Where would you board in No. San Diego Country?

[53]

Vista, Fallbrook, Bonsall, San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Rancho Santa Fe.....

Temecula/Galway area is too far out for boarding, but can travel out that way for lessons.

I'm moving from NC to CA, things to be aware of? I grew up in No. CA, and am familiar with pipe pen boarding, etc.

I'm working my personal contacts, but would love more input!

Thank you!

[HrsJmpr81]

Fallbrook and Oceanside are both nice. Look on a map at where some of the places are...There are some cities which will be further inland than others. Generally, the weather there is a little more like Nor Cal weather - pretty hot and dry in the summer, chillier in the winter.

Any cities on the coastal side of the hills will have milder weather year round. Winters will be warmer, summers will be "cooler" - usually not higher than low to mid 90s in the summer, not much cooler than 50s or 60s in winter. I remember it getting into the 40s when I was a kid, and that was a HUGE deal. Plus you'll get the fantastic coastal breeze I miss so much.

I'm sure you're familiar with the fact that all pastures are dry lots because its damned expensive to even try to get them green. Feed is mostly alfalfa and some sort of grass or oat hay. Some places will only feed pelleted or cubed hays. Most barns in southern California are HUGE by the rest of the country's standards - usually 100 to 500 horses. I've seen a handful with fewer, but not a lot. There's not a ton of open space for people to set up barns, so most boarding facilities are set up to handle the need in those areas.

I'm not sure what the prevalent riding style is around there. In the major cities it tends to lean towards english (h/j, dressage) and in the outlying areas like Riverside, Norco, etc it tends to lean more towards western and rodeo events. But a lot of barns have a pretty good mix of both.

Hmmm...not sure what else to say. I grew up in So Cal, move to Nor Cal for college and now live in VA...so I don't remember everything. But if you ever get the chance, go up to Norco and just bask in the equestrian awesomeness. Oh, and in Corona, there's a FANTASTIC consignment tack store call the Thrifty Horse.

[Ponylady27]

What sort of barn are you looking for? How much do you want to spend?

For eventing you can go out to Copper Meadows in Ramona and train with Jennifer Wooten. They have a barn and pipe pens. www.copper-meadows.com

Sarah Vandenberg is out at Lucidi Farms in Poway.

Harmony Grove Equestrian Center has a part-time event trainer and some dressage trainers. They have nice barn stalls, pipe pens and have several arenas and a galloping track. That's in Escondido. There's a few other places out in Harmony Grove.

There's a few barns in Fallbrook. One - Fairbrook Farms - hosts George Morris each year and has arena and grass jump areas. www.fairbrookfarm.com

Lots in Rancho Santa Fe and Olivenhain, not event barns but good dressage and H/J barns.

There's lots of smaller places you could board. The really large ones that the previous poster talks about are more up in Orange County, but there are still plenty of small ones even there. You're really moving to a great place for horses. You'll have no problem finding something! Check out Riding magazine and the California Horsemen's Directory for ads and info.

Thrifty Horse has moved to Sixth street in Norco.

You can PM me if you have more questions.

[53]

I'm fairly adaptable to any type of barn as long as my horses are safe, aren't in a 12x12 24/7 (not opposed to pipe pen living), are well fed, and I have access to good all weather footing and lights. I would love access to more than just an arena, but can make do.

I'd like to keep it under $600/horse, not sure if I'm bringing one or two.

Thanks for the advice so far!

[1516]

Copper Meadows has a great trainer (4* rider Jennifer Wooten) and a cross-country course on site.

[JER]

Copper Meadows is a nice place but it's pretty remote. It's also unforgivingly hot during much of the year.

[Ponylady27]

Keeping it under $600 per horse pretty much nixes everything in Rancho Santa Fe, Olivenhain & Del Mar. I'm not sure what the board is out at the two places on Old El Camino Real in Del Mar (names escaping me right now).
Or you can try Pomegranate Hill in RSF - they have pens and stalls. Footing there is tough when it rains, though and I'm not sure if they have lights.

San Diego County is a big area and if you can narrow it down, you'll have more success with suggestions. You can look in to Valley Center, Bonsall and San Marcos as well. There's a few places in San Marcos off Twin Oaks Valley Road. Legacy Farms is one - they have a website - another is Discovery Valley Farms. Call tack stores like Mary's, Custom Saddlery and BITS to check their recommendations.

Good luck!

[53]

I don't think I can afford RSF, Del Mar, etc, if I only have one horse, then yes, that will be workable.

As far as narrowing down the area...we're still looking for a house too, so we're still painting the picture with broad strokes so to speak.

DH will be working at Camp Pen and I may or may not be working at Miramar, if that helps.

Thank you!

[horsestablereview]

We just added a mapping feature to HorseStableReview.com (http://www.horsestablereview.com) which may be able to help you in your search.

We're working on adding barns but since it's just the two of us and we both work full-time (and I have two horses on top of that), it's taking awhile. We appreciate it when you post barns that you know about and review them as well!

We've also added a feature that allows barn managers to control the content and respond to reviews. Tell your barn manager to visit the site and tell your fellow barn friends. It's free advertising! and it's a great way to hear insider's opinions about barns before moving.

[bip]

I'm not sure what the board is out at the two places on Old El Camino Real in Del Mar (names escaping me right now).


You are probably thinking of Ridgemar and Rancho El Camino Equestrian Center. I'm not sure about the latter, but for the former you have to be in training with one of the on-site trainers. Or at least, you did when I boarded there ~5 years ago before moving back east. You can PM me if you are considering it (board was fairly reasonable back then, dunno about now).

There must be some good choices in San Marcos and Fallbrook, I know I always lamented living in the UCSD area because the nice farms all seemed to be in north county. Maybe the grass was just greener!

[carrie_girl]

A lot is going to depend on where you wind up living/working too. That North County traffic can really be brutal, and you would be smart to keep that in mind. Finding a barn that is the opposite direction as the traffic is probably a really good idea.

[53]

As I do more searching I'm really leaning toward the Vista/San Marcos and Bonsall/Fallbrook areas.

carrie - off the top of your head do you remember the traffic patterns on the 76, 78 and 15?

Thanks!

[TBCollector]

I know E talked to you about Faubus Farms in Fallbrook...but it's right on the 76 and that makes me a little nervous (anything you'd be looking at in Fallbrook/Bonsall would be off the 76). Traffic is not a problem except between 8-9 a.m., and that's people driving TO Oceanside.
There are some really nice places near the San Luis Rey Equine hospital...they don't really advertise but they do offer boarding. The people at the hospital could probably hook you up (Chris at the front desk is great) or when you go out there just drive around and see for yourself. Lots of trees and shade...hard to find something nicer. There are a couple of bigger places near the SLR training center, too.
Still have your shirt. Now covered in dog hair, both Clyde and Poodge.

[53]

TBC - great points thank you!
Would San luis Rey be too far to drive from San Marcos?

I'll call and ask Chris.

Also, sending you a text, totally not thread related :-)

[poltroon]

Keep in mind when you're looking at prices that boarding in California is usually a la carte, meaning the cost of the stall usually only comes with one cleaning and with hay. Turnout is extra, blanketing is extra, flymasks are extra, holding the horse for the vet/farrier is extra, feeding supplements is extra, etc. At some places you may be charged extra for hay rather than cubes, or for a tack locker, or for a place to store any extra feed or supplements. Those extra charges can easily add $200-$400 above the basic board price. When you're comparing places, make sure you are comparing bills accurately. I found that the most expensive basic board ended up being quite moderate because there were fewer of those extra charges.

[carrie_girl]

The 15 is terrible going south in the morning and going north in the afternoon/evenings. I know the 78 can be bad too, but I'm not sure which directions, I don't live in N. County.

[I ride Gibson]

I think you should reconsider Temecula, because Erin Kellerhouse (swiftridge eventing) is fantastic. PM me if you need contact info.

[Ponylady27]

If hubby is at Camp Pendelton, you could live in Fallbrook, he could use the backside gate and you could do Temecula easily. I second the recommendation for Erin! But, if you can't board with her she does do trailer-ins. I have friends who are at a co-op barn in Vista who do that regularly. I'm not sure if they have space, though. If you want me to check in on that and $$, PM me.

Working in Miramar you'll hit traffic on the 15 n through Rancho Bernardo in the afternoons, but then it opens up. In the mornings it's slow going S from about the 78 until Rancho Bernardo. It's not hideous, Orange County traffic, but can be pretty bad. The 78 is slow going west in the morning and going east in the afternoon. Same for the 76. I avoid the 76 if possible.

I was just at a place in Fallbrook called Del Rio farms. It's really cute and shady and the footing seemed to be well maintained. The trainer is the owner (don't know her at all) and the boarders seem to be happy there.

[TBCollector]

She knows, she knows...:winkgrin: She just wants to keep her ponies close by.
Gibson? As in the adorable mare Gibson that was in Erin's barn last year?


I think you should reconsider Temecula, because Erin Kellerhouse (swiftridge eventing) is fantastic. PM me if you need contact info.

[53]

she knows, she knows, sigh.....

i think its just too far for everyday

but DO plan to go out for lessons

[hey101]

It's not hideous, Orange County traffic, but can be pretty bad. The 78 is slow going west in the morning and going east in the afternoon. Same for the 76. I avoid the 76 if possible.



So yet again I'm doing my annual soul-search on whether I want to have my horses at home again and triple my commute, or stick with the status quo.

Ponylady- I know you are all over OC and SD Counties with your job. When you say the 78 is "slow" in the morning going west, do you mean a rolling 40 mph slow, or a deadstop-start-stop slow like on the 5/405 around Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Cap? Mapquest is telling me about an hour to Irvine and I need to be at work by 7:30am, so if I leave Escondido/ San Marcos around 6:15-6:30, that could work... right? Is traffic "slow" by 6:30 in the morning?

We've seen some really nice places in Escondido and San Marcos where I could have the horses at home again. Trouble is, I work in Irvine and I like my job. And now is not such a hot time to be looking for another job, ya know? ;) I also really like where I board (turnout issues excepted), the trainers I work with, the social aspect of the barn.

So yet again I'm debating whether I want to drive an hour each way in exchange for coming home to my horse(s) in the backyard, happy and content because they have been on turnout all day and not in a 24x24 pen...