Most serious horse people at some time wonder if they should buy a place where they can keep their horse at home - a horse property. Some should; some shouldn't. As someone who has done it, and as a real estate agent, here are my thoughts on the matter.

Boarding your horse does have its pluses. Someone else will feed the horse, clean its stall, generally keep an eye on it. All you HAVE to do is show up and ride. If there's an emergency (colic, say, or one of the Stupid Horse Things that horses will do), someone else will call the vet and call you to let you know. Someone else can meet the farrier, do the worming, all of those things. If your time, or your experience, is limited, if you have to travel often for your job, buying a house within a short drive of your chosen stable (good stables are harder to find than good houses!) may be just the thing for you to do. We owned, and bred, horses for several years while boarding, and it was perfect for getting to ride, and to experience breeding, with folks readily available who were old hands at all of these things that were new to us. (I also bought, as my first horse, a 14-year-old well-trained proven broodmare, on the theory that ONE of us should know what we were doing!) It wasn't until she was pregnant with her third foal for me that my husband did the math and we ended up on our 55 acres out in the country.

The downside is that someone else is in control of, and involved with, most of the basics for your horse, you can't just go out and ride on your own place whenever you have a little time (but not enough time to drive to the stable AND ride), you can't look out the kitchen window and see your horse, and you miss a lot of the communication with your horse that you experience just by being around more, living with the horse.

Now, about buying your own horse property. This is a dream of many horse people, but it's a bit step, and one that should be taken with due consideration.

First, short of having a live-in horse nanny, you ARE going to be tied down more than you are in a boarding situation. Horse sitters can be found, but they are few and far between, and finding one that you trust can be tricky. Scheduling vacations, even for a couple of days, takes on a whole new meaning when you have your horse at home. It can be done, especially if you develop a network with other horsepeople in your area, but it adds a layer to the planning needed.

Second, make sure that you are pretty educated on appropriate horse care before making this step. I recommend, if they'll cooperate, studying with whoever runs the boarding facility where you currently board, or finding someone who will work with you on this. You'll need to know equine nutrition (which can be different for each horse), a little bit of basic equine first aid (your vet should be a good resource for this), how often you need to call the farrier and how to find, and keep, a good one. You'll need to learn about grasses and what plants are good for your horse and which ones are toxic and how to recognize them. You'll need to learn about, and make choices about, fencing (not as simple as it sounds). And you'll need to check your horses a couple of times a day for Stupid Horse Things. It's a lot to learn, but the learning is an adventure all its own.

Purchasing the property, if you decide to go this route, is something that you'll want to do with the assistance of a real estate agent - but not just any real estate agent. You'll want one who is familiar with horses, who knows that "acres" does not necessarily equal "horse suitable" and that some acreage can raise your vet bills. Someone who understands about vets and farriers and the necessity of a good feed storetack shop and access to trails or arenas and the importance of a horse network. If you can, find a specialist in horse property, and best of all, someone who has their own horses. For that matter, if you decide to board, this kind of agent can also be a good resource for finding a home near a good stable. And, while conducting your search, you'll be able to have the long discussions of all things horsie that all horsepeople know and love!