The city of Nashville is a great place to live and work, but if a person wants to own horses, they will need to find a place to live in the suburbs. To properly care for a horse, a minimum one-acre sized lot or access to a nearby facility to stable the animal is needed, and an equestrian center or arena. Nearby tack stores and feed stores are also a big plus. Read on to learn about cities with Nashville area equestrian properties.

Franklin

The Franklin community is about a half-hour drive south of Nashville and has several perfect locations for horse owners. The Beechwood Plantation Equestrian Community, for example, is a planned community designed for equestrian lovers. The community has lots that are large enough for five-bedroom homes, private barns, and plenty of pasture space for horses. It's an elegant community that requires four-board fencing around each property.

The Brandon Park Downs neighborhood is another planned community for luxury equestrian homes. It's a private, gated community just outside the Franklin town limits. Lots range from two to six acres to provide plenty of space for horses, and the custom-built homes range from 3,800 to 10,000 square feet. The Lynwood Downs community is in the rolling hills in the north part of Franklin. It's another gated equestrian community featuring beautiful luxury homes on large lots with green pastures.

Brentwood

The city of Brentwood is located directly south of Nashville. While this suburb does not have any planned equestrian communities, it usually has a few farms and ranches with five or more acres for sale. Smaller ranch homes with five or six acres start at around $700,000. Larger lots up to 13.5 acres sell for about $3.75 million. Brentwood properties tend to have more trees than seen in nearby Franklin, but the size of the lots makes them perfectly suitable for raising horses.

Another nice thing about Brentwood is its many public and private horse boarding facilities within a 10-mile radius. Anyone who owns a home in this suburb could still own some horses by stabling at these facilities. Many are also working farms that provide riding and equestrian lessons and pasturage. Some of the closest boarding facilities include Southern Star Equine, Sycamore Valley Ranch, and Painted Acres.

Eagleville

The Eagleville community is a small city located south of Nashville and the city of Nolensville, off state highway 41A. Eagleville is a very horse-friendly community. Even properties that are zoned as residential are still allowed to run horses if the lots are large enough. Since it is far enough south of Nashville and basically "out in the country," it is still possible to buy properties with dozens of acres to build a custom ranch house on, along with stables and other horse facilities.

Many working horse farms in Eagleville offer horseback riding lessons, horse boarding, horse training, and trail rides on their properties. Many of these farms don't limit themselves to simply equestrian or English-style riding. Residents can also find training for barrel racing, dressage, hunter-jumper, polo, and racing.

Fairview

The city of Fairview is located southwest of Nashville in Williamson County, and it is considered "rural" Tennessee. One nice thing about Fairview and the surrounding areas is that rural USDA home loans are available in this county. So long as applicants meet income requirements and some other guidelines, they can be eligible for 30-year, fixed-rate guaranteed loans from the USDA. Requirements are listed on the Tennessee USDA Rural Housing Approval webpage. This can be an excellent way for first-time homebuyers to get into a horse farm or property in rural Tennessee. Approximately one-third of all the land in Williamson County falls under the jurisdiction that qualifies for a USDA rural loan.

Green Acres, Peartree Boarding Stables, and the Apex Riding Academy are three facilities in Fairview that offer horse boarding, riding lessons, equestrian training, trail rides, and more. There are quite a few additional facilities within 10 miles of Fairview.

Shelbyville

Shelbyville is about an hour south of Nashville. This Bedford County community still has rural plots of land for sale, as well as farms, ranches, and even residential properties that are big enough to own one or two horses on. Horse properties in Shelbyville can range from starter homes up to luxury ranch estates with large acreages and swimming pools.

Clearview Horseback Riding Ranch and B&B is a 150-acre ranch in Shelbyville where guests can stay in a bed & breakfast while enjoying trail rides or horseback riding lessons. They also have an indoor arena for training. Gravener Quarter Horses trains riders from the beginning level to the national championship level in English and western riding. Midland Farms is less than 10 miles from Shelbyville and offers horse boarding facilities and riding lessons.

Shelbyville is a highly horse-friendly community, with 4-H programs for kids in local schools and many opportunities to train for English or western competitions.

Horse Owners Will Love These Nashville-Area Communities

As this list shows, the suburbs around Nashville can range from genuine, traditional suburban communities to actual rural areas within an hour or less from the city. There are many opportunities for horse owners to find the perfect property or area to live in that will allow them to maintain an equestrian lifestyle.

Nashville Equestrian Resources

• 5 Best Tennessee Equestrian Communities Near Nashville
• Houses for Horses: How to Prepare Your Home for a Horse
• Simple Horse Shelter Guide: How to Build an Affordable Run-In Shed
• Search Nashville Horse Properties For Sale