Horse Properties
A C R O S S T H E N AT I O N by Wendy Tinker
Visiting CALIFORNIA in Region 3, WASHINGTON in Region 5, IOWA in Region 11, KENTUCKY in Region 14,
As we travel back and forth across the United States looking at Arabian breeding and training farms, we see the local pride that farm owners have for the towns they call home. Every region has different features to offer and Arabian lovers have found benefits in all types of terrain and climate. We begin our tour of farms this month with Region 3 at the Jesse Saldaña Training Center in Santa Rosa, California. Jesse and his wife Juana have lived in Santa Rosa for twenty years, and they have enjoyed raising their children in the California sunshine. Their training center sits on nine acres in an agricultural area within easy driving distance of several communities. Jesse credits their proximity to a number of schools for providing the source of youth and beginner riders that flock to their riding program. The year-round mild temperatures and great weather are also a draw, in a region where the real estate market is heating up. “Property values are on the rise and there are plenty of options,” says Jesse. “It is a great market and available properties are very versatile, offering single family homes, farms, condos and townhomes.” Next, we travel southeast to Brentwood, California, and home of Valley Oak Arabians and Manny Vierra. Manny moved to Brentwood in 1991 and built Valley Oak Arabians in 2007 where he lives with girlfriend, Vikki Renfrow, and a herd of some of the finest Arabian
& VIRGINIA in Region 15.
Left and top: Valley Oak Arabians in Brentwood, California. Below: Rose City Arabians in Ridgefield, Washington. Bottom: Druid Hill Stable in Norwalk, Iowa.
Saldaña Training Center in Santa Rosa, California.
horses in the country. Manny explains why he was drawn to Brentwood: “It is great a agricultural area and we are located next to a community called Discovery Bay where you can enjoy a lot of water sports. Brentwood is known for its prosperous farms and large areas of land that are ideal for horses, but it still has a small town feel, with all the shopping you need just minutes from home. It also has some wonderful fertile soil for growing feed and pastures for the horses.” Valley Oak Arabians consists of the main barn boasting thirty-five stalls and a gorgeous 2,000 square foot reception area. In addition, there are sixteen stalls in the mare motel, a 1,200 square foot covered presentation and preview arena, and 80´ x 160´ covered arena, all on twenty beautiful fenced and cross fenced acres. When asked about real estate values Manny said, “In 2002-2003, Brentwood was considered one of the fastest growing small cities in the nation, and boosted its population to about 58,000 people. Real estate values have improved by 30 to 40 percent over the past ten years. My property value has increased 40 to 50 percent. “Anyone thinking of coming this way to relocate can expect to find country living within minutes of all the amenities,” continues Manny. “I built Valley Oak Arabians with a lot of love and passion for my pride and joy: the Arabian horse.” Joe and Kim Orr live on the southern edge of Washington in Region 5. Their farm, Rose City Arabians, is located on the north side of the Columbia River, about as close to Oregon as you can get. Joe was born and raised in the Portland area and Kim is a Santa Barbara transplant. Rose City Arabians sits on five, lush green acres and Joe is building a new high-tech five-stall insulated barn with extra-large heated stalls and a covered arena. 70 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b JULY 2017
Joe describes their breeding goals: “We breed for solid-minded halter horses that can go on to be great performance animals. We just love the entire breeding and selection process as we breed for extreme beauty (head hunters over here), while focusing on the foundations of the Arabian horse, and then throwing in a dash of stretch.” Living in Ridgefield has its distinct advantages. There is no income tax in the state of Washington, and no sales tax in the state of Oregon. That makes living near the border pretty cost-effective. “Ridgefield and the Portland, Oregon, area (we are only five miles from Portland) offers diversity on every level; our weather offers all four seasons and the countryside has countless lakes, rivers, mountains and trails,” Joe says. “And the real estate market is hot, hot, and getting hotter. The secret is getting out: the rainy winters are worth it for myriad reasons. I sense that the prices will rise substantially in the next five years. We also own a painting company and mainly work for the publicly-traded builders, and they are buying property and building like never before.” We leave the Northwest and head to the Midwest and Region 11, home of MD Isley, Doug Garnett, and Druid Hill Stable. Their boutique breeding farm is comprised of six stalls on four acres, but they’ll soon be building more because they 71 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b JULY 2017
have three foals arriving in 2018. We asked MD what drew him to Norwalk, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, and he replied, “I’ve always loved the beautiful rolling landscape of central and southern Iowa, covered with many trees, rivers and grasslands. Greater Des Moines is a vibrant metropolitan area offering an exceptional quality of life. From a horseownership perspective I’ve found the area to be friendly, economically supportive, and environmentally lush with ample pasture and hay land.” Des Moines has received accolades as the number one metro area for economic strength; the number three top city for new college graduates; and the number one best city for young professionals. The market is strong according to MD, and not as vulnerable to market fluctuation as other areas.