Horseback trail riding including equestrian riding trails in Dade, Miami, Homestead, Hialeah, Broward, Davie, Coconut Creek, Green Acres, Southwest Ranches, Plantation, Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee, Delray Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens.

The areas described below offer South Florida equestrian trail riding facilities for experienced riders with their own horses. To find guided trail rides with horses provided, horse rentals or beach horseback riding, click here. For trail riding gear and saddles click here.

Trail Riding Tips

May 16, 2012
Julie Goodnight: Curing a Horse From Being Tense on the Trail Starts with the Rider
Trail Riding
Does your horse ever act tense and fearful on the trail? Julie Goodnight answers one reader’s question about what to do, and the answer, below, may surprise you (hint: this may be more of a rider issue than a horse issue). She also offers some specific things you can do with your horse to calm him down.
More info...

May 14, 2012
Can you work a gate while horseback?As an avid trail rider, you likely have run across closed gates. When you learn to open and close a gate from horseback, you'll save time and energy. You'll also teach your horse to willingly obey your precise cues.

Here, top clinician/trainer Julie Goodnight demonstrates the proper gate-opening procedure. She notes that gate openings should be smooth and methodical, not rushed and disorganized.

To learn more from top trainer/clinician Julie Goodnight, download a FREE guide—Julie Goodnight’s Tips for Riding a Horse: How to Ride a Horse at the Canter.



Your horse needs to follow your commands and move deliberately, in case you're handling a tricky gate. If done incorrectly, your horse may bang his legs (or your knees) on the gate - or you may be tempted to lean dangerously out of the saddle. If your horse hits his legs, he may become anxious about future gate openings, and even learn to balk at gates. More info...

May 10, 2012
A Trail Rider Takes a Poetic Tact About Keeping a Senior Horse on Track
Chelsee Smith
What do you get when you cross a life-long equestrian with a love of poetry?

Poems about horses, of course.

Chelsee Smith of Arkansas is 30 and has two boys, Gus, age 4, and Boone, age 2, and is expecting a third child in October.

Her family says Chelsee was riding before she could walk. Today, she and her husband Pat love to trail ride, so trail riding is often a topic of Chelsee’s poems. One of them is below. More info...

for more trail riding tips click here

South Florida Horse Trails

Larry and Penny Thompson Park Bridle Trails Equestrian trails are available at the 270 acre Larry and Penny Thompson Park which is located at 12451 SW 184 Street in Miami Florida.

Markham Park 666-acre County park is perched at the edge of the Everglades Conservation Area. Markham Park is west of the Sawgrass Expressway and just north of West State Road 84 and there are equestrian trails available.

Tree Top Parks The 243.3 acres of this Broward County Park range from 23 acres of restored freshwater marsh accessible by a 1,000-foot boardwalk to the 101-acre Pine Island Ridge, an archaeological site that includes equestrian and nature trails. Includes equestrian trails.