Horse Community in Austin? (Spring, Georgetown: custom home, neighborhood, theatre)

[frenchy05]

So we need to move to Austin and would like to replicate our current living situation if possible. Our kids are in private schools but we'd like to be in a decent district just in case--not the best but better than average. So we currently live in an equestrian community--trails, access to open space that also allows for other small livestock. Our community is very social--summer camps for kids, community theatre, weekly summer bbqs etc. Commutable to very good private schools and 'town' is minutes away if that. Is there an area like this in Austin?

[TexasBlonde]

It depends on your budget. I know of one that sounds similar to that (Camp Ben McCullogh which is off of 1826) where majority of the homes have horses on the property, and there are several stables in the area. Also, it's Dripping Springs school district (which isn't too bad) and there are several great private schools nearby. The downside is this area is pretty pricey, and so are majority of the stables in the area.

[TexasHorseLady]

There are several equestrian communities in and around the Austin area. What is your budget? There's Twin Creek Farms and San Gabriel River Estates in the Georgetown area, the Polo Club in Dripping Springs, just for examples of two on opposite sides of Austin. I get the impression you'll be wanting to keep your horse-kids at home rather than stabling them, but most of the equestrian communities have both options available, you just have to have a larger parcel in order to have a barn and keep them out the window rather than in the boarding stable down the street.

Tell me more - budget, riding style preference, that kind of thing, and I'll try to be more specific in suggestions.

[TexasHorseLady]

Just looked at your other posts, all of which are identical except for substituting the names "Boulder" and "Denver" for "Austin". So, which is it? Are you trying to decide where to move to?

[frenchy05]

Texas Horse Lady--the company has locations in both and has given us 30 days to pick.

Price--we'd like to stay under 1 mil

[TexasHorseLady]

Oh, that shouldn't be a problem at all in any of them.

So, did I read you right that you prefer to have your horses at home, or do you want to board them in the community? What kind/size of house did you have in mind? What discipline(s) do you favor? What breed(s) of horses?

[JDove]

Originally Posted by frenchy05

So we need to move to Austin and would like to replicate our current living situation if possible. Our kids are in private schools but we'd like to be in a decent district just in case--not the best but better than average. So we currently live in an equestrian community--trails, access to open space that also allows for other small livestock. Our community is very social--summer camps for kids, community theatre, weekly summer bbqs etc. Commutable to very good private schools and 'town' is minutes away if that. Is there an area like this in Austin?

I agree, Dripping Springs, near Camp Ben Culloch, is one of the best areas around Austin that could potentially provide you with everything that you're looking for. The public schools are highly acclaimed & exemplary. There are some nice private schools in close proximity as well. We are soon to be selling our home here but we will not be leaving the school district, if at all possible. Our home is on five animal-friendly acres, it’s fully fenced & crossed fenced, with a 36x36 sq. ft. barn, with a 4,000 sq. ft. custom home. The house sits on the edge of a gorgeous wet weather ravine (that our kids love to hike and explore in). The TX hill country here is just beautiful. I have two friends that live within 3 miles of me that own stables and offer summer horse programs and lessons. Dripping Springs has 4-H groups and a United States Pony Club group that meet locally as well. Our neighborhood, as well as surrounding ones, has monthly and seasonal gatherings. It’s a very friendly and family oriented community. It’s also only about a 20 to 30 minute drive into downtown Austin from where we are. Hopefully, some of this information helps. Pedernales Falls State Park is near here too, where you can take your horses trail riding. Good luck to you with your move.

[TexasHorseLady]

If you move to the Dripping Springs area, one caveat. There are horse-suitable and definitely not horse-suitable parcels in that area - you need to look at the soil carefully and make sure that you actually get soil and not rock. (Experience not only as an agent, but as someone looking for horse-suitable property there long before I was an agent. A good deal of what we were shown as horse-suitable was actually suitable for my vet's accountant. One reason I became an agent, in fact.) You can find the gems, just have to look for them.

[BentBow]

Out towards Bastrop, Hutto, Taylor, Buda, Kyle, Creedmore, Don't have the rocky ground, Dripping Springs, or out towards Wimberly have. But, those two places, Dripping and Wimberley, blow all the other away, as far as the schools, views and people living in those areas SW of Austin.

[love roses]

I would leave the people out of that statement. People that live n Wimberly and Dripping Springs aren't any better than people in Bastrop, Hutto, Taylor, Buda, Kyle or Creedmore.