Horse vs house. House move issue.

[MrsExpo]

We are looking to move house with a view to downsizing,and will be putting ours on the market in the new year. I keep my horse on an assisted DIY arrangement at a very nice yard with good facilities which is nearly nine miles from our current home. However our preferred house search area is 7 miles away in the other direction and to get from there to horse would involve driving past our current home as it would be the most direct route.

So, do we ...
A) buy house in preferred area and put up with 35 minute daily drive to horse.
B) buy house in preferred area and move horse nearer
C) look for house in vicinity of horse and leave horse where he is
D) some other option I've not considered.

WWYD? Any pearls of wisdom much appreciated. Thanks.

It depends on how busy you are in the daytime, I guess and how nice your yard is. If my horse was 35 mins away I'd never see it because I work FT and ownership is only possible because he lives a 10 min walk away. That said, sometimes you do have to prioritise your family. DH would go mad if I turned down a nice house I could afford, especially if we had to downsize, because of my horse and I don't think that would be unreasonable. I'd get on a few waiting lists in your preferred areas and go from there. The house has to come first, because there are actual people involved. That's my view anyway.