I had been in the process of planning to bring my horse, who had to stay behind in Georgia until after final frost to reduce the chances of colic, to Happy Valley, when ironically he colicked and died. I now have to go back to Georgia to pack up his things, among other things. So this will be a combination commentary on horse facilities in Happy Valley and a sort of memorial commentary.
First, Happy Valley is gorgeous and land is actually supposedly more expensive, but also more available than it was in Georgia. So when I started looking around for the right barn for my boy, I was immediately able to find a few places in the are that would take him and sounded more or less appropriate to what we were doing. However, in general I've noticed that Happy Valley isn't as internet-savvy as Athens -- most businesses lack a web presence, and are kind of hard to identify by remote means. In other words, you gotta network.
But networking turned up a number of acceptable facilities, and it also turned up some hidden options, such as renting an entire barn at the base of Tussey Mountain or share boarding on the edge of state lands, which of course one has to share with hunters but are gorgeous. Anyway, not that it matters right now, but I did find better options than in Georgia. I have to think about whether I want another horse, and when I might want one, but it sounds like when I am ready, I will have good options.
No comments:
Post a Comment