Love Horses? Love Virginia!

Horseback Riding | Thoroughbred Racing | Harness Racing
Steeplechase Racing | Polo Matches | Horse Shows | Rodeos | Pony Swim & Auction | Boarding

 

Horseback Riding

Northern Virginia

Berryville - The JBiT Ranch offers western horseback riding lessons, trail rides and pony rides overlooking the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains.

Culpeper - Grovespring Farm offers week-long equine and adventure day camps for children ages 7-14 during the summer. The camp includes horse care, ring and trail riding, small-group adventure rides and other activities. Riding lessons are given year 'round.

Delaplane - Sky Meadows State Park offers a bridle trail for riders.

Hume - Marriott Ranch offers guided trial rides overlooking the Marriott's 4,200 acre Texas longhorn cattle ranch! Wow! Feel like a real cowboy or cowgirl at this place!

Lovettsville - Georges Mill Farm & Stables offer guided tour through wide-open fields, beautiful creeks and historic sites, such an an old Civil War encampment.

Sperryville - At Conyers House Inn & Stable Horseback Riding you'll learn how to trot, canter, and gallop. Bring your own horse or use one of theirs!

Shenandoah Valley

Bentonville - The Raymond R. "Andy" Guest Jr. Shenandoah River State Park offers horse rentals and bridle paths.

Keezletown - Keezlenutten Farm Trail Rides features the scenic Western slope of Massanutten for all levels of riders ages 10 and up.

Luray - Skyland Resort Stables in the beautiful Shenandoah National Park offers 1 and 2 /2-hour tours.

Swoope - Experience the West and enjoy the ultimate horse trail riding adventure through North Mountain Outfitter Inc. Adventures include half-day, full day or overnight stays, where you will sleep under the stars in tents at the base camp, just like cowpokes!

Winchester - Ride the trails at The Wagon Wheel Ranch - everything from your basic campfire to a full cowboy chow evening ride! Your horse is already saddled at The Wagon Wheel Ranch.

Central Virginia

Bedford - September 4, October 4 & November 2, 2009 - Reba Farm takes advantage of the full moon each month with a Moonlight Trail Ride. A truly unique experience.

Roseland - April 23-25, 2009 | October 15-17, 2010 - Trail Ride at Fleetwood Community Center can be overnight or just for the day.

Montebello - May 28-30, 2010 - Spring Trail Ride at Montebello invites you to bring your horse and ride the scenic trails through woodlands, meadows and ridge tops.

Louisa - Anna Valley Farm consists of over 200 acres. We specialize in lessons, training, sales and clinics for performance quarter horses. You can learn to ride one of our cow horses, get a tune-up to learn to work better with your horse, or to fix problems.

Pamplin - Old Dominion Trail Rides provides quiet, well-mannered horses and experienced equestrian guides to navigate you through some of Virginia's most beautiful country-side. Fantastic photo opportunities and wildlife galore! Black bear, deer, turkey, coyote & soaring eagles are just some of the critters often seen while on the trail.

Petersburg - Idle Moment Farm offers trail rides along old wooded farm roads for people with their own horses.

Powhatan - Cedar Ridge Farm offers one hundred acres of open and wooded areas for riding.

Tidewater/Hampton Roads

Quiton - September 18-20, October 9-11, November 20-22, December 11-13, 2009 - Hunter/Jumper Training Camp at Fox Pointe Farm is weekend for girls ages 8-17. For beginning riders through advanced. Package includes four lessons, three clinics, lodging, meals, and craft materials!

Blue Ridge Highlands

The New River Trail State Park offers horse rentals and plenty of bridle trails.

Rocky Mount - Blackwater Equine Farms is a premier equestrian facility on 57 acres and offers training, riding lessons, a riding arena and show barn.

Southern Virginia

South Boston - Shangrila Retreat, an all-inclusive guest ranch featuring horseback riding, is truly southern hospitality at its finest. Offering all-inclusive horseback riding packages and day trail rides by appointment.

Heart of Appalachia

Clintwood - Serious horseback riders will love the scenic trail of the Cumberland & Pine Mountain Trail Riders ... it follows the crest of the Cumberland Mountains dividing Virginia and Kentucky! Trailhead parking is available for horse trailers and the trail requires map reading and safety skills. Join us for our annual trail rides in May and October.

Coeburn - Dan Hall Mountain Resort & Country Club offers horseback riding through mountain trails.

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Thoroughbred Racing

New Kent - Colonial Downs in Central Virginia opens its Thoroughbred Season mid-June - mid-August, Friday through Tuesday schedule, with post times at 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 1 p.m on Saturday and Sunday.

Off-Track Betting Sites: Enjoy watching up to 23 tracks a day at off-track sites around Virginia. Food and beverage service is available with betting windows just steps from your seat, a cocktail lounge, restrooms, big screen TVs, racing programs and a VIP room.

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Harness Racing

New Kent - Harness racing returns to America's only one-turn mile harness racetrack at Colonial Downs in the fall.

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Steeplechase Racing

Central Virginia

New Kent - April 2010 - Experience a great time with family and friends, in your finery, at the Strawberry Hill Races.

Northern Virginia

Sperryville - September 12, 2009 - For the past fifty years Thornton Hill Farm has hosted steeplechase races, making it one of the oldest race venues in Virginia. Come for the Thornton Hill Steeplechase Races!

Middleburg - October 3-4, 2009 - Spectators sit in the shade of 100-year-old oak trees at the oldest continuously used race course in Virginia and experience what is called "the best view in steeplechasing" for the Virginia Fall Races.

Leesburg - October 10, 2009 - Voted Loudoun County's Best Equestrian Event in "Leebsurg Today" Best of Everything Poll. An exciting afternoon of horse racing and family fun at the Morven Park Steeplechase Races!

The Plains - October 17, 2009 - The International Gold Cup is scheduled for the peak of fall foliage color in Fauquier County, seven steeplechase races highlight this event. This event will provide a full day of entertainment including a Porsche Classic car display, seven nationally sanctioned races, Terrier and Pony Races.

Gainesville - February 20, 2010 - Casanova Hunt Point-to-Point is the first steeplechase of the season with timber races and jumps over post and rail, stone and even chicken coops!

Warrenton - March 13, 2010 - Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point features three timber races, four steeplechase races over hurdles and two flat races.

Flint Hill - April 3, 2010 - Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point takes place at Ben Venue Farm at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Polo Matches

Northern Virginia

Upperville - June 2010 - Virginia International Polo Club (VIPolo) announces it will host another exciting Capital Hospice Polo Cup to benefit Captial Hospice, the area’s oldest and largest nonprofit hospice organization.

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Horse Shows

Northern Virginia

Warrenton - August 27-30, 2009 | September 1-5, 2010 - Warrenton Horse Show includes horse and rider copetitions in classes for hunters, jumpers, junior hunters, ladies side-saddle, hunt teams, pairs and field hunters.

Upperville - September 16-20, 2009 | September 15-20, 2010 - The Middleburg Classic Horse Show features field hunter competitions, ladies & gentlemen's hunter hacks, a family class & hunt teams highlight one evening. Classes for children hunters, small & large juniors. All ponies & children's hunter classic on one day/night.

Upperville - June 5-6, 2010 - Upperville Colt & Horse Show is the oldest hunters' and jumpers' show in the USA!

Shenandoah Valley

Lexington - The Virginia Horse Center is Virginia's World Class Horse Show facility with 600 acres with six barns to accomodate 700 horses, 10 show rings, a 5-mile cross-country course, an indoor coliseum with show arena and seating for 4,000.

Lexington - September 17-20, 2009 - Virginia 4-H State Championship Horse & Pony Show is one of the largest all-youth events on the east coast will feature 500 4-H riders competing in a full line-up of English and Western classes.

Lexington - October 10-11, 2009 - The House Mountain Horse Show at Virginia Horse Center is a regional schooling horse show for hunter and jumper riders.

Lexington - November 13-15, 2009 - Virginia Horse Shows Association Championships offers spectators the chance to see hundreds of horses and riders in three days of hunter and jumper events.

Salem - June 2010 - The Roanoke Valley Horse Show is one of the largest multi-breed indoor horse events in the country with over 1200 horses enter through out the week long event. Also the home to the Grand Prix of Roanoke with its $50,000.00 purse.

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Rodeos

Blue Ridge Highlands

Dugspur - August 2010 - Come join the fun at Kanawha Valley Arena For a two day Virginia High School Rodeo competition. Proceeds go back to the organization to help grow and support the initiative.

Shenandoah Valley

Salem - January 8-10, 2010 - Contestants from around the United States compete for national recognition in the IPRA-sanctioned Salem Stampede Rodeo. Events include bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling and bareback and saddle bronc riding among others.

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Chincoteague's Annual Pony Swim & Auction

Virginia's Eastern Shore region is the site for a most unusual pony event that's famous around the world!

Every July, saltwater cowboys round up the wild ponies from Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island and let them swim across the channel to Chincoteague Island, where they rest before being herded down Main Street to the carnival grounds. This event was made even more popular by author Marguerite Henry who wrote Misty of Chincoteague and other books about the wild ponies. More Information

 

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Boarding

Central Virginia

Powhatan - Cedar Ridge Farm offers a friendly, family-orientated barn. Board includes turn-out, feed, blanketing and worming. We have a hot-water washstall, stone dust ring, and trails to ride.