Searching for a New Stable: House Hunters for the Equestrian

If you’re like me, you might enjoy watching the HGTV show House Hunters or House Hunters International. In every episode someone, usually a couple, is on a quest to find their dream home. And it is so simple! It takes them less than an hour to find the perfect place. I’m finding that this isn’t necessarily the case when searching for a new stable, however.

At the beginning of the show the buyers meet to tell the realtor their must-haves such a rambling Victorian in an historic neighborhood with excellent schools. Or maybe they fancy an urban high rise with lots of amenities close to nightlife.

The buyers choose one home from three and it’s always a perfect fit for their lifestyle, regardless of if they’re looking in suburban Dallas or Tuscany, Italy! It’s nothing short of miraculous, as the sellers always accept the offer. The closing scene is the happy family in their new home.

Some of you know that I’ve been searching for a new stable and am on a horse house hunt. I wish I could be on a reality show where I meet with an experienced horse person at a cute coffee shop. I will tell the host of the show all the characteristics I’m looking for in a new barn, along with some of the things that might be deal breakers such as being located right next to a major freeway across from a Major League Baseball stadium.

The Quest for a New Riding Facility

All of this might seem really crazy because at this point I don’t even have a horse. However, I’m preparing for the future. And to do that, I have to locate a place to ride and find a good trainer who can help me continue to hone my skills.

Since I don’t have a show host to guide me through the process, I will now share my choices with you lovely readers. I hope you can share your perspectives with me.

1. Personally Recommended Hunter/Jumper Barn Close to Work

Option Numero Uno is six miles from my school in a horsey neighborhood where I used to board DC, and there are lots of small private farms that do layups for the horses from Santa Anita Racetrack. The area is the closest to Kentucky that you will find in Southern California.

I discovered this option two weeks ago when I bumped into a former colleague at a hamburger joint during my lunch. My friend retired about five years ago and so I asked how her family has been. Her daughter taught with us for a couple of years in the early 2000s until she started having babies. Prior to her maternity leave which turned into a resignation, the daughter had an ex-racehorse that she would show.

“Is she still riding?” I asked.

The answer was no, but the baby (who is now in middle school) is riding and leasing a horse nearby! My antennae went up and I asked the name of the trainer.

I got the number for the trainer and left a long-winded voice mail. Something amazing happened: she called me back within 24 hours!

And she sounded nice.

The trainer and I played phone tag all last week. This morning I decided to send a text that said, “Just curious, do you teach adult riders? Do you have lesson horses as I am horseless at this point? If so, I’d be interested in a lesson one day after work if your schedule permitted. I’d love to connect with you as you come highly recommended by my friend’s mom.”

She responded yes, and that they have several different types of horses for lessons and that she’s off to a horse show this week, but her assistant will be around. I texted back that I would be happy to lesson with either herself or the assistant. She said to pass along my possible days and times and she would forward them to her assistant! This is very promising!

There is one big drawback I foresee, even if the trainer and I click: I probably won’t want to make the commute there on weekends and during the summer. I drive 80 miles round trip Monday through Friday during the school year. The thought of doing that trip again on the weekend just makes me tired.

2. 10 Miles from Home in Pretty Neighborhood with Cowboy Events

Today I went for a Sunday drive and found another boarding/training facility about 10 miles from my house. It was located in a pretty foothill neighborhood and had a big arena with colorful jumps in front. That really drew me in!

There was some kind of Western event going on in an indoor arena–cattle sorting I think. I noticed a few small “pastures” which were really decent sized for SoCal standards (but don’t get visions of Kentucky fields-nothing green in them).

The drawback: One of the trainers I have mixed views on. This person was very friendly and a good communicator when I took a few lessons from her when she was at a different equestrian center about four years ago. The memory I can’t shake is that she injected the horse I was about to hop on to take a jumping lesson. I never returned for another lesson.

 Maybe the injection wasn’t really a drug to calm the horse down and I jumped to conclusions at the time but wasn’t brave enough to just outright ask what the name of it was. Also, people can change over time. Or, I can bypass that person altogether and try out the dressage trainer. Or who knows–cattle sorting!

 

3. Close to Home with 24×24 Stalls and Miles of Trails

From a practicality standpoint, this is the option I would love to have work out. The five miles that I would drive to get there is all through suburban neighborhoods (no freeway!).

The facility is pretty good with several arenas and different types of stalls ranging from the traditional kind you would envision in the inside of a building such as in the colder climates, to the pipe corral stalls that have an overhang for shade. On the website it says they are adding in more turnout spaces. That’s a good sign.

Two years ago I took a lesson with a hunter trainer there. She seemed awesome, but I was puzzled when my follow up phone call and email were never returned. I reached out to her again a couple of weeks ago and have not heard back.

I called the equestrian center’s main number last week to ask some general questions about boarding. A few days later there was a voice mail from the barn manager. I called back that same day and left another voice mail. I haven’t heard back from them since. I’m still not sure what to think.

 

So, lovely readers, I’m eager to hear your perspectives. Please help me on this one. Two heads are better than one! Which one would you choose and why? Is there anything else I should be considering?

P.S. The gorgeous photo of my dream horse house is from iStockphoto.com.

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