DO IT: Equestrian

Get on a Horse and Ride in Georgia

Well before Georgia hosted the world’s best equestrians at the 1996 Olympics, we were already a horse
lovers’ paradise, whether for trail rides or dressage. Hundreds of facilities offer the opportunity to see
why there has always been a special bond between Georgians and their horses.

On the outskirts of Atlanta, you’ll find numerous horse farms and riding rings, from Milton to Dallas, from Sharpsburg to Conyers. The Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers – with more than 500 permanent stalls and the availability of 130 additional temporary stalls – is where the 1996 Olympic equestrian events were held. The park continues to host state-of-the-art equestrian events in a variety of disciplines, attracting equine enthusiasts from all over the country.

Other communities maintain public arenas for horse shows and rodeos. One such place is Alpharetta’s Wills Park Equestrian Center with a covered ring and 29 stalls on 50 rolling acres of fields and woods. Another is the Heard County Covered Arena in Franklin, Georgia, which hosts a variety of horse shows, rodeos, livestock shows and community events year round. Adjacent to the Heard County Covered Arena are riding trails developed and maintained by the Heard County Saddle Club.

Some Georgia State Parks welcome horseback riders, offering miles of horse trails, equestrian campsites, stalls and riding rings.

 F.D. Roosevelt State Park offers guided rides on 28 miles of equestrian trails, and even overnight rides with primitive camping.

Most state park horseback riding trails are loop rides with links to other trails, allowing you to customize your adventure. In addition to F.D. Roosevelt State Park, A.H. Stephens, Cloudland Canyon, Fort Mountain, General Coffee, Hard Labor Creek, Don Carter and Watson Mill Bridge offer horseback riding trails. Designated equestrian campsites are found at A.H. Stephens, General Coffee, Hard Labor Creek and Watson Mill Bridge state parks.

Georgia State Parks require all horse owners to present a negative equine infectious anemia test, and a current negative coggins test at Watson Mill Bridge State Park,

before bringing any horse onto the park property.

Horse riding and horse camping are not restricted to Georgia State Parks. There are miles of trails in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests as well (be aware, these trails are often shared with hikers and mountain bikers). Willis Knob Campground in the North Georgia Mountains features camping for horseback riders, riding and hiking trails, and fishing in the nearby Chattooga River.

Georgia’s Willis Knob Trail is designed as one 15-mile loop but combines with South Carolina’s Whetstone Horse Trail to offer 27.5 miles of scenic horseback riding. Campsites feature standard amenities (grill, picnic tables, lantern post, etc.), troughs with hand pumps, posts for securing horses, and access to a chemical flush facility. Cottonwood Patch Campground near the Tennessee/Georgia border and Jacks River Fields Campground near Blue Ridge, Georgia offer similar equine access to Willis Knob.

If you’ve always imagined riding along the shore with ocean waves spilling toward you, Georgia has those opportunities, too. The Stables at Frederica offer daily beach rides at the Sea Island resort, on historic Musgrove Plantation, and the woods of Frederica Township.

Three Oaks Farm takes riders through the maritime forest of Jekyll Island, along the salt marsh and for a beach ride on beautiful Driftwood Beach.

Several resorts in Georgia offer trail rides as an activity for their guests. In Adairsville, guests love to explore Barnsley Resort’s 3,000 acres on horseback while they take in the history and romance of the resort’s past.

Georgia has private stables all over the state that offer boarding for your horse, riding lessons, trail rides and more.

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Equestrian - Locations

Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa

Northeast Georgia Mountains
6321 U.S. Hwy. 76
Young Harris, GA 30582
706-379-9900

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Bullard Creek WMA – Towns Bluff Tract

Magnolia Midlands
Bell Telephone Rd.
Hazlehurst, GA 31539
229-426-5267

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Butts County Visitor Center

Historic Heartland
25 Third St.
Jackson, GA 30233
770-775-4839

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Chateau Elan Winery and Resort

Northeast Georgia Mountains
100 Rue Charlemagne
Braselton, GA 30517
678-425-0900

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Chattahoochee Bend State Park

West Georgia
425 Bobwhite Way
Newnan, GA 30263
770-254-7271

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Chattahoochee Stables

Northeast Georgia Mountains
2180 Hwy. 17
Helen, GA 30546
706-878-7000

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City of Forsyth CVB

Historic Heartland
20 N. Jackson St.
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-974-1460

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Classic City Clydesdales

Historic Heartland
4190 Price Mill Rd.
Bishop, GA 30621
706-424-1889

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Cloudland Canyon State Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd.
Rising Fawn, GA 30738
706-657-4050

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Covington Visitors Center

Historic Heartland
1143 Oak St. SE
Covington, GA 30014
770-385-2077

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Dauset Trails Nature Center

Historic Heartland
360 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Jackson, GA 30233-5926
770-775-6798

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Elbert County Wildlife Management Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Off GA Hwy. 72
Elberton, GA 30635
770-595-4222

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F.D. Roosevelt State Park

West Georgia
2970 GA Hwy. 190
Pine Mountain, GA 31822-2200
706-663-4858

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Fort Mountain State Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
181 Fort Mountain Park Rd.
Chatsworth, GA 30705
706-422-1932

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General Coffee State Park

Magnolia Midlands
46 John Coffee Rd.
Nicholls, GA 31554
912-384-7082

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Georgia Frontiers

Northwest Georgia Mountains
545 Ruff White Rd.
Canton, GA 30114
678-234-8852

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Georgia International Horse Park

Historic Heartland
1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy.
Conyers, GA 30013
770-860-4190

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Georgia State Parks

Atlanta Metro
2600 Hwy. 155 SW
Stockbridge, GA 30281
770-389-7286

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Gilmer County Saddle Club

Northwest Georgia Mountains
1727 Main St.
Ellijay, GA 30540
706-669-0558

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Heritage Park

Historic Heartland
2543 Macon Hwy.
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706-769-3965

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Watson Mill Bridge State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
650 Watson Mill Rd.
Comer, GA 30629
706-783-5349

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Wills Park Equestrian Center

Atlanta Metro
11915 Wills Rd.
Alpharetta, GA 30009
678-297-6122

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A Step Above Stables

Northeast Georgia Mountains
3839 S. Mauney Rd.
Blairsville, GA 30512
706-745-9051

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A.H. Stephens State Park

Classic South
456 Alexander St. NW
Crawfordville, GA 30631-2903
706-456-2602

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Adventure Trail Rides

Northwest Georgia Mountains
933 Cashes Valley Rd.
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
706-258-BARN

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Allatoona Wildlife Management Area – Bartow

Northwest Georgia Mountains
6231 State Rte 20
White, GA 30184
706-295-6041

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Allatoona Wildlife Management Area – Cherokee

Northwest Georgia Mountains

Woodstock, GA 30189
706-295-6041

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Appalachian Trail Rides

Northwest Georgia Mountains
4130 Cutcane Rd.
Mineral Bluff, GA 30559
706-374-0362

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Atlanta Motorsports Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
80 Joe Lane, Cox Road
Dawsonville, GA 30534
678-455-3646

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Barnsley Gardens Resort

Northwest Georgia Mountains
597 Barnsley Gardens Rd.
Adairsville, GA 30103
770-773-7480

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