Living with Horses in San Joaquin County

San Joaquin is one of California's oldest counties, having been one of the original 27 incorporated in 1850. It was named for the river that runs through it, named by a Spanish explorer by the name of Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga after Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary. The area's original inhabitants were the Yokut and Miwok Indian tribes.

The San Joaquin River runs through the middle of the county through the San Joaquin Valley, meeting the Sacramento and Mokelumne rivers to form a delta with the Calaveras and Stanislaus Rivers that is an attraction for wildlife and water sports enthusiasts alike. This delta is so major that 78% of California's water flows through it. In San Joaquin County alone, there are 1100 miles of waterways. The deep water channel that runs through the county from the San Francisco bay to Stockton creates a seaport that is nearly 80 miles from the ocean.

The Diablo Mountain range runs along the west side of the county and the Sierra Foothills on the east, providing protection for the fertile flatlands in the center. The county's location and topography make for agreeable weather, with mild winters and summers that are warm, but not sweltering. It also makes for fertile soil and ideal conditions for growing over 250 crops. In fact, San Joaquin County is the leading producer of wine grapes in the United States, with about 98,000 acres of grapes (University of California, 2005). Other major crops include dairy, nuts, cherries and tomatoes.

Where to Live

There are many rural places in San Joaquin County, particularly in Tracy and Lodi, where there are currently several horse properties for sale for less than a million dollars, starting in the $500,000s. This county is far more affordable than many others in the state, with a median home price as of August of $207,000'"down 43% from the previous year, according to the California Association of Realtors.

Ways to Enjoy your Horse

Since there are a number of nice facilities in San Joaquin County, that means there are plenty of places to have horse shows. Make a visit to a combined driving event, where you can watch drivers of singles and teams drive with precision in driving dressage tests, with speed and endurance over obstacles and hazards in the cross country marathon, or with speed and caution as they maneuver through a cone course where they receive penalties for knocking tennis balls off the cones.

There are many hunter/jumper, dressage and English/western schooling shows throughout the year, since the winters are so mild. You can also attend dressage and driving clinics at various locations during the year.

Trail riding is a bit limited in the county, so most people trailer out to ride. However, there are trails in the Tracy Hills and along the levees in Tracy.

Clubs

There are several horse clubs that operate in San Joaquin County. There is an active 4-H club that puts on a variety of projects and activities for kids to learn about many different aspects of country life.

The San Joaquin Valley Rangers is a family club that puts on horse shows, trail rides and other organized club events during the year, like The Real Cowboy Challenge in August and Holiday Caroling on horseback in December.

Fun Things to Do

The San Joaquin County Fair occurs each year in October, with the good old fashioned fun of livestock exhibits, a carnival and live concerts. Horse lovers might want to check out the fair circuit live horse racing, which has now been made its own event and occurs in September.

Those who want to step away from the smell of horse manure for a while can golf at one of the 10 public golf courses, visit art and history museums, the Pixie Woods Amusement Park or the Bob Hope Theatre. From November until January, enjoy outdoor ice skating on a novice-friendly synthetic ice rink in Dean DeCarli Waterfront Square in downtown Stockton.

The City of Stockton starts gearing up for the holiday season in Mid November, when Lincoln Center invites Santa and his reindeer to visit with the children and serve cookies, hot chocolate, coffee and more to the guests. In December, head down to Mc Leod Lake for the Lighted Boat Parade, an annual tradition.

A fun way to spend a day or two during the warm weather is to enjoy all the delta has to offer. Visitors to the delta can rent boats ranging in type from jet skis to houseboats to enjoy the water. Fishermen will love the many varieties of fish, including Striped and Black Bass, Sturgeon, Catfish and Salmon. Crawdading and fly fishing are also popular activities.

As such a fun, affordable and comfortable place to live, San Joaquin County should be on any horse enthusiast's list of places to consider when relocating or visiting.