Moving to Chicago

[Equus_girl]

I'm planning on moving to Chicago next spring and started looking for barns. So far, I havent found anything :( I'm looking for good facilities as close to downtown Chicago as possible with dressage and hunter trainers. Any recommendations, anyone? Any help is highly appreciated.
Thank you
PS. Also, if anyone had an experience of moving horse from Northern California to Illinois, I would love to hear the feedback.

[dwblvr]

Do you plan to live downtown or in the burbs? There are several great facilities in the burbs, including Wisconsin (A LOT of people commute from downtown to Wisconsin to board their horses). Are you looking for lots of turnout for your horses?

[FEIwannabe]

There is NOTHING anywhere near downtown.
There are a couple of places that are in the near north suburbs, but I wouldn't recommend them. Besides, they have no real dressage and no turnout.
I think most people commute to their barns.

If you know where you'll be living (northside, westside, southside, north, west or south suburbs or the exurbs) we can help you with names of places. Otherwise, if you are downtown, make sure you're near a highway and then you can pick a barn that's not too far off the highway. That way your commute is diminished a bit. There are some highways I would stay away from if at all possible.

Just remember, as a general rule, the barns that are further away tend to be less expensive and have the ability to have more land for turnout (not that they all do).

[kwpnWB]

I am in NWIndiana, and have lived in IL as well. IF you are willing to travel a little bit I am willing to give you a couple of names.

Travel time would be anywhere from 35-55 minutes!

[happyrider]

An early welcome to Chicago. There's a lot to enjoy in and around the area, I hope you are looking forward to relocating.

I agree with an earlier poster - having a better idea of where you intend to work and live will allow people to provide more relevant suggestions. It's difficult to commute across some areas (like living on the northside and keeping your horse on the southside). Also, like most large cities the number of boarding options decreases with the proximity to the city. Ditto for veterinarian and farrier recommendations.

You've probably already got this covered but having an idea of ranking the desired attributes of barns will help you narrow your choices further. Is a large indoor a priority for you? What about heating ...it gets a bit chilly here in the winter :-) Turnout with or without grass? Resident trainer?

You also asked for information relative to moving a horse from Northern California to Chicago. You've probably already thought of these things but just in case...I'd look into differences in local feed (e.g. hay in the Illinois area tends to be deficient in selenium) and environment. I'm not sure if there are differences in the vaccinations (West Nile is an issue here) in this area versus N. CA but your vet should be able to advise you on it. Bugs are fierce here in the summer so if your horse isn't used to them you may need to invest in a fly sheet/mask etc. to help with the transition.

If you and your horse aren't used to winter it may take some planning and adjustment. Horses from more moderate climates may not be used to walking on ice and if you aren't used to handling horses on it then simply find someone to help you both out a few times learning to get the horse to walk slow etc. Blanketing is an art form. Weather changes throughout the day. Your horses coat won't automatically get thicker when moving to a colder climate - most of the coat change is driven based on the length of day...so if your barn's lights are on from 7 am to 10 pm they may not get much of a coat regardless of whether the barn is heated or not. Mine don't grow coats since our lights are on from 7-10 so they get extra blankets before going out.

I'm not sure how cost varies from the N. CA area but I'm under the impression that Chicago's not the most inexpensive area for boarding. I've got my horse a little over an hour (about 35 miles) out of the city at a nice facility (so/so turnout, good indoor and outdoor arena footing, no resident trainer, good feeding, so/so barn management/handling) but not an outstanding one and the board is $550 per month and likely going up.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like more information.

Good luck, I hope you and your horse arrive safely and enjoy the change.

[Equus_girl]

Thank you a lot for replies, everyone! I really appreciate your help, as I dont know where to start with the move. We havent decided yet when exactly to move, but hopefully next spring-summer, when I will be done with my grad school. Bay Area and California are great, but I'm fed up with it :)
We are hoping to get something around Gold Coast or Wrigleyville, so I guess I need to get myself ready for the commute :O In California, my horse is about 25 minutes drive away, which gives me the opportunity to be there every day. I guess, this will have to change, until we move to the burbs.
As for what Im looking for, of course its not possible to get your dream arrangements, but my guy needs turnout, and if possible an attached run or paddock (are those common in Mid-West?) Situation when he is out during the day and in the stall at night will probably work too, but he is not doing fine being locked up in the stall :( Im a greenish horse owner and rider, so I would prefer an in-house trainer to keep an eye on myself and the horse.
Another question I have is when it would be the best time to move the horse. Jax is from New Zealand, and got here last May, when it was winter in NZ. He has just now finally shedded off his year old "winter" coat, so I think he is more or less getting used to the seasons here. So, I was thinking mid-spring would probably be the best time to get him moved, what do you think? This way, he will still have his winter coat, and will move into summer as normal, and then we will both have to get used to the winter :eek:

[dwblvr]

I lived in the Gold Coast for 8 years and loved being in the mix of things. another area to look at is Lincoln Park.:yes: As for barns, I primarily know of the barns on the north side of the state. If you are looking for a combination of hunter and dressage and turnout as well as stalls with attached run for when it gets warm, the only place i can think of that meets all these "requirements" if you will is Sunflower. The barn manager there is Phil. It is located in Bristol Wisconsin, which is just on the Illinois/Wisconsin border. It is a great facility. You can also look into Fields and Fences, which is in Gurnee, Illinois. They have hunters and dressage, i think primarily hunters. I've also heard positive things about Kelly Stables and a barn called "First Class" something - they are just over the Wisconsin/Illinois border as well. Silverwood is also another great place to board because they have fantastic turnout and several dressage rings (they hold a lot of the mid-west events and dressage shows) but there aren't any hunters. Fireside is a beautiful barn and is just next door to silverwood - not sure about their turnout and you can only train with their trainer (dressage). There is also Tempel Farms, and it is a gorgeous facility, but you pay for it! Keep in mind that during the winter, your horse is going to be inside with no attached run to enjoy - it's extremely cold and the snow gets old really fast. also, the spring time here can be rather chilly - we went from 82 on Sunday to 42 yesterday, with a high in the 50s and it's almost June! The weather is very unpredictable, but i think waiting until Spring is smart - i would just make it late spring - like late April/May. Most barns will work with you when it comes to blankets and sheets. I hope this at least gives you some reference points. I know it seems like a far drive, but if you want your horse to have a good home, these are all great facilities. :yes:

[ybiaw]

Welcome!!!! Congratulations on your decision to move to the best city in the country! :winkgrin:

I am a H/J rider, but the title of this thread caught my eye. I, like dwblvr, also recommend Fields & Fences and Silverwood.

Fields & Fences - www.fieldsandfences.com
36550 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee, IL 60031
e-mail-us@fieldsandfences.com
I believe Anita Schadeck is the contact person there, but I'm not 100% sure.
The phone # is 847-244-4121

Silverwood - www.silverwoodfarm.net
28426 98th street, Trevor,WI 53179
dressage@silverwoodfarm.net
Howard Nelson/Lisa Froehlig
Phone# 262-889-4700

[Equus_girl]

Thank you, all for replies!
At least now I have where to start with :) Isn't it funny how it works with horse people- I havent started looking for a job, we dont have a place, but I am already looking for boarding :)
I'm planning to spend about a week over Labor Day, so this will give me a chance to drive around and take a look at all the places.
Thank you again, everyone!

[FEIwannabe]

I board at Sunflower.
It's a great place. It's really big. Phil is a sweetheart and always trys to accomodate all boarder requests.
One of the barns has run outs attached. You can request one of those. They will accomodate as best as they can. You may have to wait for an opening in that barn tho.
Turn out is from 7am-ish till 2pm-ish. Great care. Great footing. 4 in house dressage trainers (all very good). I think 2 in house HJ trainers and a dressage trainer working with one of the HJ trainers to help her students with flat work.

I used to board at F&F. It's not a bad place, but for the amount of money, I got more at Sunflower, so I was willing to add the extra 12 min to my commute. Turn out is limited at F&F.

PM me if you want more details on either of those places.

Sunflower Farms http://www.sunflowerfarms.com

[Dressage_Julie]

I'm planning on moving to Chicago next spring and started looking for barns. So far, I havent found anything :( I'm looking for good facilities as close to downtown Chicago as possible with dressage and hunter trainers. Any recommendations, anyone? Any help is highly appreciated.
Thank you
PS. Also, if anyone had an experience of moving horse from Northern California to Illinois, I would love to hear the feedback.

Hi there!
I live downtown and keep my horse at a new barn in Burr Ridge called Laegacy USA. It is primarily a dressage barn, but the owner does take jumping lessons from a trainer that comes to the barn. You can take a look at the website for more information: http://www.legacyusastables.com/main.html?src=

I live by Wrigleyfield and work full time. I leave my condo at 6:30 and arrive at the barn normally by 7:15... the barn is only about a mile or two from the expressway so it is super easy to get to! PM me if you have any additional questions!

[dbadaro]

try using this site: www.polocenter.com

you can look up barns by city. if you google a map of chicago it will be a lot easier to find which cities are closest. everyone pretty much answered the other questions. wrigleyville is on the northside, but there are plenty of really really nice barns in barrington. they can be pricey there though.

[SeymourSimon2]

The new stable in Burr Ridge is really easy to get to and very nice by the way. They are mainly dressage, but have a jumping instructor (A-circuit I think) that comes in weekly. Legacy Stables has a website: www.legacyusastables.com. They are on the South West side of Chicago off of I-55 and Highway 83. (Finally something on our side of the neighborhood!)