Top Equestrian Facilities at Golf Communities

Golf communities with equestrian facilities are riding high

In most golf communities, golf carts are the prevalent mode of transportation—whether on-course or off. But at a growing number of private club communities today, you’re just as likely to see residents riding horses as E-Z-GOs. From coast to coast, more and more communities boast of equestrian facilities among their top amenities, with offerings that prioritize enjoyment and range from casual pony rides for kids to multi-disciplinary programs for advanced riders.

They’re catering not just to an interest, but a lifestyle. For equestrians, saddling up to go on a trail ride or spend time in the arena with an equine friend is the equivalent of having the golf course all to yourself. It’s a lifelong passion, and one that horsemen (and, more commonly, horsewomen) can’t get enough of.

equestrian
Spring Island

“I’ve always been drawn to the connection with nature that horseback riding offers,” says Amy Davidson. She has a home, keeps a horse, and rides the trails at Balsam Mountain Preserve, a 4,400-acre community in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, N.C. “I love the sense of freedom and adventure that the equestrian lifestyle provides.”

Davidson looked at several communities before choosing Balsam, which was the right fit for her family for many reasons. Its mountain golf course and other resort-style amenities. Its mild summer temperatures. Its 40-plus miles of well-maintained trails. The quality and upkeep of its equestrian facilities. And, especially, its equestrian program staff.

They’re headed by Lila Kilby, a Greenville, S.C., native with a degree in Animal Science from Clemson. Kilby recognizes that the key to a happy horse owner is a happy horse—and a healthy one. She advises horse owners evaluating equestrian communities to pay particular attention to their programs’ turnout procedures and options.

“Your horse needs to be outside,” Kilby says. “It needs buddies. It needs to be able to move around and not be in a 12-by-12 stall most of the time. That just creates a not-super-healthy horse—and one that’s probably not very happy, either. You really want to know what the day-to-day is going to be. Arenas are great, trails are great, but your horse is still alive when you’re not riding it. So how is it spending its days? I want to see at least some groups of horses, know that it is an option, and know that the environment is as natural as it can be.”

horses golf
Balsam Mountain Preserve

At Cordillera Ranch, a gated community in the Texas Hill Country just north of San Antonio, Director of Outdoor Recreation Shane Reynolds notes that providing horses with good care is at the top of their program’s list of priorities, too.

“We’ve got six full-time staff members that take care of a little over 50 horses,” Reynolds says, “and our primary trainer lives on property. That’s a strong selling point, as is the group of great local vets and farriers who come in to service our barn.” Add in other area trainers who specialize in specific types of Western riding, like cutting and roping, and the community’s horse people and their mounts are well looked after.

Reynolds says most residents board their horses. “They want to keep their horse in our barn or out in our pasture. We teach English and Western-style riding lessons there, do lots of trail rides, and we train horses there, as well.” Trail rides through the hills or along the Guadalupe River are popular, and having the equestrian center and trails so close to their homes is convenient for residents. Some homeowners keep horses in their own barns and look to the Cordillera Ranch team just to provide programming, like arranging for trail rides, either on- or off-site.

Having a horse barn on your own property is something that happens a lot in western states, which explains why there aren’t that many private communities out west with equestrian programs. Instead, many horse owners look for “horse properties” large enough to accommodate their own barn, pastureland, and riding trails.

casa de campo
Casa de Campo

Utah’s Red Ledges is one western community that does offer a large, on-property equestrian program. Lessons and trail rides through the red rocks appeal to the cowboy or cowgirl in everyone, and there’s also a unique leasing program that enables community members to enjoy the benefits of owning a horse without the full-time commitment. In California’s Santa Lucia Mountains just east of Carmel, residents of Santa Lucia Preserve live in horse heaven, with three center-aisle barns and a breezeway barn—all with box stalls and attached runs—plus riding arenas and paddocks for daily turnouts. Its 44 groomed trails run over rolling hills, through redwood-lined canyons, and along ridges offering sweeping views of the Pacific.

Back east, the demand for equestrian facilities in private club communities has soared in recent years—especially in the Carolinas, where they are found both inland and in coastal areas. Up in the mountains, Bright’s Creek and The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards join Balsam Mountain Preserve as golf communities with strong equestrian programs. In the Carolinas’ coastal Lowcountry, where rivers, shorelines, and spreading oaks dripping with Spanish moss set the stage, choices abound, including Haig Point, Brays Island, Ford Field & River Club, and the Spring Island community, which has 10 homesites designated as horse properties. They all offer extensive equestrian facilities and miles of peaceful, natural trails, with some extending right along beaches.

Over in Bluffton, S.C., many of the neighborhoods at the spacious Palmetto Bluff community are joined by bridle trails—miles of them—all originating at Longfield Stables. This 173-acre equestrian dream world includes an expansive main barn and receiving barn, covered arena with state-of-the-art GGT footing, outdoor dressage area, turf jump field, and a cross-country course designed by Olympian John Williams. The private riverfront golf and equestrian community at Oldfield is another good Bluffton area option.

cordillera ranch
Cordillera Ranch

Residents at the Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club in North Central Florida are so passionate about the equestrian lifestyle that they proclaim it right in their community’s name. It’s a place designed to meet a horse lover’s every need, with extensive facilities, miles of bridle trails, and training programs for everyone from beginners to the most advanced riders. Horses are treated like A-list celebs at Golden Ocala, with immaculate suites in well-appointed barns, individual turnout, and on-site services from top local vets, dentists, farriers, even equine physical therapists. Fittingly, there’s an impressive collection of paintings by noted equestrian artists in the Golden Ocala clubhouse.

While Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic is home of the famed Teeth of the Dog golf course, you may not know that this sprawling resort and community has one of the most extensive equestrian programs in the world—including three polo fields where matches are played all year. The equestrian and polo programs are headed by Fernando Arata, a vivacious professional polo player from Argentina. The equine empire he oversees at Casa de Campo is vast, with more than 220 stalls, 35 corrals, 50 club horses, 30 polo ponies, and 35 employees. Activities for residents and resort guests run the gamut from beginners’ lessons and dressage to jumping lessons and private trail rides. Some residents board three or more horses. Polo-playing residents may have upwards of 15 horses, each costing $40,000 or more.

“I love horses,” says Arata. “I live 100 meters from my work. I used to be a lawyer, but I hated it. So for me, being here is fantastic. I try to make everyone happy. We have everything you can imagine doing with horses. I have a program for everyone. Even this crazy thing called Donkey Polo. People love that. They drink a beer, climb on a donkey, and play polo with a broom and a ball. The donkeys are always out of control—they go anywhere they want. But people love it.”

horses
Haig Point

 

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LYNN PAUL MELLUS
16 days ago

You missed Pinehurst NC

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