Top 10 Riding Spots in the United States
The United States offers more riding variety than any single country has a reasonable right to: desert canyon country accessible only by mule, backcountry Yellowstone wilderness on Quarter Horses, Icelandic five-gaited horses on Vermont hillsides, surf-backed beach rides, and English hunt country in Virginia and the Carolina piedmont. The split between western and English riding styles is itself a geographic and cultural divide — western riding dominates the Great Plains and Mountain West, English riding concentrates in the Northeast and the Carolinas — and the two traditions produce genuinely different riding experiences.
The map shows all equestrian centres across the country.
1. Yellowstone Backcountry, Wyoming and Montana
Pack trips into Yellowstone's backcountry are regulated and limited; the combination of a genuinely wild landscape — geothermal features, bison herds, wolves, grizzly bear — with the requirement to carry everything by horse gives a quality of immersion that is hard to find anywhere else in the continental US. Outfitters licensed to operate in Yellowstone are strictly limited; the most experienced work out of Cody, Wyoming. Quarter Horses and mule strings. Experienced riders. Season: July to September.
2. Bryce Canyon, Utah
The hoodoo country of Bryce Canyon offers guided mule and horse rides (Canyon Trail Rides) into the canyon's interior on the Queens Garden and Peekaboo loop trails. The trail descends from the rim into the densely packed hoodoo formations — the canyon floor feels enclosed and otherworldly from the rim but spacious and extraordinary from within. Mules; all levels. Season: April to October.
3. Grand Canyon, Arizona
Grand Canyon mule rides — the Bright Angel trail to Phantom Ranch at the Colorado River — are among the most well-known trail experiences in North America. The mules are highly trained animals with an instinct for narrow ledge trails that no equivalent horse training can replicate; riders are required to complete a safety briefing and meet weight and height restrictions. The descent to the river is approximately 1,500 m of elevation loss over 15 km. Mules. All fit adults. Season: year-round.
4. Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm, Waitsfield
The Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm operated by Ellen Bjelke in the Mad River Valley is one of the most respected Icelandic horse breeding and riding operations in North America. Rides cross the characteristic Vermont landscape of covered-bridge river valley, maple forest, and hillside farm, on Icelandic horses that give a genuine introduction to the tölt. The farm also offers multi-day inn-to-inn Icelandic horse tours along the Mad River Valley corridor. All levels; multi-day for intermediate. Season: May to October.
5. Mountain Top Inn, Vermont
Mountain Top Inn near Chittenden in central Vermont has operated an equestrian programme for decades on its 700-acre hilltop property overlooking the Green Mountains. Rides access private farm and forest land with views across the Champlain Valley; the inn itself provides the accommodation for multi-day riding guests. Quarter Horses and Thoroughbred crosses. All levels. Season: May to October.
6. Lone Star Stables, Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country around Fredericksburg and Kerrville combines the aesthetics of oak-savanna Hill Country with a western riding tradition rooted in the cattle-ranching history of the region. Several operators offer trail and ranch rides through live-oak plateau with seasonal wildflower displays in spring. The Quarter Horse is ubiquitous here; the riding is relaxed western style. All levels. Season: year-round; spring wildflower season March-April is the peak.
7. Cody, Wyoming
The gateway city to Yellowstone on the Wyoming side has built an entire tourism infrastructure around western riding culture — the Cody Nite Rodeo, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and a cluster of dude ranches in the Shoshone River valley. Rides from Cody access the high desert and canyon country of the Bighorn Basin as well as the Absaroka Mountain foothills. Quarter Horses. All levels with ranch-matched horses. Season: May to September.
8. Aspen Snowmass, Colorado
The Snowmass area west of Aspen supports a summer equestrian programme at Toklat Stables, operating in the White River National Forest and on private ranch land above 8,000 feet of elevation. The aspen groves that give the valley its name turn gold in late September, and autumn rides through the colour are spectacular. Quarter Horses and warmblood crosses. All levels. Season: June to October.
9. Big Sky, Montana
Big Sky and the Gallatin Valley south of Bozeman offer mountain riding on the fringe of one of the most intact wildlife corridors in the lower 48 states. The Lone Mountain Guest Ranch at Big Sky is one of the most respected all-season equestrian properties in the region, with summer trail riding and winter cross-country skiing. Quarter Horse stock. All levels; mountain terrain suits intermediate and above. Season: June to September.
10. Asheville and the Carolina Mountains, North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Pisgah National Forest west of Asheville provide trail riding in the southern Appalachians — green, humid, ancient-forested mountains that are the geographic opposite of the Rocky Mountain west. Several outfitters operate from the Asheville area and from Brevard; the trails are well-maintained and the scenery is the dense eastern hardwood forest at its most beautiful in autumn. All levels. Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse crosses. Season: April to November.
Western vs English: what it means on the ground
Western riding uses a different saddle (the horn and deep seat), a different rein-handling style (neck reining — the horse responds to rein pressure on the neck rather than direct pull), and a different relationship with the horse's natural self-carriage. English riding emphasises a lighter two-point position and direct contact with the horse's mouth. Neither is inherently better; they are adapted to different traditions and different terrain. For a first ride in a western state, western is almost always what's available and what the horses are trained for. In the northeast and south, English is more common. Most recreational riders switching between the two for holiday purposes find the adjustment manageable within the first hour.
National forests and public land access
One of the distinctive advantages of riding in the American West is the sheer scale of public land available to equestrian use. The National Forest system (US Forest Service) manages 193 million acres, most of which is open to horseback travel on designated trails, with permits and campgrounds bookable through Recreation.gov. The National Park Service manages approximately 85 million acres; equestrian access within parks varies by unit. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land — approximately 245 million acres, primarily in the eleven western states — has the most permissive equestrian access policy of the three systems. Much of the most striking open riding in the Great Basin, the Colorado Plateau, and the high desert of the Southwest crosses BLM land.
Planning around altitude
The high-altitude riding destinations on this list — Aspen Snowmass at over 8,000 feet, Yellowstone at 7,000-9,000 feet, Big Sky at 6,000-9,000 feet — require acclimatisation for horses and riders arriving from sea level. Horses typically need a day at altitude before a full day's work; riders may experience mild altitude symptoms for the first twenty-four hours. Arrive a day early, stay well hydrated, and do not push pace on the first day out.
Plan your next trip
Every place in this guide is on the interactive map — zoom in, check what's nearby and start sketching a route.