Equestrian Network Magazine

Thinking Of Buying Horse Property?

by Lisa Manuele

Having your horses live at home is a lifelong dream for many equestrians. I'm a Realtor in the Bay Area of California who specializes in the niche market of equestrian properties.

I grew up outside of Reno, Nevada, where my family owned a 30 acre horse property with a fantastic ten stall barn, arena, irrigated pastures, plus a lovely new home. When you're a kid, however, you don't realize the effort that goes into owning and maintaining horse property. Well, now I sure do appreciate all the work that Mom and Dad did for me and my horses!

If you are considering purchasing a horse property, I'd highly recommend that you use a Realtor who is a horseperson and who has experience owning horse property. Horse property is a much more complex purchase than your normal "cookie cutter" home. You have to take many factors into consideration such as drainage, easements, fencing, barns, arenas, and so forth. Here’s a brief summary of some factors that will have an impact on your decision to buy a particular horse property.

Horse property is a much more complex purchase than your normal "cookie cutter" home.

Drainage: If possible, look at horse property in the rainy season. Is there a slope to the land or is it completely flat? I once boarded my horse at a stable where the land was completely flat and didn't drain well during the winter rains. A slight slope is better. Also, check where the excess water goes. Is there a drainage ditch on the property or adjacent property? Is there an easement along the ditch for drainage? Check the preliminary title report for drainage easements.

Topography: My eight-acre ranch is hilly, with large flat areas where the barn and arena are situated. Hilly land is more challenging to maintain, because it can't be mowed with a tractor and brush hog or be easily rototilled. I had to resort to purchasing a few Barbados sheep to keep the acreage mowed down. If animals or tractors don't keep the pastures mowed, it presents a fire danger in the summer.

Fencing: Consider the fencing for safety and aesthetics. My old fencing was wire mesh livestock fencing with railroad ties for posts. Well, after my yearling panicked one day, ran through the wire mesh fence and ended up with stitches, I decided my fences needed "beefing" up. I added wood rails and had the wood painted white. White vinyl fences are a good option and cost approximately $10 per linear foot. Wood fences are attractive but require more maintenance. Wood needs to be painted every 3-5 years and the wood tends to warp and crack as well. Horses are large termites and will chew wood fencing unless the fences are hot wired.

It's prudent to investigate the shared fence, that is, the fence between your proposed property and the neighbors. Is the fence on the property line? Who owns the fence - the neighbor or the property you're considering? Sometimes the fence is owned by both neighbors. Who maintains the fence line?

Barn: Does the property have an existing barn? If so, what is the condition of the structure and was it built with permits? If the property doesn't have a barn, you'll need to get permits to build a barn, which adds to the cost of the barn's structure, along with the grading costs. You will also have to have electrical and plumbing brought out to the barn area.

Arena: Does the property have an arena? Is the arena fenced? How large is the arena? Some disciplines, such as dressage, require arenas to be a specific size. A long court dressage arena measures 66' x 198'. If the arena isn't the appropriate size, is there room on the property to expand it? If the property doesn't have an arena, keep in mind that a new arena with all-weather footing can cost $25,000 and up. A covered arena can cost approximately $200,000 for an 80' x 200' sized arena.

Footing: My property has a huge arena that measures 100' x 230'. When we purchased it, the arena had sand footing. Unfortunately, the sand footing was sitting on top of clay. My arena isn't ridable in the winter months because there is no base rock under the sand. A proper arena with a base and sand footing can cost $25,000 and upward. In most areas of California, the rainy winter months aren't ridable unless you have an all-weather arena with good drainage.

Tractor: If you own country property, owning a tractor is a necessity. The tractor is used to groom the arena, mow down weeds in your pastures, dig post holes, and so forth. Oftentimes, the sellers of the property you're considering may include their tractor and its implements in the purchase.

Setbacks: If you want to build a barn, covered arena or even expand the residence, make sure you know what the setbacks from the property line are. In many cases, a county won't allow structures within 30 feet of the property line. Sometimes the setbacks are even greater.

Well: Does the property have a private or a shared well? Or is the property on a mutual water company? All things to consider as different well systems have differing costs and maintenance issues. By the way, if the property has a private domestic well, it can be added onto your home warranty for a nominal cost of approximately $75. My well pump went out this summer and needed replacement but, luckily, I had continued my home warranty coverage and the pump’s cost (about $1,700) was paid for by the home warranty company.

More on the well... Some counties will not allow any structures to be built within 100 feet of a well. Also, most counties charge an annual well tax. Make sure that you know what this additional cost will be. One last thing to consider is this: ask your Realtor if there are any abandoned wells on the property. My property, for example, has an abandoned well on it and I have to have the well destroyed. This can be a costly endeavor, costing approximately $2,000.

Water Quality: Some country property has ample water and other areas are in a lower water area. When purchasing country property, it's a good idea to have the water tested for potability and productivity. Potability considers the water quality, the presence of e-coli, coliform, perchlorate, nitrates and so forth. The productivity test is used to determine the condition of the well equipment (pressure tank, storage tank, electrical, pump, etc.) as well as the well's production, also known as gallons per minute. If you purchase a property with a low-producing well, you might have to have water storage tanks installed. These tanks can cost $5,000 and up.

Septic: Most country property has a septic system. One important consideration is the septic system's leach fields. Structures can't be built on top of a leach field. It is unwise to put the arena on top of the leach field. The septic system should be inspected by a professional. The inspection consists of a 30 minute water test, which determines if the leach fields are working properly, and then the inspector pumps out the septic tank and inspects the tank's interior for cracks.

Zoning: Check the zoning regulations. One very important consideration is the number of horses per acre that are allowed. Santa Clara County, for example, has differing zonings including RR (rural residential), HS (hillside), A (Agriculture). Make sure that your proposed number of horses and/or farm animals is compliant with the zoning laws.

CCR's: These are covenants, conditions and restrictions that run with the property. Carefully read the CCR's as oftentimes, the CCR's are more prohibitive than the zoning regulations. One property I sold, for example, was zoned RR and per the county of Santa Clara, a homeowner was not limited on the number of horses on the property. The property has CCR's, however, which restricted the properties in its subdivision to 2 horses per property (not per acre). CCR's take precedence over zoning regulations.

Easements: Check the preliminary title report for any recorded easements. I'd highly recommend asking your Realtor for a color coded easement map. This will delineate any easements of record. Also, request from the agent the "underlying documents." The preliminary title report lists any easements, but doesn't go into detail. The underlying documents will give you a copy of the easement document verbatim. One client of mine found a perfect five-acre property. She wanted to construct a covered arena on the property. But when we got a copy of the preliminary title report, there was a large power company easement on the property. This easement was right in the middle of the property and was 50 feet wide. No structure could be constructed on the easement and we realized that this particular property wouldn't work for her plans.

Neighboring Properties: Consider the neighboring properties. Do the neighbors maintain their properties and fences? Do they have horses? If none of the neighboring properties have horses, they might not be welcoming to you and your horses. You need to be considerate of the neighboring properties when you're using the tractor, as you can create a lot of dust. My property has riding trails that wind through the acreage, but my neighbors have dogs that bark and try and spook my horse. One of my neighbors has a multitude of sheep that "baaaah" a lot. My other neighbor has roosters that crow. Keep in mind that country living will involve new sounds and new smells that might be offensive to city folk. If you don’t like farm animals, living in the country might not be for you.

Manure Removal/Fly Control: If you're purchasing a small property, you may have to pay someone to remove the manure. I have a larger acreage and I keep the manure in one spot. I purchase fly predators that keep the fly population in control. Once or twice a year I rototill the manure in. The old manure makes an excellent compost for your garden. Some counties prefer that people try and compost. They even have classes that teach folks how to compost. Some folks have a manure spreader that is pulled behind a tractor. This works great for those people with flat land. Since I have hilly acreage, a manure spreader won't work for my property.

Maintenance: The last and most important topic I'll cover is maintenance. Owning a horse property involves much more maintenance than owning a regular property. Not only do you have to maintain the home, but now you've got land to maintain, fences, barns, arena, and so forth. Look at the existing trees on the property as well. I have spent approximately $20,000 on tree removal and tree trimming on my property. Are there any trees that may need to be removed in the future? I've had to have a giant eucalyptus, two large Monterey pines and numerous other trees removed and trimmed.

Weed abatement is always a challenging maintenance item. The weeds grow like crazy starting in early spring. You'll become friends with the product called "Round Up" which is a chemical that stops weeds from growing. You'll also wear out many a weed eater. Be aware that there are noxious weeds that could make your horse sick. These weeds include yellow star thistle and fiddleneck.

Well, I hope I haven't scared you away from purchasing a horse property. It is a challenging endeavor, but well worth the effort when you glance out your kitchen window and see your horses grazing peacefully in the pasture. You'll tend to form a stronger bond with your animals because you spend more time with them (and because you're the lunch ticket for your horses). One word of caution . . . once you purchase horse property, you'll be tempted to fill up that barn. When I moved to my horse property, I had one lonely horse but a big four stall barn. Within a couple of years I had four horses, two dogs and several sheep. I've since downsized and now only have two horses and two dogs.

If you'd like more information on horse properties in the San Francisco Bay Area, please check out my website at www.EquestrianRanches.com or call me at (408) 201-0176. Happy Trails!