Shopping for Horse Property:

What Makes a Property Suitable for Horses

Part 2 in a 3 part series

In Part I we talked about the reasons for moving to the country.  In Part II of this three part series we’ll review some of the important natural features to consider when shopping for a new home in the country.

One of the first things to consider in buying horse property is soil type.  Unfortunately it’s usually one of the last things us horse people think about!  There is a good reason to pay attention to dirt; now you are going to be “farming” and you need to think like a farmer.  And a good farmer knows his soil.  While you won’t be growing a crop per se, you will be growing grass and caring for horses, both of which depend on the right soil type.  Loamy, organic soils are going to be best for pastures.  Gravely, well-drained soils are better for buildings and confinement areas as they will contribute the least amount of mud problems.

It would be wise to check with your USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), your local conservation district, Cooperative Extension or in Canada the nearest Agriculture Canada office. The NRCS or another of these agencies can give you all sorts of useful information about the soils on the place you are looking at.  If you will be building, use this information to help in determining where to locate structures such as barns, paddocks, pastures and your home.  If buildings are already in place, soils information can tell you if the current locations are suitable, i.e., will the paddock areas always have a mud problem because the soil is wet and mucky, or will the pastures never be very productive because the soil there is too rocky?  Or is the whole place situated on boggy, wetlands-type soil that will keep your horses (and you!) knee-deep in mud and surrounded by annoying insects?  Having the soils appropriate for your needs in the right places will make life much easier for you down the road. 

The vegetation present on the property will also give you important information about the place you’re considering.  Different classes of vegetation tend to grow in specific areas.  For example, if you see sedges, rushes and hardhack growing in pasture areas this indicates that these areas are wet, probably too wet to have horses on them possibly until the very end of summer.  Skunk cabbage and cattails indicate wetlands -- no place for pasture or livestock.  Believe it or not, I have been to many barns and paddocks that have wetlands plants growing all around them.  These structures were unwisely placed in low, wetlands types soils and areas.  Check your conservation district, local library or extension office for a listing of plants, trees and shrubs native to your areas as well as a listing for the types of soils and conditions they prefer.  Using this as a guideline, the existing vegetation will give you more information on what uses the property will be able to handle as a horse facility. 

Topography and drainage are two other important considerations.  Visit your prospective place in the rainy season and during a storm event.  See how the water runs and WHERE it runs.  Does it all roll off that hill behind the barn down into the confinement areas?  Or does it gently drain into the pastures and paddocks away from buildings?  During the winter months is there a creek running through the middle of the paddocks?  Or have paddocks been located in a high, well-drained place?   How water flows across a piece of property can tell you a lot about how you will need to set-up and manage your horses and farm. 

Make a list of all natural features such as creeks, wetlands or ponds.  While these things may be aesthetically pleasing and wonderful wildlife areas, there are important laws that protect these areas.  In many cases you will be required to fence off creeks, wetlands and water bodies, possibly as much as one hundred to several hundred feet.  Local zoning and environmental regulations are becoming increasingly restrictive; learn about what you can and cannot do to the environment before you buy. 

In part III, we’ll look at the man-made structures on your potential new horse farm as well as their suitability.

Until then, good horsekeeping to you!

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Upcoming Horses for Clean Water Events…

WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA:

The HCW Horse Farm Management Series   Full 5-week series.  Learn great ways to care for your horse while reducing mud, managing manure, getting rid of weeds, making pastures productive, controlling insects – and more!  Bayview Cash Store Community Meeting Room, Langley, WA.  Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 9pm, March 1^st to 29^th.  $15/person for 5-week series. To register or for more details contact the Whidbey Island Conservation District at 360-678-4708 or whidbeycd@coupeville.net.

VASHON ISLAND, WA:

Tour a Vashon Island Breeding Farm – FREE educational tour of an Arabian breeding farm.  This farm features mudless confinement areas for each of the 13 horses, composting bins for manure management, & 7 acres of pasture with cross fencing. Vashon Island, WA. Saturday, March 19th, 10am - noon. To register and receive a map contact the King Conservation District at 206-764-3410, ext. 125 or Roseanne.Campagna@kingcd.org.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WA:

Mud, Manure, Pasture & Wildlife Management for Horse Owners  Learn about exciting techniques that will turn your horse farm around – from mud and manure to dry paddocks & compost bins.  Thursday evenings, 6 to 9pm, March 24^th to April 14^th.  Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum, WA. To register or for more details contact the Whidbey Island Conservation District at 360-678-4708 or whidbeycd@coupeville.net.

The HCW Horse Farm Management Series   Full 5-week series.  Learn great ways to care for your horse while reducing mud, managing manure, getting rid of weeds, making pastures productive, controlling insects – and more!  Bayview Cash Store Community Meeting Room, Langley, WA.  Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 9pm, March 1^st to 29^th.  $15/person for 5-week series. To register or for more details contact the Whidbey Island Conservation District at 360-678-4708 or whidbeycd@coupeville.net..