|
|
Veteran
Posts: 160
 
| Looking to move to AZ within the next few months. Looking for advice where best horse communities, barrel racing etc is. Where do you live what do you love hate about it? Jobs etc? Prices of hay? Any other helpful info would be great!!
Thanks!!!
| |
| | |
 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | Don’t move to Flagstaff.  | |
| | |
Veteran
Posts: 160
| Can you explain why flagstaff is a no go? The area is beautiful. Where would you suggest? | |
| | |
 Member
Posts: 13
Location: Middle Tennessee | I'm no help but I just wanted to say that with all this mud and rain Tennessee has been getting I've been dreaming of dry Arizona haha. I hope you get some good information! | |
| | |
 The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
 
Location: Arizona | The outskirts is where you will find the horse communities. I live in Buckeye, which is about 40 miles west of Phoenix. Lots of daily horse activities, home prices are still reasonable. What kind of job are you looking for if you are needing one? Other good horse areas, is Marana which is located South of Phoenix. It's got some great horse clubs, lots of barrel racers, Cave Creek/Carefree area is nice, but housing is a bit pricey in this area. Flagstaff, is cold. Their winter lasts a long time. It's a great place to visit in the summer time, but I wouldn't want to live up there either,lol. I buy my hay from a local farmer which runs about $10.50 for a three string 80lb bale of alfalfa. You can check out all the local races at www.theclassifiedhorse.com. The summers are brutal here. You will need shade for your horses. I put up fans and misters as well. I don't do much racing in the summer as it's just too hot. I usually travel north in the summer time. 2 hours away and you're in 20 degree cooler weather. June-September it's miserable!!
Edited by LIVE2RUN 2018-03-09 2:49 PM
| |
| | |
 Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | I grew up in Queen Creek, and my boyfriend grew up in Maricopa. We spent the last 6.5 years in Idaho and Montana, but bought a house in December just south of Maricopa. Finally had enough of the northern winters! We are desert rats and plan on staying in the desert where we belong from now on, lol. Flagstaff is beautiful, but expensive to have horses up there (at least that's what I've been told by friends who were looking to buy in that area). I know several people who live in Kingman and really like it. Both areas do get really cold in the winter. Wickenburg is a cool town, and is booming right now as a team roping Mecca. Camp Verde is kind of a nice halfway point between Flagstaff & Phoenix. Not as hot in the summer as Phoenix and not as cold in the winter as Flag. Pinal county is home for me, so it's what I'm most familiar with. Lots of team roping and barrel racing within a 1-2 hr drive or less, but the population has increased dramatically in the time we were up north. Your work location is something to really take into consideration, depending where you are it could take you an hour to drive 20-30 miles just because of traffic. So try to buy as close to your work as possible. Our zip code is technically Maricopa, but we're actually closer to the little town of Stanfield. My boyfriend works at a feedlot 6 miles away, which is awesome because he can be there in 10 min. I can be to Maricopa in 15-20 min and Casa Grande in 30. I prefer shopping in Casa Grande, it's a lot busier than it used to be but still not the madhouse that Maricopa has become. Took a drive through Coolidge last week and really like how rural it's stayed, but I've heard drugs and crime have gotten really bad out there the last few years. Lots of little towns between Phoenix and Tucson that are worth checking out, and most will put you in easy driving distance of horse events. Summers are rough for the uninitiated; but it's what I grew up in so it doesn't bother me too much. I've never had problems with my horses in the heat. They have shade now, but in years past they've gone without shade and been fine. Just always provide plenty of water & salt. In the heat of the summer I often bathe them before & after rides instead of brushing them. They are usually dry in 15 min or so. I do a lot of night & early morning riding in the summer too. Wherever you decide to move, try to buy if possible. You can get a house payment for half of what it costs to rent horse property right now. Our house payment is $600/month - if we were renting the same property we'd be looking at $1,200-$1,500/month. Edited to add: Hay prices are $11/bale over here right now (large 3 strand bales).
Edited by Whinny19 2018-03-10 6:41 AM
| |
| | |
Location: in the ozone | Where are you moving from? Do you have a job already? If you have an occupation that is easy to find jobs (nursing for example), then it's much easier to find a job that will pay well. If you are more "entry level" skills, wages are NOT good. (in comparison to many other areas of the country) I think it has gotten hotter in the summers than it used to be, so for someone not accustomed to extreme heat, it can be brutal in the summer. NOTHING really cools down in the bigger city areas at night - the pavement & sidewalks soak up that heat all day & just do not lose it at night. Winters are wonderful. Hay is very expensive compared to many other areas of the country. (it's pretty much just bermuda or alfalfa available unless it's trucked in from elsewhere, then you might be able to pay through the nose for some timothy, etc. My best suggestion is to make a trip down there in the worst time of year (July or August) and look around at jobs, housing, and the various areas to decide what appeals to you and if you think you can stand the heat. It could be a very expensive move if you just move there & hate it. | |
| |
|
Wanting to move to AZ...AZ people come hither...