TL;DR
- The two places to look for horse property for sale in Florida’s Broward County are Davie and Southwest Ranches.
- Both let you keep horses by right on the correct zoning, with riding trails and no forced HOA rules on rural parcels.
- Southwest Ranches means bigger, more private acreage. Davie means comparable equestrian land at roughly half the price, as of mid-2026.
- Before you buy, check three things: the parcel’s zoning district, its true usable acreage, and its trail access.
If you want horse property for sale in Florida without driving two hours north, Broward County has two towns built for it. I’m Marlo, a native South Floridian, and these are the micro-markets I know street by street. Let me walk you through Davie and Southwest Ranches, what an acre really costs in each, and the boxes to check before you fall for a listing photo.
One honest note up front. Marlo Sells Sunshine works these neighborhoods every week, but you should always confirm current zoning and pricing on the specific parcel before you commit. This guide points you in the right direction. It does not replace a parcel-by-parcel check.
Where is the horse capital of South Florida?
If you count the whole region, Wellington in Palm Beach County holds the title. Its winter show circuit pulls riders from around the world. But Wellington prices reflect that fame.
Inside Broward County, the equestrian world lives in two towns: Davie and Southwest Ranches. Both are zoned for acreage, both allow horses on the right parcels, and both keep a network of trails. If your life is in Broward and you want a barn in the backyard, these are your two real options, as of mid-2026.
Davie leans a little more suburban with pockets of acreage. Southwest Ranches leans fully rural. I have watched both evolve over decades, and the character gap between them is the whole story.
Both towns fought to protect this. As tract housing spread across Broward, Davie and Southwest Ranches wrote acreage, animals, and trails into their planning on purpose. That is why they feel like a different county the moment you turn off the main road. It is also why horse-zoned land here holds its value: they are not making more of it.
Can you keep horses in Davie, FL?
Yes, and Davie built its brand on it. The town still calls itself a western town, and it means it. On agricultural and residential-estate parcels that meet the minimum acreage, horses are allowed by right, per the Town of Davie land use rules.
What makes Davie special is the trail system. The town maintains public bridle paths, so on the right street you can saddle up and ride from your own gate without loading a trailer. Communities like Long Lake Estates give you gated acreage with that access built in.
The catch is that Davie is a patchwork. One block is horse-zoned estate land, the next is standard suburban lots. That is exactly why you check the district on the individual parcel, not the general reputation of the town. I do that check before you ever tour a property.
What is the minimum lot size in Southwest Ranches?
Southwest Ranches is the opposite of a patchwork. The entire town is designed around rural, large-lot living, and there is no town-wide HOA telling you what to do with your land.
Lot minimums vary by district, but many rural parcels sit at roughly one to two and a half acres, with a two-acre minimum common in the Rural Ranches area, per the Town of Southwest Ranches zoning code. That scale is the point. People move here for privacy, space for animals, and room to build a barn or a paddock without a neighbor twenty feet away.
You give up some convenience for it. Shopping and highways are a longer drive than they are from most of Davie. For a lot of horse owners, that trade is the whole appeal.
How much does horse property for sale in Florida cost in these two towns?
Here is the part that surprises people. For comparable equestrian acreage, Davie tends to trade for roughly half of what Southwest Ranches asks, as of mid-2026. Southwest Ranches carries a premium for its size and its rural exclusivity.
I am not going to quote you a hard number in a blog post, because acreage prices move and every parcel is different. Usable land versus wetland, existing barns, well and septic, and flood zone all swing the figure hard. For current medians on each town, the live numbers sit on my area pages: homes for sale in Davie and Southwest Ranches acreage. Those pages carry an as-of date and update as the market moves.
The rule of thumb is simple. If your budget is tight and you still want a horse in the yard, start in Davie. If you want maximum land and privacy and the budget can stretch, Southwest Ranches earns the premium.
Davie or Southwest Ranches: which fits your budget?
Run it against three questions.
- How much land do you actually need? One or two horses on a well-designed acre is very different from a small herd that wants five. Southwest Ranches answers the second case better.
- How close do you need to be to town? Davie keeps you near shops, restaurants, and Nova Southeastern University. Southwest Ranches trades that for quiet.
- What does the same money buy? In mid-2026, that same money buys noticeably more parcel in Davie. It buys more seclusion in Southwest Ranches.
There is no single right answer, and I never steer buyers by anything other than land, price, zoning, and the data. My job is to line up parcels that fit your numbers and your animals, then let you choose.
What to check before you buy horse property for sale in Florida
Listing photos lie by omission. I have seen a listing leave out a two-car garage that I only found on a map. With acreage, the gaps are bigger and they cost more, because you are buying land, structures, and a set of rights all at once. A pretty barn means nothing if the zoning caps you at one animal, and a low price means nothing if half the lot floods. Before you get attached to any horse parcel, confirm these:
- Zoning district and permitted animals. The town reputation is not enough. Pull the specific parcel’s district and the animal-count rules with the property appraiser and the town code.
- True usable acreage. A three-acre listing with wetland or easements might give you one usable acre. Walk it, or have someone who knows the land walk it.
- Water, septic, and flood zone. Rural parcels often run on well and septic, and flood zone drives your insurance and your build options.
- Trail access. In Davie, ride-from-home access depends on the street. Confirm the parcel actually connects to the bridle network before you assume it does.
That checklist is exactly how I work a horse-property search. If you are moving to South Florida for the equestrian life, or just trading a suburban lot for a barn, this is where a native who reads parcels for a living saves you from an expensive surprise.
When you are ready to look at real listings, here is how I work with buyers. No pressure, just straight answers about the land under the price.