Davie vs Wellington vs Southwest Ranches Horse Property

Should you buy horse property in Davie, Wellington, or Southwest Ranches?

Davie, Wellington, and Southwest Ranches each suit a different horse buyer. Wellington, in Palm Beach County, is the show circuit capital, built around a protected equestrian preserve and winter competition, and it carries the highest prices of the three. Southwest Ranches is rural, roughly one acre minimum, and prizes privacy with no townwide HOA. Davie sits in the center of Broward horse country, with working equestrian services, bridle paths, and both gated and no HOA acreage, usually at a friendlier entry point.

If you are relocating with horses, this is really a choice between three lifestyles, not three price tags. The barns can look alike from the road. What differs is the county you file your taxes in, the zoning that governs how many horses you can keep, the distance to a vet and a show ring, and how much land your money buys. Here is how I walk buyers through it.

Wellington: the show circuit capital

Wellington is the name that put South Florida on the global equestrian map. The town protects a large Equestrian Preserve Area governed by an Equestrian Overlay Zoning District that the council adopted in 2003 specifically to keep farms, arenas, and bridle trails intact. The preserve covers roughly 9,000 acres in the western and southern parts of town, and it is home to hundreds of horse farms and dozens of miles of bridle trails.

The draw is the season. Wellington hosts the Winter Equestrian Festival, a months long competition circuit that runs from January into spring and pulls trainers, grooms, and riders from around the world. If you compete or you want your trainer, farrier, and vet within a few minutes of the barn, Wellington delivers a density of equestrian infrastructure that nowhere else in South Florida matches.

Two things to plan for. First, Wellington is in Palm Beach County, not Broward, so your property appraiser, school district, and permitting office all change, and the commute south to Davie or the Broward job centers is real. Second, that concentration of show quality facilities comes at the highest price band of the three markets. Confirm current pricing and inventory with a local Wellington specialist before you set a budget, because show season demand moves that market.

Southwest Ranches: rural privacy and acreage

Southwest Ranches is the quiet opposite of a show town. It incorporated in 2000 for one reason, to preserve a rural, low density lifestyle, and the town’s zoning and permitting rules still reflect that purpose. Most residential land carries roughly a one acre minimum, many estates run two, three, or five acres and up, and condos and high density communities are essentially absent. Wells and septic systems are common because this is genuine country living inside Broward County.

For a horse owner who wants space, discretion, and no townwide HOA telling you what color to paint the barn, Southwest Ranches is hard to beat. You trade the show circuit energy of Wellington for privacy and land. It also sits right next to Davie, sharing the western Broward acreage corridor and several of the same ZIP codes, so you keep Broward County services and a shorter drive to Fort Lauderdale than Wellington offers.

The catch is the same one that applies to any large parcel, and it is the number one thing I check. Usable acreage is not the same as total acreage. Drainage, soil, and floodplain status decide how much of the lot you can actually use for turnout, an arena, or a barn, so verify the parcel and its flood zone with the Broward County Property Appraiser before you fall for the aerial photo.

Davie: equestrian services in the center of Broward

Davie is where I live and work, and for many buyers it is the practical middle. The town keeps working horse infrastructure most suburbs lost decades ago, with bridle paths in the equestrian neighborhoods and a full support network of vets, farriers, feed stores, and tack shops. Horse keeping is permitted in Davie’s rural and agricultural zoning districts, and you can confirm the rules for a specific parcel with the Town of Davie Planning and Zoning Division.

What makes Davie flexible is the range of what you can buy. On one end are gated communities like Long Lake Ranches (33330) in the western acreage corridor, where you get half acre to roughly one acre lots, an HOA, and bridle trails inside the gates. On the other end are truly rural western Davie parcels of two to five acres and up with no HOA, closer in character to Southwest Ranches. That spread means Davie usually offers a lower entry point into horse property than Wellington, while keeping you inside Broward County near the job centers, the airport, and the coast.

For the current picture of the wider Davie market, the median single family sale price in Davie is $892,500 (single-family median, trailing 182 days ending Sep 14, 2026, based on 209 listings, per BeachesMLS), and homes are selling near 96% of list. Horse properties trade above the general median because of the land, so treat that number as a floor, not an estimate for acreage.

If you want to go deeper on the Davie side of this decision, start with my guide to Davie homes on acreage, the breakdown of gated communities in Davie, and the first time horse ranch buyer’s guide for buyers new to acreage. For the two market head to head, I also wrote a full Davie versus Southwest Ranches comparison, and if bridle access is your priority, read Davie horse property and bridle paths. Buyers drawn to the wildest western edge should also look at acreage near the Everglades.

How to compare a horse property across all three markets

The barn photos will not tell you which market fits. These steps will.

1. Decide whether you compete. If your life runs on the show calendar, Wellington’s density is worth the county change and the price. If you ride at home for pleasure, Davie or Southwest Ranches gives you more land per dollar.

2. Confirm the zoning for the exact parcel. Horse keeping rules, animal counts by lot size, and setbacks vary by district and town, so verify with the town before you write an offer, never after.

3. Separate usable acreage from total acreage. Ask for the survey, then check flood zone and drainage so you know what you can build and turn out on.

4. Map your real week. Time the drive to your vet, your trainer, your kids’ activities, and your job, in traffic, not at noon on a Sunday.

5. Price the whole cost of ownership. Land, insurance, well and septic upkeep, pasture maintenance, and taxes in that specific county all move the true number.

Run those five and the right market usually picks itself. The one you cannot shortcut is the parcel level zoning and flood check, because that is where an expensive mistake hides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Davie or Southwest Ranches cheaper for horse property?

Davie generally offers a lower entry point because it has gated communities with smaller acreage lots alongside its rural parcels, while Southwest Ranches is almost entirely large estate acreage. That said, a five acre no HOA parcel in western Davie and a comparable one in Southwest Ranches sit in a similar band. Verify current pricing on the specific parcel, since land size drives the number more than the town name.

Do I need a well and septic on horse property in these areas?

On rural acreage in Southwest Ranches and western Davie, wells and septic systems are common, and in the deeper rural pockets they are the norm rather than city water and sewer. Gated Davie communities are more likely to be on municipal service. Always confirm the utility setup for the exact address, because it changes both your upfront due diligence and your ongoing maintenance budget.

How far is Wellington from Davie?

Wellington sits north of Davie in Palm Beach County, a different county with its own property appraiser, school district, and permitting office. The drive is meaningfully longer than moving between Davie and Southwest Ranches, which share the western Broward acreage corridor. If your work, family, and services are in Broward, that Palm Beach County commute is a daily factor worth testing before you buy.

How many horses can I keep per acre in Davie or Southwest Ranches?

The number depends on your lot size and the parcel’s zoning district, and each town sets its own standard. There is no single county wide figure. Confirm the allowed animal count, barn and paddock setbacks, and manure storage rules with the Town of Davie Planning and Zoning Division or the Town of Southwest Ranches before you assume a lot can support your herd.

Which market is best for a first time horse property buyer?

For a first purchase, Davie is often the most forgiving because you can start in a gated equestrian community with an HOA and bridle trails, then move to raw acreage later if you want more room. Southwest Ranches suits a buyer ready for full estate responsibility, and Wellington fits a committed competitor. Match the market to how you actually ride, not to the prestige of the address.

Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert

If you are weighing Davie, Wellington, and Southwest Ranches for horse property, the smartest next step is a direct conversation before you tour, so you compare the right parcels on zoning, usable land, and true cost of ownership. I am a Davie native, a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker Realty, and a weekly volunteer at a Davie therapeutic riding center, so this is a market I know from the barn out. Schedule a strategy call and we will build your shortlist around how you ride and where you need to be.

Anthony Spitaleri

Broker Associate, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Realty

Creator of Living in Davie, Florida

Davie, Florida | Serving Davie, Weston and surrounding Broward markets

954-235-5783

Florida License BK3281907

@livingindavieflorida

Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native. More about Anthony