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Location: Oregon | I'm about to start applying for jobs in March (graduating in June) and while the most important thing is so get a full time job and start paying off my student loans, I hope to get a job somewhere with a lot of local barrel racing. I grew up in Oregon, but the climate is too wet and cold for my taste. I'm currently finishing up my externship in Missoula and it's way too cold here for me and the only barrel races are a bit of a drive away. I'm looking for somewhere realatively warm in the winter, yet not crazy hot during the summer, cheap cost of living, lots of local barrel racing, not further east than TX, and within at least 30 min from a hospital (I'll be an x-ray tech when I graduate). I'm thinking about Texas/Arizona? I would love to hear everyones opinions on where would be some good areas to start looking. Thanks in advance! |
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 Veteran
Posts: 100
Location: Oklahoma | Texas & Oklahoma get My vote!!! I love both states :) Both states have some of the best horses in the country too... Just sayin... |
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Location: Oregon | I have considered Oklahoma but am worried about tornadoes and such. Is that something to worry about? or is that pretty rare? I have never been there and don't know much about it (hence the post). Is there an area in TX specifically I should look into? |
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Regular
Posts: 99
| Come to Pocatello, Idaho. We're in the middle of rodeo and Barrel Race Country. Jump on the freeway and you are 2 hours at the most to compete. Local hospital needs x-ray techs all the time. Also check out the local Indian Health Service at the Fort Hall Reservation.
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Location: Oregon | doesn't it get pretty cold in the winter in Idaho? I ride year round and hate the snow haha  |
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Regular
Posts: 99
| Yes it does but there are indoor arenas. |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| The Fort Worth, Texas area would provide plenty of jobs and barrel racing 7 days a week. I live within an hour of Fort Worth and there are plenty of weekend and weeknight races to go to year round. |
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Location: Oregon | That's good to hear lol I moved to missoula and nobody told me the indoor arenas there aren't big enough for a pattern.... I'm patterning my 5 yr old with only 45ft between the 1st and second about 10ft off the wall.  |
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Location: Oregon | luckyjo - 2015-01-02 3:35 PM The Fort Worth, Texas area would provide plenty of jobs and barrel racing 7 days a week. I live within an hour of Fort Worth and there are plenty of weekend and weeknight races to go to year round.
Thank you! That sounds great! Do you find the weather is more moderate in the summer than some of the southern cities in TX or does it still get SUPER hot? |
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Too busy outside!
Posts: 5417
| North Phoenix area! :) |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Loma Linda, CA | I lived in Phoenix and there is tons of barrel racing. Currently live in Loma Linda, CA (right by Riverside and San Bernardino)
equally tons of barrel racing and we have tons of hospitals. My husband is a pediatrician and Loma Linda Childrens Hospital literally just a hop skip and a jump away then there is one in Redlands (10 min), Riverside (15 min) and a few more around.
Also it is VERY affordable here. Our bills are less than they were in Phx. Rent is about the same (2 bed/2 bath townhouse), utilities are less than Phoenix. Our electric bill in the summer is about $120-$150, whereas in Phx it was $200-$300 (leaving the AC at 80 degrees). In the winter it was $30-$40, In phx ours would be $75-$100.
Gas prices are a bit higher than Phx, but I don't travel far for work so for me it evens out whereas in Phx I was traveling from one end of the city to the other constantly. It's very spread out. I fill up about once a week or every other week, in Phoenix it was once a week for sure. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I<3BarrelRacing - 2015-01-02 5:48 PM
luckyjo - 2015-01-02 3:35 PM The Fort Worth, Texas area would provide plenty of jobs and barrel racing 7 days a week. I live within an hour of Fort Worth and there are plenty of weekend and weeknight races to go to year round.
Thank you! That sounds great! Do you find the weather is more moderate in the summer than some of the southern cities in TX or does it still get SUPER hot?
It's hot anywhere in Texas during the summer. 90- 100+ |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | GLP - 2015-01-02 7:36 PM I<3BarrelRacing - 2015-01-02 5:48 PM luckyjo - 2015-01-02 3:35 PM The Fort Worth, Texas area would provide plenty of jobs and barrel racing 7 days a week. I live within an hour of Fort Worth and there are plenty of weekend and weeknight races to go to year round. Thank you! That sounds great! Do you find the weather is more moderate in the summer than some of the southern cities in TX or does it still get SUPER hot? It's hot anywhere in Texas during the summer. 90- 100+
And humid as heck!!
Check out around redding ca, red bluff ca, ect. Tons of barrel racing and I mean tons. Does get hot in the summer but low humidity unlike tx. very mild winters, no snow. Ride and run barrels year round. Cant beat the winters in AZ and wow, the barrel racing is where it's at but the summers are a killer. Guess thats why everybody goes to buckeye az in the winter. Get the best of both worlds and do 6 winter months in az and 6 summer months in oregon and you are set! |
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Location: Oregon | I hadn't considered CA because they make it harder for out of state x-ray students to get jobs. I believe I heard it was the state liscence test was different or something? maybe I'll have to look into it further. Thanks for the replies so far! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I hated California. The weather is nice.....but that's about it. Gas is high, too many liberals....
I would check out BRN4D and NBHA websites and take a look at the schedule and locations. If you want to barrel race, I'd say Texas. Washington is OK, but it can get cold but it's doable in some towns (Walla Walla, Tri-Cities). If you loved in that area you're in close proximity to WA and OR races. AZ is all the rage in the winter, but a lot of horse stuff shuts down in the summer. I haven't had my horse out here for the summer but it is hot. Not unbearable if you've got a pool. ID would be OK but it does get cold as well. I will tell you that a lot of people move from the PNW to Texas and they love it. |
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10D Crack Champion
| I<3BarrelRacing - 2015-01-02 4:48 PM I have considered Oklahoma but am worried about tornadoes and such. Is that something to worry about? or is that pretty rare? I have never been there and don't know much about it (hence the post). Is there an area in TX specifically I should look into? There are tornadoes and earthquakes. Earthquakes are pretty much everyday, but tornadoes are not. haha The winters can be below 32 degrees for a while. We get rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We get lots of wind. In the summer it can be 110 degrees with super high humidity and there is no wind then. LOL
Edited by sodapop 2015-01-02 10:37 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
Location: Texas Big Country | Weatherford, Stephenville, Glenn Rose triangle. The further west you go the less humid it is. We are in Abilene and I dearly love it, there are lots of barrel races, but just a bit east of us as described there are so many really nice ones to go to and SO close. And Weatherford has the Teskey's toy store, and a gazillion cutters, awesome vets, it's all there. Weatherford is about 45 minutes west of Ft Worth if you aren't familiar with it. We moved to TX from SD and I totally love it.
Add that the further west you go there are less tornados.
Edited by crossarrowk 2015-01-02 9:38 PM
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Our daughter lives SE of Phoenix and we live NW of San Antonio. The cost of living and insurance is much cheaper in Texas and our barrel races are plentiful and a lot cheaper then the barrel races in AZ with a lot more added money. |
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Too busy outside!
Posts: 5417
| Nevertooold - 2015-01-02 9:21 PM Our daughter lives SE of Phoenix and we live NW of San Antonio. The cost of living and insurance is much cheaper in Texas and our barrel races are plentiful and a lot cheaper then the barrel races in AZ with a lot more added money. Hay is lots cheaper in Az though! :) And the humidity is not so ick- Having lived in both of them, I prefer AZ! :) We have $30 jackpots all over the place- it's just the high dollar ones that get all the publicity!
Edited by trickster j 2015-01-02 10:32 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
| North tx is where it's at for barrel racing and anything horses for that matter!!! Barrel races about 7 days a week all year round! Awesome vets and equine facilities with equine pools and Aqua tred. The summers do get hot but you get used to it, and I'm from north Idaho so I know cold and snow!! I also lived in Northern California for awhile and would choose Tx over Ca anyday!! |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| Ca may be more expensive but hey I just saw an ad in tx for alfalfa for 20 a bale and it was only 100lbs.. That's crazy!... I wouldn't move to az I can't stand the summer where I am let alone where it can be miserably hot one minute and pouring rain the next. |
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Location: Oregon | Thanks for all the information! I only have the one horse right now so I'm not as concerned about the price of alfalfa but I do try every night and lots of close barrel races would be a huge plus. I feel like I may be playing catch up after spending a year here... This information will definitely give me a better idea of places to look into and areas to apply to. Now if only I can get a full time job in one of these areas....  |
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Veteran
Posts: 100
Location: Oklahoma | Google Top 10 Economies in the US... Texas has 4 out of 10!!! Xray techs in most cities or towns around here!!! Around here they have barrel races & more barrel races to suit every level rider!!! Im a Dad thats tryin to get his 10yr old daughter into barrel racing Soo I dont know as much as the girls that run in races... I bet You a Dollar between Texas & Oklahoma youll get yer fix on barrel racing lol As far as Tornados theyre Everywhere in the Midwest & are a devastating force that I wouldnt wish on Nobody!!! I lived threw em for 42yrs of bein alive!!! I remember em in Indiana where I grew up when I was little!!! But statistics say Your more likely to die in a Car Wreck!!! Hope My Ramblin helps a LiL bit... Xray tech jobs are everywhere down here :) I think youd like it... Just save a lil cash & Visit a lil bit... The people are great down here too!!! |
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 Roan On The Range
Posts: 7889
Location: Stephenville, TX | hammer_time - 2015-01-02 8:49 PM I hated California. The weather is nice.....but that's about it. Gas is high, too many liberals....
I would check out BRN4D and NBHA websites and take a look at the schedule and locations. If you want to barrel race, I'd say Texas. Washington is OK, but it can get cold but it's doable in some towns (Walla Walla, Tri-Cities). If you loved in that area you're in close proximity to WA and OR races. AZ is all the rage in the winter, but a lot of horse stuff shuts down in the summer. I haven't had my horse out here for the summer but it is hot. Not unbearable if you've got a pool. ID would be OK but it does get cold as well. I will tell you that a lot of people move from the PNW to Texas and they love it.
 If you want nearly inexhaustable opportunities to compete year round, you need to be in north Texas. And if you ever feel the need to leave, it's a quick trip to OKC and a pretty easy wintertime haul to AZ. Yes, it gets hot here in the summer (and humid by some standards) but it's not thaaaat bad. Yes, hay is more expensive here than other areas, but many other things are cheaper here, so the costs balance out. A word of caution: if you come here for a visit, you might not want to leave  |
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Location: Oregon | Thanks for all the info! I can't wait to start applying for jobs and finding out where I'll end up  |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | trickster j - 2015-01-02 10:28 PM Nevertooold - 2015-01-02 9:21 PM Our daughter lives SE of Phoenix and we live NW of San Antonio. The cost of living and insurance is much cheaper in Texas and our barrel races are plentiful and a lot cheaper then the barrel races in AZ with a lot more added money. Hay is lots cheaper in Az though! :) And the humidity is not so ick- Having lived in both of them, I prefer AZ! :) We have $30 jackpots all over the place- it's just the high dollar ones that get all the publicity!
I will say we went and stayed for over 6 weeks starting towards the end of Jan and there is no way I could live where she does in Queen Creek. It double sucks..LOL
Edited by Nevertooold 2015-01-03 10:37 PM
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | North Texas is a great place for barrel racing but be prepared - summers are BRUTAL. It doesn't cool off much at night - maybe if it's 100 during the day, it'll be 90 at 10:00 pm. I don't know if I'd move here if I wasn't already here. I think I'd choose California for the great weather.
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Location: Oregon | Fun2Run - 2015-01-03 8:40 PM North Texas is a great place for barrel racing but be prepared - summers are BRUTAL. It doesn't cool off much at night - maybe if it's 100 during the day, it'll be 90 at 10:00 pm. I don't know if I'd move here if I wasn't already here. I think I'd choose California for the great weather.
Thanks for the honesty! I think that's what I'd be most worried about if I moved there. I have a hard time with the heat as well as the cold. |
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Roan On The Range
Posts: 7889
Location: Stephenville, TX | I<3BarrelRacing - 2015-01-03 10:45 PM Fun2Run - 2015-01-03 8:40 PM North Texas is a great place for barrel racing but be prepared - summers are BRUTAL. It doesn't cool off much at night - maybe if it's 100 during the day, it'll be 90 at 10:00 pm. I don't know if I'd move here if I wasn't already here. I think I'd choose California for the great weather.
Thanks for the honesty! I think that's what I'd be most worried about if I moved there. I have a hard time with the heat as well as the cold.
My best advice would be to come visit in August and see what you think. I moved down here from Oregon a couple years ago and before that, I visited here in the heat of the summer and the middle of winter to experience the weather first hand. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I am in South Texas and I will take our hot summers and extremely mild winter over cooler summers and extreme cold any day. Our extreme cold is 32, lol! My daughter has a friend that moved from Wisconsin to Ft. Worth to go to school. The summers kicked her butt the first few years but she has decided to stay. She is a barrel racer, too, and loves the year round riding weather. Of course North Texas gets colder than we do down here. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Desert and cacti or rocky mountains and pine trees?
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | Itsme - 2015-01-04 9:27 AM Desert and cacti or rocky mountains and pine trees?
Cali has both! |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| kwanatha - 2015-01-04 12:10 PM
Itsme - 2015-01-04 9:27 AM Desert and cacti or rocky mountains and pine trees?
Cali has both!
So Cal is gross, north is cool! |
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Best places to live for barrel racing in the west?