Horseback Riding On Miami Valley Trails

Horseback Riding
On
Miami Valley Multi-Use Trails

Horseback riding is permitted on some trails in the Miami Valley and in several parks. Below please find the information I was able to gather on horseback riding.

Five Rivers MetroParks - (Montgomery County) Riding is allowed in some of the MetroParks as follows:

Possum Creek MetroPark - There is a five mile horse trail. Horses may be unloaded at the entrance to the horse trail on Shank Road.
Twin Creek MetroPark - There is a 6.6 mile horse trail in the park. The horse trailer parking lot on Morningstar Road. See the map on the park website.
Sugarcreek MetroPark - Sugarcreek MetroPark has a Riding Center where you can ride or rent horses. There are 6.5 miles of bridge path. Unload your horse at the Riding Center.
Carriage Hill MetroPark - Carriage Hill also has a Riding Center where you can rent their horses or use your own on their 6 miles of bridle trail. Horses should be unloaded at the horse trailer parking lot.
Multi Use Trails in Five Rivers MetroParks - According to Five Rivers MetroParks the use of the multi-use trails in Montgomery County is forbidden.

Greene County Parks - According to their website (click at left) at the bottom of the "Bike Trails" page it says: "Remember the trail may be shared by hikers, bikers, horses, walkers and other users." According to my sources horseback riding is legal on all the multi-use trails in Greene County except within the Xenia City limits. You will walk your horse next to the trail and not on it. That means that our longest trail, the Little Miami Scenic Trail , which runs 50 miles from Xenia Station to Milford, is OK for riding except in Xenia City limits. I also checked with the Little Miami Scenic Park, which manages the park and the trail from just North of Spring Valley to Milford and their website says it is OK for you to ride your horse on their trail.

Miami County Trails - There are not a lot of trails in Miami County at this time. The major trails are the Piqua Activities Trail For Healthwhich connects to the Canal Run and to the River's Edge Trail.
I have been informed that there is no horseback riding allowed on the City of Piqua trails. South of Piqua is the beginning of the Great Miami River Trail that eventually will run from Taylorsville MetroPark in Montgomery County to Sidney in Shelby County. The other small trails are in cities like Tipp City and Troy.

Clark County Trails - I have been told that you can use your horse on the Buck Creek Trail and the Simon Kenton Trail in Clark County. You can also ride on their portion of the Little Miami Scenic Trail from Yellow Springs to Springfield as well as the section of the Ohio To Erie trail from Cedarville to South Charleston

Champaign County Trails - The only current trail in Champaign County is the Simon Kenton Trail section in Champaign County. Due to trail construction there is no horseback riding allowed on the Simon Kenton Trail segment in Champaign County.

Warren County Trails The primary trail in Warren County is the Little Miami Scenic Trail Most of the trail lies within the Little Miami Scenic Park The park's web page says:

"Little Miami State Park introduces a new concept to the state park system--a trail corridor. This non-traditional approach focuses on offering numerous recreational pursuits--bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, rollerblading, backpacking and horseback riding."

"Trail users must stop and move off pavement when patrol, maintenance or other emergency vehicles approach. Cyclists must obey all Ohio traffic laws which pertain to bicyclists, including stopping at all posted road crossings, yielding to vehicle traffic and giving an audible signal when passing. Night cyclists must have front white light and rear red light. No headphones or earphones are permitted while cycling. Protective gear, including helmets, is encouraged."

Horseback Trails and Campgrounds . - See this website for information nationally and in Ohio for information relating to equestrians activities including places to camp.

Home Page: Miami Valley, Ohio Rails to Trails

For more information on each Web Page or Trail click on its name.