Hey guys, I need some help

[Riverdance]

My parents are not getting any younger and my sister is all they have down there to help out, so I am thinking of reducing my heard by 2/3 and finding a place near the Jacksonville area.

I know that hay is expensive down there. What do you all feed your horses? Is West Niles prevalent there? Any shots that are really mandatory?

Anything else that you can tell me about life, clubs and horse shows?

Thanks

 

[Matt73]

Just...

We've gotta get growing some Alfalfa to sell to FLA, ASAP LOL

 

[LindaL]

I live on the west coast of Florida (about an hour west of Diane) and it's basically the same here. I was shocked at the cost of hay when I moved here from Oregon last fall!!

Having been used to paying about $3-4 for a NICE grass hay and about $11.00 for feed store priced Alfalfa...I now pay $13.00 for O & A from someone who has it shipped down here from Michigan!! The Coastal (their "grass" hay) is NOT made for horses and thankfully my horses turn their noses up on it...lol

There are 3 clubs (I think) down here and they all put on shows, but like Diane said, you will probably find other shows (closer to you) in other east coast states as well.

I don't know about vaccines that are "mandatory" down here...I just do my regular yearly/quarterly's like normal...but they are VERY picky about having current Neg. Coggins here and are required to have for every horse at all times. (Not used to that, especially for the horses that just stay at the farm).

 

[garyo]

We are on the west coast about 2 hours north of Linda and 3 hrs northwest of Diane. It is four hours diagonally across the state to J'Ville from us. Homeowners insurance is high due to sinkholes and hurricanes, some people do feed coastal or tifton hay but we choose to buy O/A as our horses have had much less tummy issues with it. Like others have said sand clear or metamucil is a mo'ly necessity. Purina products are plentiful and there are a few regional feeds. The prices for feed actually seem pretty reasonable compared to what I see on here but my co-worker who just moved from Kansas was used to buying from a feed mill and thinks they are outrageous. The good news is that houses and farms are cheap here now due to the economic crisis and tons of foreclosures, Feel free to come by if you come down and check out the show premium for our upcoming show at www.stardustacresminis,com/obmhcshows.htm. Ruth

 

[sfmini]

I don't know about the Jacksonville area but I lived in south Florida for an eternity (a year) and never will again. I missed many things about being north, like cooling off at night, cooling after a rain (got hotter and more humid), and just wasn't able to stand the horrid heat and humidity in the summer. Nothing had prepared me for:

poisonous snakes

alligators

fleas

mosquitoes

fire ants

fleas

scorpions

fleas

snakes

plametto bugs (one sex can fly), giant cockroach things

fire ants

fleas

snakes

oppressive heat

mosquitoes

snakes

fleas

fire ants

stink bugs

heat stroke

sun stroke

dogs bitten by poisonous snakes! one died.

little green frogs that show up on the shower wall

strange fungi that horses develop at times

That would be a drastic change for you coming from MN, have you spent any time visiting with the family in the dead of summer and imagined being outside with your animals for hours on end?

It's a nice place to visit in winter but never again as a place to live for me!!

I did love being close to a beach but that is about all I liked about living there.

 

[CKC]

I can't really offer anything on living in Florida. I've only visited a few times,

but.....

Jody- Your post cracked me up!( except losing your dog- I'm sorry to hear that).

I'm now paying roughly $8 a bale for second cutting orchard grass. Seems like yesterday I was paying $3 a bale.

Kim

 

[Raine Ranch Minis]

I don't know about the Jacksonville area but I lived in south Florida for an eternity (a year) and never will again. I missed many things about being north, like cooling off at night, cooling after a rain (got hotter and more humid), and just wasn't able to stand the horrid heat and humidity in the summer. Nothing had prepared me for:

poisonous snakes

alligators

fleas

mosquitoes

fire ants

fleas

scorpions

fleas

snakes

plametto bugs (one sex can fly), giant cockroach things

fire ants

fleas

snakes

oppressive heat

mosquitoes

snakes

fleas

fire ants

stink bugs

heat stroke

sun stroke

dogs bitten by poisonous snakes! one died.

little green frogs that show up on the shower wall

strange fungi that horses develop at times

That would be a drastic change for you coming from MN, have you spent any time visiting with the family in the dead of summer and imagined being outside with your animals for hours on end?

It's a nice place to visit in winter but never again as a place to live for me!!

I did love being close to a beach but that is about all I liked about living there.

:rofl

:rofl

:rofl

:rofl

That is how it is living in the SOUTH!

:rofl

Was the "strange fungi that horses develop at times" on their backs?

On a less funny note. I am sorrry your dog died!

 

[sfmini]

It was in various areas, and the strangest thing I had ever seen. It grew into these pieces of hard yellowish things that you could remove (with sedation). Nothing helped, this was in 1980, so they shipped her to Canada where it cleared up on its own. The vet said to never bring her back to Florida. This was my employer's horse so I have no idea how it turned out. Hopefully well, as the other option was to put her down because of her misery. Her stall was right next to my apartment and she would just slam herself against the wall and rub and bang 24/7.

 

[Annabellarose]

I don't know about the Jacksonville area but I lived in south Florida for an eternity (a year) and never will again. I missed many things about being north, like cooling off at night, cooling after a rain (got hotter and more humid), and just wasn't able to stand the horrid heat and humidity in the summer. Nothing had prepared me foroisonous snakes

alligators

fleas

mosquitoes

fire ants

fleas

scorpions

fleas

snakes

plametto bugs (one sex can fly), giant cockroach things

fire ants

fleas

snakes

oppressive heat

mosquitoes

snakes

fleas

fire ants

stink bugs

heat stroke

sun stroke

dogs bitten by poisonous snakes! one died.

little green frogs that show up on the shower wall

strange fungi that horses develop at times

That would be a drastic change for you coming from MN, have you spent any time visiting with the family in the dead of summer and imagined being outside with your animals for hours on end?

It's a nice place to visit in winter but never again as a place to live for me!!

I did love being close to a beach but that is about all I liked about living there.

Heck, I only live as far "South" as near the Kentucky/Tennessee border and I feel that way! How can anyone stand to live any farther South than this where it certainly has to be much more hot + humid + buggy!? I am miserable and I absolutely hate it here. I am originally from the Dayton area of Ohio and, even though it is only about a 210 mile drive from where I am from to where I am now, it is a WORLD different/worse!!! We have all of those nasty critters here too, except for alligators and scorpions. I miss Ohio, BAD!

 

[Sandee]

Oh, and just as I am getting so sick of our cold COLD crapy weather in Wisconsin. You all come along and make me appreciate where I live!

As for Florida, I know that the breeder where I purchased two of my horses lives just past Orlando. Since they had a good sized herd, they found it more feasible to get a semi load of hay from Canada. Somehow he had an agreement where they delivered the hay and left the trailer with hay in it for storage. If you want more information you could PM me and I'd give you their email address (very nice people) as I still give them updates on their/our horses 7 years later. His biggest lament was the hurricanes that tore up some of the buildings and left their pastures underwater.

 

[sfmini]

We did something like that, bought hay up north by the semi load and then the trailers shipped piggyback on trains.

Did I mention the fleas?

Will never, ever forget the day I learned that some palmetto bugs can fly. I was sweeping one out of my apartment when it flew up into my face. I'll never be the same again.

 

[ruffian]

Don't ask me - the calendar said SPRING and it's snowing. nuff said.

 

[Riverdance]

Thanks for all of your replies.

It looks like I am going to move around the Jacksonville area. I go down every year in the winter, but used to go down in the summers. Yes it can get hot, but those times I can be swimming in a pool or just stay inside in the air-condition house.

In Minnesota, one is inside from December till April, last year it was June before I could shave any of the horses down. Try going out to feed horses after we have had 2 feet of snow with drifts 4 to 6 feet high. there was no way I could get out to the horses. Just getting to the barn I fell 3x and it was a real struggle to get up as my feet kept sinking into the soft snow. Ended up tearing my meniscus in my knee in 2 places. Too cold to be outside for any length of time. Days to plow out. I am tired of it. As for Mosquitos, that is our state bird.

Here in Minnesota we really only have 2 to 3 months where we can shave horses down without using a heated barn. Coming home from the World Show, my horses have to be heavily blanketed and in the barn for weeks. When they grow their winter coats, one has no idea how they look, just like buffalos or ticks who have fed well. It is very hard to try and sell horses here as we only have 2 months to shave them down and get pictures. then if anyone inquires in the fall, winter or spring, they always want me to go outside and take new pictures. Of course they can not see anything, so I loose the sale.

As for bugs,like fleas, I guess I could have my yard sprayed and my dogs treated for ticks and fleas. (got 15 dogs going down with me).

I will have to sell off 75% of my herd for now, and learn how to live in Florida. At least I will be near family, which I am not here.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I am looking forward to meeting you all at some shows. Which you have more of then we do here. We have 2 to be exact and they are only 1 day with few classes as the first two days are AMHR.

 

[Helicopter]

I don't know about the Jacksonville area but I lived in south Florida for an eternity (a year) and never will again. I missed many things about being north, like cooling off at night, cooling after a rain (got hotter and more humid), and just wasn't able to stand the horrid heat and humidity in the summer. Nothing had prepared me for:

poisonous snakes

alligators

fleas

mosquitoes

fire ants

fleas

scorpions

fleas

snakes

plametto bugs (one sex can fly), giant cockroach things

fire ants

fleas

snakes

oppressive heat

mosquitoes

snakes

fleas

fire ants

stink bugs

heat stroke

sun stroke

dogs bitten by poisonous snakes! one died.

little green frogs that show up on the shower wall

strange fungi that horses develop at times

That would be a drastic change for you coming from MN, have you spent any time visiting with the family in the dead of summer and imagined being outside with your animals for hours on end?

It's a nice place to visit in winter but never again as a place to live for me!!

I did love being close to a beach but that is about all I liked about living there.

Gee, some people are hard to please. .

:salute

:OKinteresting

 

[HGFarm]

Holy cow, and people ask how we live here with a very occasional rattlesnake and scorpions. (Nothing a #9 boot wont fix). I dont have that other stuff here, including humidity ... and dont forget we dont have alligators either! Yikes!

 

[leeapachemoon]

OMG !! Too funny!!

Florida is like any other state -- we get hot weather and we get cold weather. The hot weather lasts longer, but the cold weather lasts long enough to know why I chose not to live where it's 20 below zero anymore.

I do not have to carry warm water buckets, and heat waterers, watch the steam roll off the horses and me while I'm trying to work in freezing weather to clean stalls and groom horses. My horses will not walk on top of snowdrifts over the top of pasture fences and out into the streets. They will not slip on the ice, not drown in the pond when the ice cracks under them, and since where I live, I don't have "dirt" they do not get muddy and slip in that. I do not have weeks and weeks and weeks of mud and mud and more mud! We have a rainy season like anyone else, and personally, I like when it's just hot enough to think it's too hot, and the sun is shining and the rain just starts pouring down in the sunshine. Sometimes, yes it gets muggy, but others it's just the slight breeze after the rain that I enjoy.

Bugs are bugs are bugs. In the Adirondack Mountains in New York where I'm from, we had those wonderful "black flies" and the "no-see-ums" that bit you like their mouths were bigger than you are. We have the same amount of snakes as anyone else -- poisonous like in the southwest USA, and I don't have any alligators. Palmetto bugs (cockroaches) CAN FLY -- but I seldom see any and certainly not in the house. Let's see: fire ants -- I have my yard treated once a year and if I see any they come spray for free, mosquitoes -- I have my property/lawn treated once a year -- and most towns spray at night for the people up and down the streets to keep the pesky things away.

My horses have never had rain rot, you can spend enjoyable time in shorts and flip flops out with the horses probably 11 full months of the year, you seldom need a coat, never mittens or a hat or scarf, you don't have to worry so much about "early foals" -- although once you live here you begin to think the weather in the "winter months" is too cold for the horses, and I've seen people blanket horses here. Then I remind myself I never blanketed a horse living in 20+ degrees below zero weather, and just laugh at myself.

Every place has its bonuses and enjoyable times. I've lived here since 1981 and FINALLY saw my first hurricane in 2004. Not a bad average -- and yes, I lost property (barn, feeding shed, tack barn, my dad's house 30 feet away) but things are insured like anywhere else and get rebuilt.

Taking a beachside vacation is fun, as is swimming in November in the pool, hot tubs when it's just starting to get too cool to swim -- THEN you can see the steam rise! But it's a pleasure.

So, everything is what you make it, and what you make OF it! ENJOY!

I moved there next week and I can't wait!!!!

We have wood roaches in NJ and they fly!

I love the heat and I hate snow so I think I will be very happy there.

 

[leeapachemoon]

Thanks for all of your replies.

It looks like I am going to move around the Jacksonville area. I go down every year in the winter, but used to go down in the summers. Yes it can get hot, but those times I can be swimming in a pool or just stay inside in the air-condition house.

In Minnesota, one is inside from December till April, last year it was June before I could shave any of the horses down. Try going out to feed horses after we have had 2 feet of snow with drifts 4 to 6 feet high. there was no way I could get out to the horses. Just getting to the barn I fell 3x and it was a real struggle to get up as my feet kept sinking into the soft snow. Ended up tearing my meniscus in my knee in 2 places. Too cold to be outside for any length of time. Days to plow out. I am tired of it. As for Mosquitos, that is our state bird.

Here in Minnesota we really only have 2 to 3 months where we can shave horses down without using a heated barn. Coming home from the World Show, my horses have to be heavily blanketed and in the barn for weeks. When they grow their winter coats, one has no idea how they look, just like buffalos or ticks who have fed well. It is very hard to try and sell horses here as we only have 2 months to shave them down and get pictures. then if anyone inquires in the fall, winter or spring, they always want me to go outside and take new pictures. Of course they can not see anything, so I loose the sale.

As for bugs,like fleas, I guess I could have my yard sprayed and my dogs treated for ticks and fleas. (got 15 dogs going down with me).

I will have to sell off 75% of my herd for now, and learn how to live in Florida. At least I will be near family, which I am not here.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I am looking forward to meeting you all at some shows. Which you have more of then we do here. We have 2 to be exact and they are only 1 day with few classes as the first two days are AMHR.

I am moving to Citra, 15 miles north of Ocala. We are going next week. I am really looking forward to the shows as well.

 

[joylee123]

Sue,

We have a place in Crystal River on the gulf side about 70 miles north of Clearwater. Haven't been able to spend much time there but I am looking forward to retiring there eventually. Only thing is it isn't horse property cuz I was going through a divorce and told myself no more horses (YA RIGHT LOL!) Our place is near Kings Bay so there are always nice breezes even when it's hot. I love when it rains cuz the rain is warm! When I lived( for 23 years) in Colorado the rain was COLD!!! even in the middle of summer.

I think you'll like it, just a bit different.

Joy

 

[Riverdance]

Sue,

We have a place in Crystal River on the gulf side about 70 miles north of Clearwater. Haven't been able to spend much time there but I am looking forward to retiring there eventually. Only thing is it isn't horse property cuz I was going through a divorce and told myself no more horses (YA RIGHT LOL!) Our place is near Kings Bay so there are always nice breezes even when it's hot. I love when it rains cuz the rain is warm! When I lived( for 23 years) in Colorado the rain was COLD!!! even in the middle of summer.

I think you'll like it, just a bit different.

Joy

Talk about COLD rain. It is raining and sleeting here right now, hard. I have one mare in under camera because she is starting to drip milk. I am not looking forward to running out to the barn in the middle of the night in the cold rain/sleet. Florida is sounding better and better.

 

[chandab]

Don't ask me - the calendar said SPRING and it's snowing. nuff said.

Me, too!