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 Expert
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Location: Texas | Can any Oregon horse owners tell me what it is like maintaining horses in your climate? We currently live in Central Texas, but my step-daughter, her husband and our granddaughter live just south of Portland in Oregon City. We have considered moving Northward, but I am VERY hesitant about having and maintaining my horses. What is the best area to live in with horses? Do you have to deal with mud all of the time? Do you have to keep your horses stalled a lot of the time to not get rain rot, scratches, mud fever, soft hooves, etc? How do you keep your horses in condition during the rainy season? Can you ride in your pasture or do you have covered arenas? Are there many barrel races around? Many places for trail riding? What kind and prices for hay? What other things do we need to consider when looking at acreage places? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
ETA: Narrowing the area back down to within 1.5 hours of Portland.
Or for those that have lived North and moved to Texas, am open to hearing if moving North is not a wise decision. 
Edited by TBone 2016-08-30 8:53 AM
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
 
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I lived in TX for a short time but am now back in WY. I find horses deal with the cold winter far better than they handle the heat. We don't have much mud here. Heck it never rains! But if you have shelter/blankets, the cold wouldn't concern me. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I live in Washington 2 hours north of Portland but my girlfriend used to live just south of Portland (Forest Grove) and I was there all the time and my best friend lives in Canby. The mud just depends on the property. Our place gets "muddy" but it's not disgusting. It's only like 2 inches deep, basically just by the gate and coming in and out of their stalls. However the people I house sit for live on a hill 2 minutes from where my horses are and their mud is disgusting. It gets really deep and will suck your boots off.
As for weather it's mild. Rainy but not too hot and not too cold. Rarely snow in the winter. Honestly it usually just rains from November to May. Summer and fall are usually dry. The rain is weird, it's not like torrential downpours everyday, it's just...there? Lol If you have access to an indoor you can keep your horses in shape all winter no big deal. Races throughout the winter too all over Oregon and Washington and tons of places to trail ride. You can either haul to a state forest or in most places ride around your property. I ride up and down my road all the time, it's quiet enough.
Driving around Oregon so frequently it's very pretty and similar to Washington in climate.
ETA I don't keep my horses stalled. They have waterproof blankets and access to their stalls 24/7 and I always feed them inside but they aren't locked in. I've never had rain rot.
Edited by livexlovexrodeo 2016-08-23 11:16 AM
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 Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | The three states you mentioned are very different. Even from one side of the state to the other. I have lived in western Oregon all my life but I have traveled to Idaho on many occasions. I've only been to CO a couple of times.
The area of Oregon you are talking about is where I live. It's called the Willamette Valley from Portland to Eugene. There's a mountain range on both sides. The west is the coast, east is Central Oregon. The valley is on the west side of the state. The Northwest corner of the state gets the most rain of all the other geographical areas in the state. Southern and central Oregon are semi arid. The eastern side of the state is high desert with the least amount of rain. We have nice pastures most of the year but that means we have the most moisture related problems as well. I personally would not keep horses here without some form of high and dry cover for them to get under. I have individual stalls with pastures for each horse so they can choose if they want to be out or in. MY horses tend to run for cover every time it starts to sprinkle. lol
One of the biggest problems I face with my animals is keeping mud to a minimum and keeping feet dry. Even when it's not raining we have a lot of dew on the grass. So when they are out all the time like mine, they can get soft feet. The reason I have cover for my horses and would never recommend going without is rain rot. When they don't have a chance to dry off, rain rot is a problem. I haven't had any problems with it since I always have cover for them.
Our temperatures are mild. Very few times do we get anything below freezing in the daytime. It does get below freezing at night more. We don't get a lot of snow but we do get freezing rain and when the moisture falls and the ground freezes, we have icy roads. We have high humidity most of the time. But our temps don't get as high as other parts of the country. Right now we are having some record highs. But it's been cooling off nicely at night so it's bearable.
Good hay is plentiful if you don't mind spending what it costs. I buy alfalfa or grass hay from across the mountains for $230-280/ton. Shipping adds about $50/ton to the cost. Edited to clarify: The shipping is included in the $230-280 price. It's excellent quality though. You can buy local grass hay for $140-180/ton. Not many people grow alfalfa on this side of the mountains because of the humidity and possibility of rain. For the above reasons, you may enjoy Central or Southern Oregon more.
I'll let someone else tell you about barrel races. We don't have the numbers they get in the southern states but don't let that make you think we don't have some tough barrel racers. There are some here. :~)
Edited by OregonBR 2016-08-23 11:29 AM
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Great feedback. Thanks!!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | Colorado definitely has some very good barrel racers and barrel races. Mile Hi is probably the best association around and then there's plenty of rodeos. Plenty of trails to ride. Horse care-wise, it was way cheaper than Florida for hay and grain and even farrier/vet services. I didn't have near the skin issues with my crew as I do down south, there is very little humidity out there in comparisson to the south at least. Some of them did have a hard time adjusting to the rocky ground though as everything here is sand. Not sure on where you are in TX but that could be something to consider. But really aside from cold weather and their feet, it was a better environment for them. And I think if I polled them they'd take the cold over the heat any day.
However, if you don't want to deal with snow or below zero it probably isn't the state for you. I haven't lived in Oregon but from visiting it seems a lot more mild/consistent with the Pacific Coast. But I loved Colorado and would still be there if circumstances were different. That said, it can be 70 one day and snowing the next, a lot of dramatic changes. It is a sunny state though so not gray and overcast very often which is nice IMO.
Property / acerage is more affordable on the Plains (east side of state) than in the foothills. But if I ever went back I'd do the foothills. Simply because of the wind....I swear I don't think the wind ever, ever stops blowing out on the plains. For some reason that really bothered me. There are some tornados although nothing like Oklahoma, but those also tend to hit more the plains area. The foothills though can and have been impacted by wildfires. But every state is prone to its own natural disasters. I have to say the state is insanely beautiful.
Really all states have their advantages disadvantages. If I were you I'd seriously take a couple trips out northwest and see what appeals to you. Hope it helps some and good luck if you decide to move anywhere up there!
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Veteran
Posts: 111
| I live in central Oregon and raise some barrel horses here. It snows in the winter - my horses all have 3 sided sheds and they do like to get out of the rain but snow doesnt seem to bother them. I hate driving on icy or snowy roads but most of the time our inclement weather only lasts a few days and then you have pavement again. We have barrel racing all over the state - the die-hards travel on packed roads in the winter and have studded tires or add chains at pass level. The horses do fine - they just grow a winter coat but I do keep them blanketed. We have no mud to speak of. I think our rainfall is 12" annually. Brenda Mays lives in the hood and obviously did well in spite of the weather although so often people from here go to AZ for January and February for the futurities and other great races. So its a great place to live, raise kids, horses, and the summers are outstanding... lots and lots of public land to ride on - I sell real estate also so I know the area pretty well. We had the first ERA rodeo here and although they moved the venue, our local fairgrounds expo center hosted the Columbia River Circuit Finals for years. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Barrel racer central: Tri-Cities or Walla Walla Washington. Mild (enough) winters, and barrel racing/rodeos galore.
West side of Oregon is prettier but traffic/rain would drive you nuts. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Coming from Illinois to Texas..I miss the great quality of hay and the low cost of it. I never thought it would be this expensive to feed a horse in Texas.
Having 3 seasons, IMO, is a great plus for the health of a horse.
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | silvercanchaser - can you recommend specific counties or areas to consider or to stay away from? If we ever get serious I would sure contact you since having a realtor that knows what to look for in a horse property is VERY beneficial. |
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 Just a Yankee
Posts: 1239
Location: Some where I haven't left yet | I've lived on both "sides" of Oregon and Colorado Mud on the Western side of Oregon is a given unless there is a roof over it. Not too bad on the Eastern side of Oregon. I currently live on the Western side of Colorado and much prefer that over the "front range". Either state you mention will be cheaper to feed a horse then Texas (IMO) As long as the horses have "hair" in the winter blankets are an option if you want to, but not a "must" have. There are all kinds of Barrel Races on each "side" of Colorado. Eastern Oregon is reasonably dry, but they still get more moisture then I do on the Western Slope of Colorado. Mud isn't too bad depending on "where" you are here, but it's high and dry here compared to Western Oregon. |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Thanks everyone! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | I lived in mountain home ID for about a year. It is about an hour east of Boise. Temps were not terribly cold and didn't have a huge amount of rain. It was almost desert like in some areas. Not nearly as much barrel racing but lots of semi pro rodeos. Things may have changed as this was 10 yrs ago. Cost of grain and hay was way better than in TX and the alfLfa was amazing. My TX horses adjusted just fine to the weather. Much less humidity for sure! I wouldn't hesitate to move back if the need arose. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | hammer_time - 2016-08-23 11:35 AM
Barrel racer central: Tri-Cities or Walla Walla Washington. Mild (enough) winters, and barrel racing/rodeos galore.
West side of Oregon is prettier but traffic/rain would drive you nuts.
This is exactly what I was going to say too. Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. I live 30 minutes from WW and we barrel race all winter long. There are a number of indoor arenas in the area to use to keep everything in shape. All our horses live outdoors with blankets and are perfectly happy. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Durango CO | I came from IL to SW Co. ABSOLUTE #1 THING TO CONSISDER is your horse's hooves. Any elevation change (making the assumption it's Morse than a 3000 ft difference) may and Can drastically change your horse'show foot and not in a positive way. I was hanging out at a barrel race when I saw my vet helping another lady. The vet said the horse had a whole shoe size contraction after moving from the south to the elevation of 6700 ft. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1430
Location: Montana | wyoming barrel racer - 2016-08-23 10:05 AM
I lived in TX for a short time but am now back in WY. I find horses deal with the cold winter far better than they handle the heat. We don't have much mud here. Heck it never rains! But if you have shelter/blankets, the cold wouldn't concern me.
I agree.
While you might not want to live in the real cold, your horses will adjust easily. They eat a lot more hay in the bitter cold.
Have a look at the Front Range of CO. Sounds like you'd love it there. Weather is incredible.
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 Roan On The Range
Posts: 7889
Location: Stephenville, TX | I lived south of Portland, OR for MANY years LOL! I agree with all the replies about the area, but wanted to add one thing that I didn't see anyone else mention: its a challenge to work your horses during the rainy season unless you have access to an indoor/covered pen. Rainy season is usually November-May as mentioned above...October and June can be hit and miss. It rains so often during the rainy season that the ground rarely has a chance to dry out and the composition of the soil makes it slick when it's wet. I tried to keep mine worked during the week by trotting straight lines in the pasture, but crippled one doing that, so I quit and hauled in to ride after that.
?I knew some people that got by with a sand pen (not sandy soil, 100% sand) just to trot and lope in during the week. Just have to make sure its built up properly so it drains like a sieve and you keep adding sand as the ground underneath swallows it LOL! |
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 Pedigree Freak
Posts: 2998
| In Oregon like many said the weather varies from area to area. If you want snow and a horse heavy area look at Bend and near there. On the central part don't live further south than Bend if you want to work, the Klamath Basin has some appeal but is depressed job wise.
The west side of the state is prettier and has more jobs but it does rain a lot more but not hardly if any snow. |
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Location: Unfortunately OR | We moved to Oregon almost a yr ago from Texas.. DONT DO IT!!!!! |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Oh WOW... thank you 3barrelsstanding!! I private messaged you.
Edited by TBone 2016-09-06 9:22 AM
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | I love Oregon but lived south central Oregon. Completely different then Portland area. East of the cascades is dry with little rain,300+ days sunshine a year, very ranchy/farming, out of this world awsome hay, no traffic, and great people and alot of races. The Portland area on down to about Eugene you couldnt pay me to live there. Horrible traffic, very liberal, alot of rain and mud and most people up over there arent worth a $2 bill. It must be all the rain, mud, and traffic that effects their brain. Get south of Eugene, or over the cascades on the east side and it is a completely different world. |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Thanks! |
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 Veteran
Posts: 288
| I'm about an hour and a half east, up the Columbia River gorge. CANNOT STAND Portland liberals, seriously, they ARE that bad lol. Rain and mud is a factor, but the extension agents can help you with mud management plans, grading, ground materials, etc. There are races all over the place and good ones too. The BRN4D association is one of the bigger ones in the nation and it's based in Oregon City. Then you have OBRA, NBHA races in Washington, CWP and others. Clark County Saddle club has lots of races year round and it's just acrossed the river in vancouver. Lots of indoor arenas up here in the PNW because of the shifty weather. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1261
| TBone - 2016-08-23 7:37 AM
Can any Oregon horse owners tell me what it is like maintaining horses in your climate? We currently live in Central Texas, but my step-daughter, her husband and our granddaughter live just south of Portland in Oregon City. We have considered moving Northward, but I am VERY hesitant about having and maintaining my horses. What is the best area to live in with horses? Do you have to deal with mud all of the time? Do you have to keep your horses stalled a lot of the time to not get rain rot, scratches, mud fever, soft hooves, etc? How do you keep your horses in condition during the rainy season? Can you ride in your pasture or do you have covered arenas? Are there many barrel races around? Many places for trail riding? What kind and prices for hay? What other things do we need to consider when looking at acreage places? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
ETA: Narrowing the area back down to within 1.5 hours of Portland.Or for those that have lived North and moved to Texas, am open to hearing if moving North is not a wise decision.
I live a little farther south than that but often travel to the Oregon city/ canby/ damascas area to compete. There are tons and tons of barrel races here. Check out the Oregon Barrel Racing association, Clackamus county barrel racing club and BRN4D. Yes there is lots and lots of mud. Where my horses are currently boarded is flat and the drainage around it has slowly filled in so it was flood city in the pastures this year. My other horse lives just a few miles away on the top of a hill with good drainage there is minimal mud there. But yes it rains a lot and mud is a reality here in the valley. If you go over the mountain people say there isn't mud on that side of the state but there is snow...
My retired horse is out on pasture 24/7 with no blanket or anything, she does have ample covered area to get out of the weather though. She has okay feet and no problems at all with rain rot or her feet in her situation. My other two do stay stalled most of the time, mostly because there isn't a safely fenced pasture left on the place they are at now, but I would say the ground is generally dry enough till December or so and starts improving around March. Spring, summer and fall are lovely. I think a covered arena is really a must if you want to compete all year round, or at least an all weather arena. I don't personally mind riding in the rain but I don't want to try and work on slick ground. I think you could do alright on pasture for a good portion of the year though.
There is tons of places for trails around. |
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 How freakish is that?
Posts: 3927
Location: Oregon | I am going to be putting my place on the market here shortly - 24 acres, indoor arena, 30 x 60 barn, enclosed shop, loafing shed, several other outbuildings, hay field and pasture with irrigation rights, older house in really good shape and a mobile home on a hardship if you have parents or inlaws you have to bring with you. An hour south of Portland, 15 minutes to I5 (interstate), close to quite a few towns if you are going to work. The mud on my place is pretty well contained, everything has a covered area to get out of the rain.
Edited by crapshooter 2016-09-11 11:06 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 747
| I've lived here in Oregon for all my life, so I don't know any different and have gotten used to the rain. But, we do have a barn with a manageable sized indoor arena that I use to work horses every day during the rainy season. My horses pens turn into slick muddy messes when it rains (we're at the base of a hill) but my arena is built up so it doesn't get that groundwater. But they are stalled during the rainy season, so it is nice to have an indoor to rotate horses in during the day and work them in.
There are several nice indoor arenas in the Portland area (Canby, Marriott's, Para Heva) and one just across the border in Vancouver. They have a lot of races and barrel series in them during the winter and they have good, safe ground (love love love the ground in the Canby arena). It all just depends on what you think you and your horses can handle! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 764
Location: Stephenville, TX | I lived in Central Oregon (East of the Cascades) for 25 years. Having irrigated ground for pasture is a must if you don't want to feed your horses year round. Real estate with water rights is more expensive however. I do miss being able to ride out my driveway into the BLM land along sandy trails with the scenic Cascade mountains in full view. Awesome! As other posters have said there is a fair amount of snow and colder temps with the mountain passes being a little dicey to get to other major cities .There are a couple local jackpot associations that put on a winter series if you are wanting to stay in shape and not get cabin fever. (long underwear and stocking caps are a must have.)
My horses were outside with run-in sheds and I blanketed the ones I was riding during winter. Plenty of hay and heated troughs kept them healthy and fat.
I have been in SE TX for 4 years now and have a few issues of the last 2 years of El Nino and excessive rain. I have to keep pads on my horse when I have him shod from being in the mud and just recently he had a bad reaction to fire ant bites and broke out in multiple weeping sores. Evil little buggers. Feed molds and spoils a lot quicker and alfalfa is very expensive. Overall, I prefer Texas. Bigger races here offering better added money and awards, plus more of them to pick and choose from.
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Question for Oregon Horse Owners