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Greg
V. Austin, PGA
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Equestrian
Life
The
Heart of Horse Country
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Horses and horse
people have always been a familiar part of the scene in the
Sandhills – first for transportation and then for recreation. Midland Road, the beautiful avenue connecting Pinehurst and Southern Pines
once had a carriage lane on one side of the tree-lined median
and trolley tracks on the other side.
What does it mean to you that Southern Pines is the heart
and soul of horse country in
North Carolina?
Moderate
weather.
Although we enjoy four seasons, the winters are short and
relatively mild.
It does get hot during July and August, but it gets hot
just about everywhere!
In horse country, it cools off quickly in the evenings.
Horseback
Riding, McClendon Hills Equestrian Center,
Hwy 211, West End. (910) 673-4971. Offers Horseback Riding for
visitors. No children under 8 allowed. Cost: $50 per person for 2
1/2 hour ride. Pony Rides are available for children 8 and under.
Riding Lessons are available for children 7 and up.
Forgiving
ground
that is easy on the hooves.
The sandy soil also drains quickly during and after a hard
rain; and as a result, horse and rider almost never have to deal
with mud.
The
Walthour
Moss Foundation consists of over 4,000 pristine acres held
in perpetuity for public use.
Miles and miles of trails and beautiful meadows are easily
accessible whether you own property adjacent to the Foundation,
board at a local farm or if you trailer in and unload at one of
several public access areas.
Weymouth
Woods
State Park
borders horse country and adds another 900 acres of riding
terrain.
World
Class Trainers in
every discipline live and work in Southern Pines and the
surrounding area, including several notable Olympic veterans.
So, local residents have unprecedented access to world
class training.
Horse
support
is abundant, meaning that we have numerous feed stores,
tack shops, farriers, farm maintenance services, horse sitters,
exercise riders, guys who can build barns and install fencing –
all of the folks who you need when you have horses.
Horse
people
by the hundreds already live and work in Southern Pines and the
surrounding area, so you will have an almost instant network of
support and friends.
State
of the art Vet care
is right at your doorstep, including access to a major equine
veterinary hospital.
The North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine is
1 hour away.
The CVM also operates a clinic in Southern Pines that is
staffed every day.
In addition, Southern Pines is home to numerous large
animal vets who could not operate locally unless they were among
the best in the world.
Horse
shows
are held at several local venues, including the
Carolina
Horse
Park
, The Pinehurst Show Grounds at the Harness Track, and at private
farms and rings owned by residents and trainers. North Carolina
is also home to several large state owned equestrian facilities
spread out all over the state.
You don’t have to tour the whole country just to have a
full schedule of shows each year and you don’t have to spend
your life savings on gas either!
The chances are that even as you are reading this,
there’s a show or a clinic getting ready to take place in your
discipline.
Horse
property
is available in all price ranges, including existing farms and
vacant tracts of land. The
most expensive property is very close to Southern Pines, but horse
country now extends out to about 15 miles from town.
When you come for a visit, you
can get
a complete tour of horse country so that you can get a perspective
on all of the options. You’ll
be pleasantly surprised to find out that some of the best horse
property available is not necessarily the most expensive.
Boarding
Facilities
are located throughout horse country.
Whether you are looking for a large boarding operation or a
very private small barn, you’ll have no problem finding the
right fit.
All
Kinds of Riding
is popular. So it does
not really matter whether you ride Western, English or Bareback.
In
North Carolina
, and especially here in the Heart of Horse Country, we love
horses and all horse people have mutual respect for one another
that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
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