Saturday, December 6, 2014

Searching Out Horse Properties For Sale

By Claudine Hodges


Horses are popular in every one of the fifty States. This means that there are horse properties for sale all over the country. However, the term covers a wide variety of listings. Sometimes it depends on the area of the country. Often it reflects the type of riding preferred by the seller. Always there is the price factor.

For example, people keep several horses on an area little bigger than a city lot in places like Phoenix, Arizona. In desert country, horses are fed hay year-round or need many acres to browse over for self-maintenance. In lush grass country, like Kentucky or along the East Coast, a pasture can be three to ten acres. In Wyoming, it might take up a whole quarter-section.

Take, for example, Virginia 'horse country', where a home with a paddock to the side would not be classified as equine property. This term connotes a spacious estate with a grand home, multi-stalled barn, several paddocks and fields, and probably a ring for training. All will be on at least three acres and be fenced with boards or woven wire.

People in Virginia expect a equine estate to have a large home, which is generally of more value than the stabling areas. Those who want a place with extensive horse facilities but a smaller home, which keeps taxes down, may have a hard time finding it. There are many 'equine communities' that have riding trails included in the over-all plan; some even have community boarding facilities for those who don't want to maintain their own stabling.

However, other parts of the state are less into 'conspicuous consumption'. These areas may have more western riding than English dressage or foxhunting. Quarter-horses are often more rugged than pampered hunting or show horses, needing only a run-in shed for protection from rain, snow, summer heat, and flies. The barns are used for horses that need special care, for grooming and tacking up, and for feed and equipment storage.

Equine magazines and local newspapers carry classified ads for this kind of property, which are helpful when searching in the immediate area. However, the internet covers both local and national listings, as well as international ones. Virtual tours are great for narrowing the search, since both interior and exterior photos give an idea of the kind and condition of the property.

It's always wise to consider tax rates, regulations, zoning, and liability laws before beginning to house-hunt. This helps narrow the search and prevents falling in love with a place which turns out to be in a high-tax zone, have zoning or HOA restrictions that prevent some activities, or have limits on the number of animals allowed. All of this information is available online or from a licensed real estate agent.

Actually visiting the property is necessary to really assess it's desirability. Perhaps the access roads are too steep, the neighbors too close, or the terrain too rocky. Barns can be designed for ponies or smaller horses like Arabians or Quarter-horses, and not be suitable for huge Warmbloods or Thoroughbreds. However, everything may also be just perfect.




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