Horse Property in Moore County, North Carolina

Moore County -- specifically the area around Southern Pines -- is genuine, long-established horse country, anchored by the Walthour-Moss Foundation's 4,000-plus acres of protected riding land and a documented network of permanent trail easements deeded by neighboring landowners. Here's what that history and infrastructure actually mean for a buyer evaluating equestrian land here.

This page covers what's specific to Moore County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

The Walthour-Moss Foundation: 4,000-plus acres, and a trail-access network that runs with neighboring land

About a mile from downtown Southern Pines sits the Walthour-Moss Foundation, a private nonprofit occupying more than 4,000 acres established specifically to preserve open Sandhills land and offer a place for equestrian purposes. The property draws world-class riders and drivers to its sandy lanes and trails -- but what makes it genuinely distinctive for a nearby land buyer isn't just its own acreage. Around the Foundation's perimeter, 80 adjoining neighbors have each deeded the Foundation a linear right-of-way easement along their own back fence line or farm path, letting riders and walkers move between their own land and the Foundation's trail system. These easements run with the property permanently -- meaning a parcel that currently carries one of these deeded easements will keep carrying it (and keep offering that trail access) regardless of who owns it next.

For a buyer specifically drawn to Moore County for horse property, that detail is worth investigating directly and early: a parcel near the Walthour-Moss Foundation boundary may already carry, or may be eligible to add, one of these deeded trail easements, which can be a genuine, durable amenity for equestrian use rather than a marketing claim about "nearby trails." Ask the seller, a title search, or the Foundation itself whether a specific parcel already has a recorded easement of this kind, since that is a real, checkable fact rather than an assumption.

A federally backed conservation easement protects the horse country long-term

Beyond the neighbor-easement network, the Walthour-Moss Foundation partnered with the U.S. Forest Service on a conservation easement covering 3,946 acres of longleaf pine forest in southern Moore County -- land that remains owned and controlled by the Foundation and open to the public specifically for equestrian use, while the easement itself protects wildlife habitat, water quality, and the area's rural character from future development. That is a meaningful, federally involved, permanent land-use commitment, not a soft or reversible zoning designation -- it substantially reduces the risk that this specific stretch of horse country gets subdivided or developed out from under nearby equestrian landowners over a normal ownership horizon.

This conservation backing sits on top of a genuinely long local history: the Moore County Hunt Lands and Mile-Away Farms area carries formal recognition as a National Register historic district, reflecting a fox-hunting and horse-farm tradition in the Southern Pines area that predates most of the county's modern development. For a buyer, that combination -- a historic identity, an active nonprofit land trust, and a federal conservation easement all reinforcing the same equestrian land use -- is a genuinely durable, well-documented pattern rather than a temporary market trend.

A real, currently active equestrian real estate market

This isn't a historical curiosity -- Moore County's horse-property market is active and well-tracked today. Listing data from HorseProperties.net shows roughly 30 equestrian properties for sale in Moore County at any given time, with an average listing price of $1,916,781 and an average cost of $46,511 per acre -- both figures reflecting a genuine premium tied specifically to proximity to Southern Pines' horse country rather than ordinary rural Sandhills land pricing.

That premium is a real cost consideration, but it also means a buyer here benefits from a deep, active comparable-sales market and established equestrian-focused brokers and inspectors, unlike a county with only occasional horse-property listings. Before buying, confirm directly with Moore County Planning & Inspections or the relevant town (Southern Pines, Pinehurst, or unincorporated county) what specific zoning district a parcel falls in, and what that district's own rules say about livestock allowances, stable and barn setbacks, and outbuilding approvals -- these vary by parcel and jurisdiction and should never be assumed from a listing's marketing language alone. As a general planning rule of thumb (not a Moore County-specific standard), 1 to 2 acres per horse for turnout is a common starting point, adjusted for your specific pasture quality and management plan -- confirm with soil testing and NC State Extension guidance for your parcel.

Horse Property in Moore County, North Carolina

The Walthour-Moss Foundation: 4,000-plus acres, and a trail-access network that runs with neighboring land

A federally backed conservation easement protects the horse country long-term

A real, currently active equestrian real estate market

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