1. How much land does a horse need?
As an average, you should figure that 2 horses need about an acre of land. The county also places limitations on the number of horses allowed in certain areas.
2. Safe pasture
If the property has pasture, then you need to make sure the pasture is safe – that is has no poisonous plants, ditches, etc.
3. Fencing
What is the fencing like? You can figure about $10.00 per square foot for good fencing.
4. Dirt
How is the soil and how well does it drain? We have areas of lots of clay soil which turns to muck and becomes very slippery during the winter and early spring. The proper footing is very important.
5. Trails
Are there trails around for riding? Are you planning to have an arena, costs? There are lots of areas to ride in Sonoma County – Annadel St Park and most of the regional parks through out the County.
6. Barns/Shelters
There are companies that make prefabricated barns that go up quickly. Costs? Make sure you have power and water nearby. You can also put up pasture shelters which are much less expensive and give the horse somewhere to stand out of the rain or during extreme heat.
7. Water
How is the water? There are theories of water with high mineral content causing problems for horses over time.
8. Manure
What do you do with it. Owning a large parcel – you probably won’t have a problem finding a way of disposing of it. But if you are on a smaller parcel with neighbors – you may need to find a way to get it offsite.
