# Considerations when buying horse property?



## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Great book! There are so many things to consider, and a lot of it is regional considerations, such as wetlands, floodplains, zoning restrictions and more.

With our property I really should have figured out where the leach lines were located. We have 4.2 acres and a mini cliff separating a triangle of about 1.5 acres. I would have loved to make it a pasture area, but the leach lines are right there and the soil is not conductive to having hoof wear over the lines there.

A really great site for getting soils info so you can have an idea of percolation rates, water holding capacity, and a TON of other neat info is web soil survey:
Web Soil Survey - Home
I work with this system for my day job, so feel free to ask for any tips


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

I have just under 6 acres and I wish I had gone ahead and increased it to 10 acres when I had the chance to buy the rest.


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## david in md (Jun 13, 2013)

I occassionally work with small acreage horse properties in my day job. The two biggest mistakes I see are check that zoning allows horses at all or the number of horses you might want. Also check neighborhood/development covenants that might restrict horses. Also check the soils that they are suitable for pasture and year around solid footing. I've seen lots of newer subdivisions include larger lot horse properties. Most of the time these are there because the soils are too wet to be divided into additional home lots.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If there's an existing house you need to find out how good the well is and how many gallons per minute and if there's even been a time it was too low to serve the house. If it's vacant property, not serviced by the town, then again, the question of a well is priority, unless you are willing to put in a large underground cistern and have water trucked in.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

First, zoning. You will be forced out if you live next to a residential community. THEY will change your zoning in the courts FOR you, so don't look to buy close to any residential area.
Second, check the water supply. I spoke to a horse/owner trainer who lives less than 10 miles from me. Farmland fertilizer made it's way into their wells and their horses were being partially paralyzed. 
Third, accept nothing less than 5 acres. I have lived on 5 acres for 15 years and I couldn't have done my horsekeeping with less than that. EVEN THOUGH I am working on my pastures bc of some years of drought, and now feeding hay throughout the summer, in good years my horses have been on 4 acres of pasture six months of the year, and filled in and healthy.
Fourth, REAL HOUSE!!! If you live in a house now, you won't be happy living in a trailer.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Don't trust the realtor to know the rules or restrictions on a property. Go to the Courthouse yourself & talk to someone in zoning, ask to see the actual paperwork & any further plans for the area.

I had put accepted offers on 3 places that had I bought I wouldn't have been able to do some of the things I wanted although the selling realtor said "sure."
Put a contingency on offers.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Great, thanks for your input!


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Pay attention to the drainage and make sure you visit the property after a hard rain if at all possible. The most perfect seeming properties can become complete unusable mud holes after it rains, particularly when the sun's not out to dry everything up. Not being able to ride for a day or so may not be that big of a deal, but when it takes several days for your riding area to dry out then that's no fun.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Drainage, you don't want your horses standing in a swamp every time it rains.

If it already has a barn you want the barn to be sitting a little higher than the ground around it. If you build the barn either put it on a high point or bring in some extra dirt to raise your build site.

I second the "at least 5 acres". More if you can swing it.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Know that horses are like potato chips, you can't have just 1. Know that if you're zoned for 10 horses max, you will have 10 horses before 2 years is up. 

Think about who will care for the place when you're gone, for instance vacation? 

If you don't have the horses now, I would think about buying less house and paying more for closer, better board. That way you could see the horses more often but not be tied to a property.


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## EncinitasM (Oct 5, 2014)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Know that horses are like potato chips, you can't have just 1. Know that if you're zoned for 10 horses max, you will have 10 horses before 2 years is up.


I'm curious why you say this. I understand that you'd like to have at least 2 or 3 horses so they can keep each other company and establish a herd but uncontrollably acquiring 10? Why do you feel this is inevitable?


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Know that horses are like potato chips, you can't have just 1. Know that if you're zoned for 10 horses max, you will have 10 horses before 2 years is up.


Meh - not me. I got one. Got a second because "everyone" said I "had" to. Had 2 for years, now am back to one and would never go back to 2.

I've never bought a "horse" property. Just rural and the horses came along later just because. I don't consider 4 acres rural, but maybe in your area it is. The dynamics of living in a rural area can be different with neighbours. Try to get an idea of who your current neighbours are. While the people might change, the "attitude" tends to stay - good or bad.

Go to the county/town hall and ask about any by-laws that might affect horse ownership. Zoning might allow something, but a by-law might not. If you're going to have to build, check with the building inspector about your future plans.

Be sure of your property lines. Don't trust the realtor to know them. Ours certainly didn't. Get a copy of the survey or plan; go out and walk the lines yourself. Use a GPS. If unsure, get a pro to help you.

Get title insurance.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

MarkInEncinitas said:


> I'm curious why you say this. I understand that you'd like to have at least 2 or 3 horses so they can keep each other company and establish a herd but uncontrollably acquiring 10? Why do you feel this is inevitable?


Because most horse people LOVE horses and there are always horses that need a home. It's not a matter of "uncontrollably" acquiring horses, just somehow you always creep above the number you say you want, and I've found that if someone says a range (2-4 or 4-6) they will inevitably end up with the higher number. And rescue volunteers are the WORST at staying at their lower numbers. 

Case in point: We brought my old QH home to retire on 1.5 acres in Apple Valley. Looked for 1 additional horse to keep him company. Laughed out loud at the girl at the feed store that told me I wouldn't have just 1 or even 2. Found the one horse that needed a home to come be his company. Then a now defunct rescue called and said they'd had to take a mare back but had nowhere to put her could I pleeeeeez? There's number 3. Then a family member needed a place for their horse.........here's #4. #4 came and never left, family member had no interest in him. Our limit was 6 horses, between the rescues and friends who just needed a place for a little while, we never had less than the max # we were zoned for, 6 horses. Doesn't matter if you own them all or not, you still end up caring for your max number of horses somehow. 

Now I live on a farm with a lot more acreage. I have been up to 60 horses, when I was trying to rehome horses from an entire herd, and now I'm "down to" 8 horses and hoping once I get a couple more going reliably under saddle to take the numbers down a couple more. As soon as I do and have a couple of empty stalls in the barn, I have no doubt at all about being asked to rehome or board a couple more, it just seems to ebb and flow like that. :lol:


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

DuckDodgers said:


> Pay attention to the drainage and make sure you visit the property after a hard rain if at all possible. The most perfect seeming properties can become complete unusable mud holes after it rains, particularly when the sun's not out to dry everything up. Not being able to ride for a day or so may not be that big of a deal, but when it takes several days for your riding area to dry out then that's no fun.


I know somebody up the road who built a multimillion dollar house, barn and arena on 1 acre. The other 79 acres flood every Spring.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

I appreciate the personal anecdotes and warnings!

It's rare to find horse properties within driving distance of my downtown Dallas office, so most in my price range receive multiple offers within HOURS of being listed on the market! I'm trying to acquaint myself with my target areas as much as possible, so I can be ready to jump on "the one."


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Make sure there are no endangered species of plants or animals on the acreage, that can cause you no end of problems.


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