve also seen people overstock
their property with too many horses as well as buy a place without
suitable fencing for their horses.”
“Amazingly enough, in our equestrian property consulting business,
the one item most often overlooked by clients is manure disposal,” says
Bill Kraatz.
Shannon Kessler agrees that not planning for manure disposal is a big
problem with many first-time horse property buyers. “Your neighborhood
may have curbside pick up of manure, but if not you must plan to compost
it and perhaps deliver it to local garden clubs or nurseries as
fertilizer.”
Although buying the right small horse property takes a lot of effort
and hard work, the rewards are many.
“After boarding in either a large public facility or in someone else’s
backyard, many people eventually experience the desire to purchase a home
and put their horses in their own backyard and try it for themselves,”
says Wendy Kaufmann. “Ultimately, most who do it decide that it is the
best move they ever made.”
Audrey Pavia recently purchased her own small horse property.
" Horsey House Hunting," by Audrey Pavia originally appeared
in the September 2004 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine.
