Downtown Chicago?

[rttigrl]

Chicagoland Peeps:

I have been approached with a VERY interesting career opportunity in downtown Chicago.

From my (admittedly limited) research, it seems to be impossible to live/work in Chicago and ride at all seriously (due to urban congestion). I've always crossed Chicago off my list of acceptable places for this reason before, but maybe I'm missing something?

I don't have to move or change jobs at all, but this opportunity sounds SO. GREAT. And I've heard nothing but great things about the city itself--sound like a blast (apart from the riding thing).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[foundationmare]

Well, I can't address your riding question at all, but I would give my eye teeth to have a great job in Chicago!

[sublimequine]

There's a TON TON TON of barns to ride at in the suburbs of chicago, anywhere from 20 minutes away to an hour. I used to board at a barn that was about 45 minutes away from the city, and another one that was 30 minutes from the city.

[grandprixjump]

There's a TON TON TON of barns to ride at in the suburbs of chicago, anywhere from 20 minutes away to an hour. I used to board at a barn that was about 45 minutes away from the city, and another one that was 30 minutes from the city.

As long as, your last name is Brach anyway.

[quicksilverponies]

Chicago is a fun city with a lot of great activities, but be aware that the cost of living is high and the traffic is horrendous. My daughter is a Pharma Rep in Chicago with Eli Lilly and makes a great salary, but she HATES driving in the traffic daily - a 30 minute trip can take up to 2 hours or more - and it costs quite a bit more to live there than in many other cities.

[rttigrl]

Well, I can't address your riding question at all, but I would give my eye teeth to have a great job in Chicago!


And I would give my eye teeth to have a great job in upstate NY where I could buy a farm! :lol:

I'm not too worried about cost of living there, as I'd be moving from California (so just about anywhere else seems pretty reasonable).

What are some of the boarding options that are closer to the city? Total driving time in traffic? Board rates? Surely there's someone out there working downtown who rides 5/6 times a week? How do you do it?

Thansk again for all of your input!

[sublimequine]

As long as, your last name is Brach anyway.

Not sure what you mean by that.. my family's not wealthy in the slightest and we've been boarding in the suburbs for years. :confused:

rttigirl: Go to illinoishorse.com. Make a post asking about boarding barns closest to the city. You'll get LOTS of helpful responses. That's where I found my current boarding barn! :)

As for cost of board, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything under $400 a month. There's a few rare barns at $350 or so, but often those are full. And of course board goes up into the thousands, if you're at a top-quality show barn and want in the training program there.

[Proffie]

I lived and boarded horses in the Chicago area for years. Now I live in California! So we've lived parallel lives in reverse (?)

There are lots of nice barns in the Northern and Western burbs, but I can tell you BE PREPARED TO DRIVE. The traffic in Chicago is absolutely worse than Los Angeles, no matter what the statistics say. The roads just aren't built to accommodate the volume of cars. Period.

I lived in Oak Park forever, which is right on the Western border of the city. I boarded in Aurora, which is technically only about 30 miles away. I routinely sat in traffic 90 minutes each way. It's a huge reason why I moved. So just be prepared.

Costs are similar to CA as far as board. I paid $425 for a gorgeous place with daily turnout, large indoor, and an eventing course, just a couple of years ago. Prices range from $400 to about $600. And there are TONS of shows, tack stores, etc. Illinoishorse.com is a great resource. Chicago is GREAT overall, I miss it. Enjoy!!

[Tiffani B]

I live in a western suburb of Chicago (about 20 miles out) and it takes me over an hour to get downtown (45 minutes if it's late at night). About 90+ minutes on a heavy traffic day. The roads are definitely not built to handle traffic - most are two lane county highways with only a few major feeder roads going into the city. Lots of little towns, lots of stop lights.

I board my horse 25 minutes west of my house. So if I lived downtown and had to drive to the barn - two hours. Fortunately I neither live nor work downtown so I don't have to worry about it! ;)

Board is $500/month for a top quality show barn. Heated facility, bathroom, wash stall, farrier/vet stall, heated indoor arena, turnout, great care. I would expect to pay around that just about anywhere in the area for a similar facility.

[Drvmb1ggl3]

There's a TON TON TON of barns to ride at in the suburbs of chicago, anywhere from 20 minutes away to an hour. I used to board at a barn that was about 45 minutes away from the city, and another one that was 30 minutes from the city.

You can get from DOWNTOWN Chicago to a barn in 20 minutes? Where are those barns located?
Anytime I've ever been in Chicago it would take almost twice that to just to get to Oak Park during rush hour, and that's the closest in suburb. There's literally miles and miles of more urban sprawl and stop and go rush hour gridlock beyond that.
It never seemed feasible to me, unless you lived AND worked in the outer suburbs.

[blazn]

Are there still horses in Barrington? Doesn't the el go out there?

I lived and worked in downtown Chicago many years ago and I still miss it. Great restaurants, opera, symphony, night life, lakefront, people ...

[BuddyRoo]

Loved Chicago!

If you're going to work downtown, one option is to live in the 'burbs and hop the train in. So much easier than fighting traffic. When I was living there, depending on the time of day my commute could be 15 min to 2 HOURS. The train rocks.

Lots of horsey stuff in Libertyville area and it's a super cute little town. I am not familiar with all of the suburbs though.

[rttigrl]

It never seemed feasible to me, unless you lived AND worked in the outer suburbs.


This is my fear. So far, seems founded? The illinoishorse site is great--thanks for the recommendation.

Libertyville looks ADORABLE, but if I'm reading the train schedule right, it's 1hr20 each way to downtown? (sigh)

This would be a terrific career move--probably wouldn't stay for more than 5 years, but looks like if I decided to go, I'd have to sell the truck and trailer, lease the horse, and go on hiatus.

Is there anyone else out there who maybe has figured this out?

[dainty do]

I will second or third the notion to live in suburbs and take the train in. It is not realistic to consider driving downtown. Find a western or northern suburb on the train line.

i no longer live there, but my brother still does. He's in "Downers Grove" west of town. The express train is just 26 minutes to downtown. Also, if you are on the train you can do whatever, nap, read ect. Much less stress.

That suburb is also close to the expressway and should be just a 20-30 minute drive out to a barn. I'd suggest the western suburbs because many of the barns north of town were closing and becoming subdivisions. However, Libertyville is a beautiful northern suburb. I wouldn't mind living there--just take an extra 1 hour nap (on the train) twice a day.

ETA. I don't think you will need to take a hiatus from horses. Just maybe consider a half-lease so you don't get burned out from the drive everyday. Driving out every other day is quite workable. Also, most barn owners know that their customers have long commutes and have programs available to help, i.e. full-service.

[eqrdr92]

You could check out the suburbs directly north of chicago (evanston, for example) which are really easy to get down town by train, but the barn scene isn't as good as west of the city. Near Evanston, there are some not-so-nice barns within 15-20 minutes, and some really nice places 30-45 minutes away but those are pretty expensive (typical "A" show barn prices).

Evanston is a nice town though, tons of restaurants, right on the lake too.

[dainty do]

I will second Evanston as well. It's been 18 years, so I forgot how much I love Evanston. Right on the lakeshore and close to downtown. Beautiful older city, with an ivy league college campus.

If you do decide to move there, pay attention to neighborhoods as some areas are very nice, and some are not as nice.

[Woodland]

There are more stable options in the south 'burbs now days. Monee, Manhattan, Crete, etc.

I grew up in the far western 'burbs - there is nothing much left in DuPage County. Our old place is a sub division 25 years + now. You can get the train in Elburn now and there are stabling options in that area.

North and near west there are a few here and there. And when you look at a train schedule from anywhere be sure to see when the express runs. That will save LOTS of time. The hour plus runs stop in several to all the towns before they head in.

Personally I would skip IllinoisHorse - they are rather worthless, you'll get little but the clicky group of the week recommendations there. Instead I would pick up a subscription to www.horsemouth.com There is a little on their web site, but most of us advertise in the actual paper.

Chicago is a blast!

[minnie]

Hope you really like winter if you move there!

[GrayCatFarm]

I lived in Oak Park for years, took "L" into work. 20 min. I rode at Oak Brook Farm - professionally run with accredited British trainers. 20 min to there. I've been gone 10 years, but worth checking out.
Oak Brook Farms
1201 35th St.
Oak Brook, IL 60521
630 323-0956

For the rider aiming for the show ring or to improve pleasure riding. This farm will help achieve desired goals.
20 miles from Chicago.
Owners/managers: Margaret and Edward Vendel
Hours: M-F 8:30AM/9PM; S-Su 7:30AM/5PM
78 years of operation.

Specialization: Hunter/jumper; Dressage; Eventing; Sales
Facilities: Heated barn; Indoor heated and outdoor arenas; Lights for night riding; Paddocks; Trails; Cross country course; Club room; Viewing area.
Boarding: Call for information.
Extra services: Body clipping; Grooming; Turnout; Lunging; Exercising; Trimming.
Lessons: Hunt seat; Dressage; Eventing. Private; Semi-private; Group; Adult Group. Parental supervision required. Twenty-one school horses available.
Instructors: Eight available.
Riding Apparel Requirements: Boots/paddock shoes; ASTM/SEI harness; Bat/whip.
Other: Horses for sale; Leased and rented to students only; Video taping services; Clinics/lessons with other professionals; Summer camp.
Horseshows: On premises for students and boarders.

[RainDancer]

Personally I would skip IllinoisHorse - they are rather worthless, you'll get little but the clicky group of the week recommendations there.



Wow Woodland. Reading this and then your siggy line seems to be a major contradition. Got an axe to grind with illinoishorse?

[anabug]

I lived in Chicago for three years and took lessons. I lived on the far north side. If you have a car, it's possible. Maybe not that easy to have your own horse and ride multiple times a week (I took weekend lessons on school horses). If you take the job and live in a suburb (Metra is a great commuting option) then it would be easier, I'm sure.

[equest]

Board is $500/month for a top quality show barn. Heated facility, bathroom, wash stall, farrier/vet stall, heated indoor arena, turnout, great care. I would expect to pay around that just about anywhere in the area for a similar facility.

That's surprisingly reasonable for a large metro area.

[Smiles]

It all depends on what you require for your horse. Are you someone that needs a show barn/lesson barn/layback private barn? If you require a show barn there are many, but the good ones cost $800 and up. Someone quoted $400 and if you look for that price generally those are the layback private barns with no trainer, they have a waiting list, and the amenties are hit or miss. If you want a lesson barn with a so/so trainer expect to spend $500-$700. Saddlers Row has a stable directory on their website to give you an idea of the barns in the area. Best bet is to live half way between work and the barn. Oh and can you stand being inside for half the year? Its already 40 degrees here and last years winter was aweful! The traffic is aweful, the weather can be dreadful, and the prices are on average higher but its a nice place to live if you can tolerate those things.:winkgrin:

[GotSpots]

I had an upper level eventer while living in downtown Chicago for four years. I kept him both just north of the WI border (about an hour's drive from downtown on weekends, 1.5 on weekday nights if I left my office at 4 or at 6:15), and in Barrington (45 minutes on weekends, 1.5 during the week). I ended up stabling half the time at a fancy H/J barn - the care was fabulous and the indoor gorgeous. It's hard to find equivalent care in an eventing barn in the area - many of the folks have their own places or board at more hands-on facilities - which can be great if you have the time, but harder to do if you're working full time/commuting. It is possible to live in Barrington/South Barrington/Libertyville and take the train in to downtown every day, but do keep an eye on how close your office will be to the train station and what kind of hours you'll have, and make sure you have access to an indoor (preferably heated) as you simply can't ride outside year round.

[LuvMyTB]

Wow Woodland. Reading this and then your siggy line seems to be a major contradition. Got an axe to grind with illinoishorse?

Seriously. Every board has its faults, but local resources are usually the best for finding what the OP is looking for....and the Horse's Mouth has the same advertisements month after month after month. Not exactly a comprehensive resource.

[halla]

Not at all Chicago-specific, but I have wondered this about Philadelphia - what about living very close to work (close enough to walk in a very short time) and close to a train out to near the barn, and then keeping your car out by the train station closest to the barn? It seems like it might save the same amount of time as living in the suburbs and taking the train to and from work, but let you live in the city.

[outofafrica]

My parents live in Glen Ellyn and regularly go into the city. When I was there this summer I kept my horse with me and went into the city more than once a week. The trip takes about 40 minutes on most trains, but during commuting hours 7am-8am and again between 5-6pm they offer express trains that make fewer stops and only take about 25-30 minutes. There are a lot of great barns in the Western suburbs that would be easily driveable if you lived somewhere in the middle. I kept my horse in Wasco at a very nice facility and paid $450.

[rttigrl]

Many thanks to everyone who responded. My husband is over the moon at the prospect of moving to Chi-town (for many of the reasons you all mentioned)--plus, we're winter people, so no worries there.

Unfortunately, the job would be at least 60 hr/week (mostly more) and I have a small baby--sounds like those of you who have made it work have sacrificed a lot of time to do so (up early, train to work early, leave work early, train home, drive to farm, ride, drive home, fall asleep, repeat). That kind of schedule belongs in my past life.

No clue what to do now, but you've all been truly helpful getting me to the true reality of the potential situation. I was secretly hoping for "If you're willing to pay {insert astronomical board price here}, you can get to a barn in 15 minutes from downtown!"

Thanks again--if we decide to move forward with this, I may be in touch with some of you midwesterners again!

[johnnysauntie]

I've been in the Chicago area for the last 18 years, and I have always worked downtown. I think it would be tough to have a horse and live in the city proper. The amout of time it would take to get out to the barn would be prohibitive.

I lived in the Libertyville area for a few years, and moved recently to the Barrington area (Fox River Grove, actually, the next town over.) There are more barns in this area though they are a little pricier than Libertyville. I actually just moved my guy to a barn 20 mins from my house in Woodstock and am getting great care, decent turnout, and an indoor/outdoor for $395/mo (I'm thrilled.)

The train from FRG/Barrington to downtown takes between 40 minutes and an hour. I actually love the train, you can always get a seat, and I use the time to either work or read.

Libertyville is super cute, with some nice bars/restaurants/civic amenities. Some nearby suburbs are cheaper in terms of housing (Grayslake, Mundelein, Gurnee). The downside is that the train ride is longer from those areas than from the Barrington/FRG/Cary neck of the woods.

I love this area and think that Chicago is fantastic. Wouldn't move anywhere else. :D

[Dressage_Julie]

I am late to the post, but I thought I would still give you my experience. I live in downtown Chicago and have a horse that I keep in the suburbs. I live near Wrigley field and kept my horse at a barn about 14 miles away in Morton Grove. There is very litttle turn out (four paddocks for 80 horses) at the barns close to the city and you pay a lot and get a little.

I found a new barn in Burr Ridge, which is roughly 30 miles from my house. I work during the day in the loop. I take public transportation to and from my office, then at 6:30 I hop in my car and head to the barn. I normally get there at about 7:15 and leave at 9:00 arriving home by 9:30. I love having my horse and being able to escape the city and the pressures of my job. My horse fix is needed :) I pay a little bit more for the barn in Burr Ridge than I did at the Morton Grove barn, however I feel I am getting what I pay for. Private paddock that my horse goes out in each day for at least 6 hours (weather permitting). The owners are fantastic and really take care of my horse if I have to work late. The further away from the city the cheaper the board, but then you have to deal with traffic and a two hour drive one way. PM me if you would like more details!

[Giddy-up]

I live in Elburn (44 miles west) & we are now the last stop for Metra. I haven't ridden the train much, but I imagine it's an hour ride? There's a barn just out of town (literally over the Village line) with all the amenities (indoor, outdoor, pastures, heat, great care, etc...) & they charge $750/month. Lots of other barns in the area to choose from as well offering different options & prices I am sure.

I agree that if you want a barn close to the city, you not only are going to pay more, but you are going to lose out on things like turn out (specifically grass pasture) as space is just not available.

Maybe living in the city & have a barn in the suburbs with great care & turnout might be an option. You may only go out there 2-3x a week, but you'd have your horse closer than CA.

[Woodland]

Many thanks to everyone who responded. My husband is over the moon at the prospect of moving to Chi-town (for many of the reasons you all mentioned)--plus, we're winter people, so no worries there.

Unfortunately, the job would be at least 60 hr/week (mostly more) and I have a small baby--sounds like those of you who have made it work have sacrificed a lot of time to do so (up early, train to work early, leave work early, train home, drive to farm, ride, drive home, fall asleep, repeat). That kind of schedule belongs in my past life.

No clue what to do now, but you've all been truly helpful getting me to the true reality of the potential situation. I was secretly hoping for "If you're willing to pay {insert astronomical board price here}, you can get to a barn in 15 minutes from downtown!"

Thanks again--if we decide to move forward with this, I may be in touch with some of you midwesterners again!

Wait til spring it's COLD here today - and it is just the beginning :D

Seriously though, with a small baby and a 60 hour work week you have enough going on already! I am not sure how you can squeeze horses in to your life at this point. I am an hour roughly west and south of O'Hare. I have lots of riders from Chicago proper that head my way for lessons and boarding. Mainly because the costs out here are moderate($250 for full care w/indoor & turn out - no heat though and lessons run $35/hour) But I have no mortgage and low taxes :cool: If you head out this way let us know! My SIL and Niece just moved here from the LA area & they are FREEZING :lol:

[imapepper]

Libertyville is super cute, with some nice bars/restaurants/civic amenities. Some nearby suburbs are cheaper in terms of housing (Grayslake, Mundelein, Gurnee). The downside is that the train ride is longer from those areas than from the Barrington/FRG/Cary neck of the woods. :D

I actually grew up in the Barrington/FRG/Cary area....mostly Cary....and there was pretty nice little barn in Cary that I took lessons at called Hunters Ridge. Is it still there?

You will love the Chicago area. If you can live in that area, there might be some reasonable places to board and you can possibly half lease your horse. I'm a little jealous ;) I have been in TX for way too long.

[caryledee]

I actually grew up in the Barrington/FRG/Cary area....mostly Cary....and there was pretty nice little barn in Cary that I took lessons at called Hunters Ridge. Is it still there?

You will love the Chicago area. If you can live in that area, there might be some reasonable places to board and you can possibly half lease your horse. I'm a little jealous ;) I have been in TX for way too long.

Hunters Ridge...I remember it well! It has been a subdivision for a number of years now. We used to do NIHJA shows there! :)

There are a lot of options in that area depending on what you are looking for...from living in the middle of the city to living in the far outlying 'burbs and commuting in. Big horse community; there are a lot of things I miss about the area.

Except the winters! ;) Seriously, I would strongly advise spending a weekend there mid to end of January before you would definitely decide! It is the most bone chilling cold I've ever experienced!

[Ransom's Rider]

I live in downtown chicago, take public trans to work and school and STILL only find time to ride about 3x a week. I board about 35 miles south of town in Monee which takes me 45mins to 1.5hrs depending on traffic. I also have found trouble finding a serious eventing barn that's a reasonable drive from my house, with nice amenities for under $500. I currently am the only english rider at a western barn, no jumps but gorgeous facility, and I pay under $400 but they have a waiting list. I know LOTS of the barns in the area, especially eventing specific ones, so feel free to email or PM me.

I also, am probably going to move to the suburbs and commute by train for work. It's the easiest way to ride/work in the Chicagoland area.

I miss boarding in Indiana where I went to college!

[Across Sicily]

I live in the Wicker Park area of Chicago... conveniently(?) just about a fourth of a mile off the Kennedy Expressway (90).

Traffic in Chicago is absolute, total hell. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because they are lying. I actually have nightmares about it.

I kept my horse (he was sold about two weeks ago :( ) about an hour and ten minutes (60-odd miles) outside the city, definitely out in rural Illinois. Handily it was just a hop skip and a jump off 90, so all I had to do was jump on 90 and wait out the traffic. Traffic in Chicago is absolutely hit or miss. There are the predictable times, like rush hour (figure 6am to 10am and 3pm to 8pm) and then there are the times when there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON there should be traffic (today at 11:20 AM, for example). You just never know. Thankfully, my instructor was super flexible about lesson times; I just took one whenever I showed up! Sometimes it took an hour to get there and sometimes it took two and a half or three. I was usually able to make it out 3 times a week but even that was difficult sometimes. My trainer is a very good friend and let me stay the night, so that helped, but still... my barn has a number of boarders and lesson people that commute from Chicago, and I've never seen any of them out more than thrice a week. I'm lucky that I have a job with weird hours (that is to say, I can choose my hours) so whenever I wanted to go to the barn, I could leave whenever.

Not to turn you off Chicago totally or anything, but the traffic situation is very real. Commuting alone could bite a pretty big chunk out of your day.

That's not to say there aren't boarding situations available closer to the city... Lake Zurich/Geneva has several that I know of, though I'm not familiar with the prices. Even on a trafficky day I could usually make it out there within 40 minutes, and on a non-trafficky day about 20-25. A friend, who bought my old mare, keeps her out there and I often go to see her. I also took a couple of lessons up in Gurnee and even with some traffic that only took about 45-50 minutes. In construction, no less, for a 6:30 lesson. Traffic on 94 (Edens Expressway) is much more manageable than on 90, for some reason, so if I were you I'd concentrate on farms and living situations closer to 94 than to 90.

I know literally nothing about south Chicago.

[CassieTrix]

Chicago is a great city. The burbs have great barns. I live 20 mins from lamplight, and that place hosts national competitions. It's a great horse community and there are some really great barns around. As far as in the city, it wouldn't be very fair to the horses to have absolutely no turn-out, now would it?

[jn4jenny]

I love it when the Greenies bump an ancient thread as if it's still news. Let's all notice that this thread started in December. ;)

[Quest52]

I've lived in the Chicagoland area most of my life and can't, for the life of me, think of a decent boarding barn in any surrounding suburb that is under $450 a month. Some of you people must have some ties I've never seen!!

That being said, there's nothing thats really "close" to downtown. That is probably because even to get from one side of the city to the other it can take you almost 2 hours. The train really is a Godsend. Have you at all thought about living in the suburbs and traveling into the city? There are very many good routes to very nice cities, and then you can dodge the actual driving traffic that is the bane of Chicago.

And though now I live near the Elburn area and love it (FYI: the train is about an hour and a half ride from that station), I myself would get tired living way out here and being on the train that long.

You will find many more options if you don't decide to live in downtown proper.

ps--- what discipline?

[sdlbredfan]

I will second Evanston as well. It's been 18 years, so I forgot how much I love Evanston. Right on the lakeshore and close to downtown. Beautiful older city, with an ivy league college campus.

If you do decide to move there, pay attention to neighborhoods as some areas are very nice, and some are not as nice.

It has been an even longer time ago for me, but I also loved Evanston! The train ride into downtown from there was not bad, in fact I seem to recall I had a choice of the 'El' or fancier Chicago and Northwestern Railway? (Name may have changed since.) Evanston is a hop skip and jump away from Morton Grove, where there used to be some stables and probably still are. Speaking of Brach, the 2 stables I am thinking of are Harmswood (may have a different name now) and the infamous Bailey's which is where Helen Brach had her horses. (I am pretty sure I rode one of them in the late 70s that avoided being killed, just had a horrific scar on his shoulder from allegedly running into traffic.)

I agree with all the people who say live in the 'burbs and commute in via train. You definitely do not want to drive in downtown Chicago! Be prepared for windy and snowy Winters however, but the other seasons are pleasant.

[Snork]

Wow, I agree with whoever said that people who board at places with indoors and great care for less than 450 are VERY lucky, or have ties I've never even dreamed of. Really. :)

When I lived in Chicago full time I boarded out in Elgin, at a dressage barn, with a resident GP trainer (who owns the place) a huge indoor with perfect footing and great care (turnout, grass, good food, good hay etc etc etc), and if i remember correctly I paid $450 plus two required lessons a week with a GP trainer. It was 5 years ago. As far as I know it is 500 plus lessons (at a reasonable price with said GP trainer) or 570 with no lesson requirement now. 15 minutes off I90, 50 miles door to door from downtown and if i timed it just right I usually made the drive in an hour and three minutes (yes, i'm meticulous about keeping time, ha!).

I don't have a horse right now, and split my time between two cities anyway, but if I were to move to Chicago full time, I would expect an hours commute from downtown as a minimum. I would actually love to live in suburbs but husband is the one with a job downtown and he does not fancy the idea in the least. I can't say I blame him - everything that was said about traffic in Chicago is spot on. We now live less than 3 miles from his downtown office and some days it takes 8 minutes door to door, while some days it takes 38.

Honestly, to the OP, I had a 60 hour a week as a minimum job and lived downtown when I had the horse, but I had no kids then and my coworkers thought I was nuts for riding 3x a week. With a little tyke AND a job like i had (large firm lawyer) I, personally, wouldn't be able to fit a horse anywhere within a downtown Chicago lifestyle. Sad, but true and not a small reason of why i quit.

[spaceagevalkyrie]

Are there still horses in Barrington? Doesn't the el go out there?

Don't know about the el, but Barrington is still plenty horsey.

[webmistress32]

I live in Chicagoland and have worked in the city forever.

I live on 8 acres and have my horses at home. I have access to trails and an indoor arena and a local saddle club.

I drive 15 minutes to the train and sleep to the city. I sleep back. I am well refreshed and ready to ride when I get home.

Lots and lots of boarding opportunities in Chicago that'll let you do this.

Don't do what I did and try to live downtown and keep your horse in the burbs. That doesn't work AT ALL. I was burnt out after two years and that's why I finally moved to the farm.

ps the El is only in the city itself. There is a Metra train in Barrington which is very very horsey.