training/board around dc?

[c&s]

So...I *know* this has come up before, but I can't find the old threads. So let's start a new one...

It looks like I will be working in DC (on the Mall) this summer - which means I need a place for me to live, and board for one or two horses (one is young and may stay with her current trainer if I'm not riding her regularly at that point). Ideally I'd take the Metro or maybe commuter train to work and back, then drive to a barn - I really hate sitting on jammed highways. So, my criteria are:
- good, effective, consistent, progressive lessons for me on my horse (perpetually somewhere between coming-back-from-winter and showing Second Level, with talent for much more than that)
- lessons and/or riding available after work (7ish?), preferably with other people around
- reasonable commute from DC
- a stall, with lots of turnout (group is fine)

Any recommendations? I know there are a bunch of you in this area. Feel free to PM too.

Thanks....

[dressagediosa]

Welcome to the area! My farm is in Marshall, VA, about an hour from central DC in good traffic. We meet all your criteria and raise you a stellar indoor; 135 beautiful, rolling acres for hacking and training; amenities like our 4-horse exerciser, indoor washrack and infared solarium; and access to top quality clinicians. Our website is in the middle of a re-do, but check us out at www.spriesersporthorse.com, or see more about me at www.laurensprieser.com. We'd love to show you around!

[LexInVA]

You forgot the best and most important thing....

[coloredhorse]

I really hate sitting on jammed highways.

Oh dear, then you are not going to enjoy the DC metro area. :lol::lol:

Given the location of your job, my advice would be to first decide where you are going to live. The commutable "DC metro area" is huge. Maryland or Virginia? Leetle place close-in or larger and further out? Rent or own?

Figure that out first, at least the Maryland versus Virginia question. Then target barns that are either a reasonable commute from your home, or that (ideal, but tough to achieve) lie between home and work. Decide if you'd rather live closer to work and have a long drive (with much of the hated sitting on highways if you plan to ride post-work) to the barn, or live closer to the barn and have a long daily commute to work. (Keep in mind, an hour-long commute is considered average to not-bad-at-all. And if you are told a driving time is a half-hour ... it's an hour. Odd thing about the area; everything is half an hour away, in theory and an hour-plus in reality! :winkgrin:)

I lived in that area (Virginia side) for 16 years. It's not the easiest place to live, work and do horsey things, but there is a large and diverse horsey population. If you accept living and/or doing the horsey thing far, far away from DC, there is a great horsey community. Tons of shows and educational opportunities. Lots to offer in terms of food, entertainment, culture, etc., too. I'm glad for the time Mr. CH and I spent up there ... and equally glad to no longer be living in the growing urban sprawl that characterized the area.

[FlyingMachine]

This is my trainer's website. He's available after 7, and the facility has all the amenities you listed. http://www.jotunheimensstaller.com I think he's having a clinic on March 28 if you want to check him out. I've been happy, and he's really helped my horse.

If you have questions about the DC area, the metro and parking, farriers, vets, etc, I'm happy to answer them.

[Speedy]

It is going to be tough here - you just can't have it all. It is a wonderful place for horses, but the traffic from the best places means that you will have a serious commute (probably not metro accessible) either to your horse or to your work.

Just to give you an example - I live in Vienna, exactly 12 miles from my office in downtown dc...on a good day, outside of rush hour, it takes 15 minutes to get to or from work...on a bad day, or in rush hour, it can be an hour or more. My horses are in Purcellville, they are exactly 42 miles away from my home in Vienna and it takes 40 minutes to get to or from the barn, on the toll road (at a whopping toll of $3.40 each way), at any time of day (the toll road, although expensive, is what makes my life bearable). When we lived in Dupont Circle, in downtown dc, it took at least 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to and from the barn. The move to Vienna was a compromise that my husband could live with - anything farther out would be a nightmare for him with his schedule.

If I were you, I would come and visit, stay in the area where you intend to live, find a barn you like and then do the commute several times during rush hour before making a final decision. There are a LOT of places around here that SOUND doable - and they are, in theory, but not in practice.

Good luck and welcome to the area!

[EasternMkt]

If you opt to board out in VA, you may want to choose to live somewhere near the West Falls Church metro station. That way, you can take the metro to/from work (bypassing some of the traffic and the HOV only lanes on 66) and drive out to the barn from your residence. I live on Capitol Hill but work in Tyson's, which is actually an easy (reverse) commute and I just head out to the barn directly after work. Traffic is manageble (even for this anti-commuter) and the drive home is a snap. I've heard that the Park & Rides fill up VERY early, so somewhere walkable to the metro could save you a lot of hassle.

[contesstant]

Definitely figure out where you might want to live. I would say your work commute would be most important. I don't know if anyone has advised you about "slugging" in this area, but it is essentially organized carpooling in NOVA, specifically along the I-95 corridor south of DC. My husband slugs from Springfield to the Pentagon and it takes him all of 35 minutes each way, door-to-door. Google DC slugging and you should get lots of information.

Board here in the whole area can be heinously expensive. I keep my horse at a trainer who is 2.5 hours away--mostly because we show the arab circuit so I need an arab trainer.

There are some good barns in Lorton near Ft. Belvoir that are about 10 minutes from Springfield. There are a gazillion barns out near Middleburg and in Loudoun and Prince William counties, but your commute would be AWFUL. Traffic in this area is a nightmare--there is no other way to describe it. Slugging or living VERY close to a metro are your best options. Springfield/Lorton/Woodbridge are nice for that because the metro is nearby and easy to get to. On bad weather days or days when slugging is not viable, my husband takes the metro which is a 45 minute commute.

I HIGHLY recommend living where you can get to a slug lot easily. People do slug into the district, or you can be a slug driver and drop folks off at the Pentagon on your way in. The benefit to slugs is they get to use the HOV lanes, which is a HUGE benefit on I-95!

Good luck. I myself can't wait to get out of this madhouse next fall.

[Trevelyan96]

Ugh, you have lots of options, but every option has a negative side if you own horses. Commuting by car to get to your barn will be the worst of your problems. If you want to live within a Metro accessible area, no matter what, you will probably have a nasty commute to your barn, as most of the best facilities are around an hour from the city and all of the main commuter routes within a 30 mile radius of the city are tough traffic wise.

In Maryland, though, I would recommend you look for a barn in upper Montgomery County, So. Howard., So. Anne Arundel, which includes the area south and east of Annapolis, or Calvert County. Lots of nice barns in all 3 places. Try not to live or board in Prince George's county, it has a very high crime rate, although Sharon Meyers at Chimney Hill Farm in Upper Marlboro has an excellent reputation as a trainer, and definitely can bring you up the levels. I can also highly recommend my old trainer, Mike Altiere. He works out of Hidden Springs Farm in Anne Arundel, although he's not a full time trainer and has been focusing more H/J, he has an excellent dressage background.

I'm in Charles County which is one of the more affordable rural areas within an hour of DC, but most of us down here keep our horses at home and trailer out for lessons. If you want an indoor (which I highly recommend) you're looking at a minimum of $550/mo. just for bare minimum care.

[rileyt]

I don't want to take anything away from the previous posters, (especially not dressagediosa who does have a lovely facility) but...

I work downtown, and I would not be caught dead trying to commute from DC, to Marshall, Mount Airy, or Purcelville after work. Honestly, if you are in a car, and you left your office at 5:30, you would be LUCKY to be in Marshall by 7 most nights, and it might well take you 90-120 minutes to get to Purcelville or Mount Airy. I think most people who do these commutes either a) do them only a few times a week; or b) work early or late so they're not driving in rush hour traffic.

Easily, part of the analysis for me, is that in addition to a job, and my riding, I have other responsibilities/hobbies (kids/husband, etc.) that I need time for too.

If you are a young person and plan on just working and riding, spending 90 minutes in the car each evening might not bother you.

But definitely find out where you'll be living, because you do not want to: A) criss-cross town (i.e., if you live in Fairfax County(west of city), you don't want your horse boarded in Prince Georges County (east of city); and B) you do not want to have to cross any bridges from MD to VA (or vice versa) if you don't have to.

I think there are some decent dressage barns in both Montgomery and PG County. Far fewer in Fairfax-- most everyone has moved out to Loudon or beyond. Dressage Diosa's place might be one of the few top quality dressage barns within 40 miles on the Virginia side. Another place to consider is Leesburg (probably just as far as Marshall). There is Marina Genn's place, and she's definitely qualified to take people through FEI (www.aaesva.com).

[technopony]

Having lived both in Maryland and Northern Virginia, and kept my horses in both states, I would definitely live in the state where you keep your horses. There are tons of dressage barns fairly close to DC on the Maryland side - the good barns in Virginia are a little farther out. Board in MD also is cheaper, in my experience.
When I was living in PG county, MD next to a metro station, I had a 20 - 30 minute ride to DC in rush hour. The closest dressage barn was a 20 minute commute... during rush hour, it took longer but was never awful, since highways were not involved (you do not want to be on a highway in the DC area at rush hour, which seems to span about half the day).

[LexInVA]

Having lived both in Maryland and Northern Virginia, and kept my horses in both states, I would definitely live in the state where you keep your horses. There are tons of dressage barns fairly close to DC on the Maryland side - the good barns in Virginia are a little farther out. Board in MD also is cheaper, in my experience.
When I was living in PG county, MD next to a metro station, I had a 20 - 30 minute ride to DC in rush hour. The closest dressage barn was a 20 minute commute... during rush hour, it took longer but was never awful, since highways were not involved (you do not want to be on a highway in the DC area at rush hour, which seems to span about half the day).

Fo sheezie.

[Capriole]

I work downtown, and I would not be caught dead trying to commute from DC, to Marshall, Mount Airy, or Purcelville after work. Honestly, if you are in a car, and you left your office at 5:30, you would be LUCKY to be in Marshall by 7 most nights, and it might well take you 90-120 minutes to get to Purcelville or Mount Airy. I think most people who do these commutes either a) do them only a few times a week; or b) work early or late so they're not driving in rush hour traffic.
I couldn't agree more. I lived in DC for three years and had exactly this commuting issue. I found that Montgomery County (MD) was the closest and most reasonable drive -- and it's still a solid hour. Vanessa Swartz at Windsor Manor in Sandy Spring and Periwinkle Farm in Spencerville are likely to be the closest. It's tough: the best facilities are farther out, almost certainly because land is cheaper there. But in terms of a regular, after work commute, Marshall, Mount Airy, etc. are just too far, IMO.

[c&s]

The commute's really what I'm afraid of - which is why I'm starting with the barn search rather than the place-to-live search. Also, this will only be for the summer (May-early August), complicating the whole living thing - although it's somewhat likely that if this whole adventure works out I'll be back permanently next year. (Assuming, of course, there are actually any jobs left by then...)

Please, keep the suggestions coming - I'm looking up websites with Google Maps at my side!

[CapitolDesign]

Can I take a moment to randomly vent... it took me 45 minutes to get from the intersection of 495 and 270 to the intersection of 495 and rte 7 tonight. FOURTY-FIVE minutes to go about 10 miles! I left the barn at 6:15 and got home at 8 p.m. I HATE D.C. traffic!:mad:

[x3]

As someone who has lived, worked, and boarded in Montgomery and PG Counties- don't knock PG. Crime is everywhere and there are sections of PG that are much safer than areas in Montgomery. I can't remember the number of stories about attacks on horses and robberies of barns that I've heard about in Montgomery- never heard of any in PG- although that doesn't mean they haven't occurred. All areas have good and bad places. Board is generally less expensive in PG and there are facilities to equal or exceed those in Montgomery.

OP, your best bet is to get a copy of the Equiery (available on line) and start making calls. There are some facilities that will not welcome a short-term boarder. Make some calls and then come for a visit. Come during the week so that you can experience our rush hour traffic. Remember, if you are here in the summer then driving east on Rt 50 in Maryland will trap you in Eastern Shore/beach traffic on Fridays but only once you get into Anne Arundel County.

If you are looking at short term options (after all, you're only planning to be here for the summer) find a fabulous barn and trainer and accept that you'll become a little more intimate with the interior of your car! I used to commute the entire Beltway every day. I used books on tape and actually enjoyed the commute.

Best of luck. The DC area is a wonderful place to live and work. The horse world is vital and active and you'll have a wonderful summer.

[Foxhound]

Hi There,
I just recently moved to Richmond, but for almost 9 years I worked in DC and commuted from Loudoun County (where I lived and rode). I've ridden with Alison Head at her Looking Glass Farm for almost 18 years now, and I can't say enough good things about her. WHile many people in the area claim to be FEI trainers, Alison is one of the few who has actually trained multiple horses, of all breeds and backgrounds, to FEI. Her farm is great, and very affordable for the area. You can find out more about her and the farm at www.lgfsporthorses.com

As for the commute, it is doable, especially in the summer. Traffic is definitely easier between Memorial and Labor Days. If your schedule is flexible enough to allow you to go in earlier and leave earlier, you can drive in without too much trouble. If you have a hybrid car, you can use the HOV lanes on the Dulles Toll Road, which definitely saves time. I usually carpooled or rode the Loudoun County Commuter Bus from Leesburg to downtown DC ($8 each way, free parking). Many employers in DC offer MetroChecks, a transit subsidy which will cover a good portion of your commuting costs. There is also a Park & Ride garage right off the Toll Road in the Herndon area. Buses from there to the West Falls Church Metro station cost $1, and run every few minutes.

One of the things that I love about Alison's barn is that the care is exceptional. My horses are both still there now, as I knew that I would not have to worry about them while I got settled in southeastern VA. My retired horse may very well stay there once I move my competition horse closer to my new home.

Best of luck. Feel free to PM me for more details about the dressage scene in the area.

[Alinera2]

I'm one of the people currently working in downtown DC (near the Capitol) & commuting to ride. Everybody's right, the traffic is incomprehensibly bad. I'm currently boarding at the best place I've ever boarded at after doing this for over 20 years. Problem is that it is the furthest I've ever traveled. I ride twice during the week & on the weekends. I do the early to work, early exit on riding days. My trainer's great & it's no problem for me to change my riding days if I have a work conflict. Among the questions you'll need to resolve is what's most important to you: care of the horse, commute to work, quality of the training, ability to flex your arrival & exit time at work, and how much driving is too much. I've boarded in most places in Montgomery County over the years & every place has strengths and weaknesses. If you haven't already done so, I hope you'll drive around, visit the various farms, meet the people & the trainers & see who & where you think is the right fit for you. As others have said, there are some terrific trainers & farms around the area. A lot depends on what your goals are & how you want to organize it all.

Feel free to PM me if you want any more information. Good luck!

[c&s]

Thanks again, everyone - and please keep the suggestions coming.

Of course, this all assumes I'll be able to RIDE on the knee I busted yesterday! Note to self: when dismounting from 17hh warmblood, bend your knees, and land on both feet. Grrr... (or is that duh?)

[technopony]

Can I take a moment to randomly vent... it took me 45 minutes to get from the intersection of 495 and 270 to the intersection of 495 and rte 7 tonight.

When my horses were in MD and I was in VA, I spent most of my life on that little stretch of highway... :mad:

[baylady7]

One thing to consider is how much you will be going to the barn during the work week- every day? twice a week, 3x? Will your trainer be able to work the horse for you a few days if you cannot make it out? How many times a week does your horse need work?

My preferred solution is to live right near work (20 minute walk or 2 stop metro ride) since I *have* to be there 5 days a week, and deal with the barn commute (3x a week usually). I live in Arlington (right next to DC) but board my guy in MD. The nearest stable to my house is Ft Myer (govt owned horses only used for funeral duties) and there is a small hunter type place on Rte 123 in McLean that runs close to $1K per month (no indoor, but only 15 minutes from home). The commute to VA at night would be next to impossible for me, which is why I ruled out alot of places in Loudon Cty, etc. In MD at least the traffic generally moves along, plus I am only on the beltway for 1-2 miles, then can go on local roads.
Check out the PVDA and VADA/NoVA websites/newsletters for ideas of who's who on the local scene.

[baylady7]

also traffic does lighten up a bit in the summer as all the $#@! mothers who *drive* their kids to school are not on the roads as much.

[Speedy]

Since you mentioned that this is temporary (May to August), my suggestion would be that you leave the horses at home and use the time to scope out the living/riding situation. If you end up coming back on a permanent basis, you will understand the challenges and have an idea of where you really want to be. Additionally, I think it's worth mentioning that you will not impress a prospective permanent employer in this environment with immediate requests to have flex time to accommodate your trips to the barn during the week. Focus, if you want the job, on the job. Everything else in good time.

[gailbyrd]

So...I *know* this has come up before, but I can't find the old threads. So let's start a new one...

It looks like I will be working in DC (on the Mall) this summer - which means I need a place for me to live, and board for one or two horses (one is young and may stay with her current trainer if I'm not riding her regularly at that point). Ideally I'd take the Metro or maybe commuter train to work and back, then drive to a barn - I really hate sitting on jammed highways. So, my criteria are:
- good, effective, consistent, progressive lessons for me on my horse (perpetually somewhere between coming-back-from-winter and showing Second Level, with talent for much more than that)
- lessons and/or riding available after work (7ish?), preferably with other people around
- reasonable commute from DC
- a stall, with lots of turnout (group is fine)

Any recommendations? I know there are a bunch of you in this area. Feel free to PM too.

Thanks....

You have a PM

[fordtraktor]

Since you mentioned that this is temporary (May to August), my suggestion would be that you leave the horses at home and use the time to scope out the living/riding situation. If you end up coming back on a permanent basis, you will understand the challenges and have an idea of where you really want to be. Additionally, I think it's worth mentioning that you will not impress a prospective permanent employer in this environment with immediate requests to have flex time to accommodate your trips to the barn during the week. Focus, if you want the job, on the job. Everything else in good time.

While I agree impressing your employer is key, you can still do that with a horse.

When I was a summer associate, I lived in Leesburg with my grandparents and kept my horse at a neighbor's place. I got up at 4:30, fed and cared for the horse, and was on the road by 5:30 so I could get across the key bridge before HOV started. I was at my desk by 7 or 7:15. I left work around 6 (later as necessary for work), went home, rode, fed horse, and fell into bed.

It was not ideal, but I always approach short periods of time with the idea that I can do anything for three months. Besides, it was good preparation for big-firm trial work, where getting 15 minutes of sleep a night, if any, is common -- and you still have to be on your A game.

[trooper345]

I live in Leesburg, commute to Arlington to work and my barn is in Bluemont. I am at an AMAZING dressage barn (www.riversideequestrian.org) really love it there. Everyone there is great and Terry, the owner/trainer is super flexible with time. It is alot of driving but I plan to get to work early and am out and on the road by 3/3:30 most days. (lucky I have a flexible boss). Take me about 50 minutes to get from Arlington to Bluemont, not too bad!