Top 10 Riding Spots in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has one of the highest concentrations of equestrian infrastructure in the world — a legacy of a riding culture that runs from the medieval hunt country of the English shires to the Highland pony traditions of Scotland and the free-roaming native breeds of Exmoor and the New Forest. The British Horse Society (BHS) maintains a network of approved riding centres, bridleway mapping, and trail access advocacy that provides a structural backbone for recreational riding that few countries can match. Dominant breeds in recreational and competition use are the Thoroughbred, Irish Sport Horse, Welsh cob and pony, Connemara, and the various native pony breeds that are more than decorative — they are working remnants of genuinely old bloodlines.
Find all centres on the map.
1. New Forest, Hampshire
The New Forest is the most distinctive riding landscape in southern England, partly because of its semi-wild New Forest ponies — a native breed managed by Commoners (families with ancient grazing rights on the Crown land) that roams freely through the 570 square kilometres of the national park. Riding through the Forest means sharing open heath and woodland with these ponies, with fallow deer, and with the forest cattle that are part of the same commoning system. BHS-approved centres including Burley Villa and Forest Leisure Riding offer guided rides. All levels; flat terrain. Season: year-round.
2. Exmoor, Somerset and Devon
Exmoor's free-roaming native ponies — among the most genetically primitive horse populations in Britain — share the moorland with red deer and the characteristic bronze-age field systems visible in the heather. Riding on Exmoor accesses high moorland tracks with long views across the Bristol Channel to South Wales. The terrain is open and the going is sometimes boggy; local operators near Porlock and Brendon use Exmoor ponies and cob crosses suited to the ground. Intermediate. Season: year-round with weather caveats.
3. Northumberland and Hadrian's Wall
The Pennine way and the Roman Wall corridor in Northumberland offer some of the most historically resonant riding in Britain. Several operators near Hexham and the north Tyne valley offer rides that pass or approach Hadrian's Wall directly — the longest Roman military structure in Europe, running for 73 miles across the spine of northern England. The landscape is open Northumberland moorland; the sense of scale and history is extraordinary. Intermediate. Thoroughbred and cob crosses. Season: April to October.
4. Yorkshire Dales
The limestone dales of North Yorkshire — Wensleydale, Swaledale, Wharfedale — provide classic English upland riding: green valleys flanked by grey limestone walls, becks crossing the track, and the broad skyline of the moor above. The trail network is dense and well-maintained; multi-day itineraries linking pub inns are a well-established format here. All levels; terrain varies from gentle valley floor to moorland edge. Dales ponies appear in heritage operations. Season: April to October.
5. Cumbria and the Lake District
The Lake District's combination of lake, fell, and valley offers varied riding from any of several BHS-approved centres. The fell ponies — a native Cumbrian breed that has worked the fells for centuries — are used by some operators for more authentic highland rides. Terrain includes lowland farm tracks and higher fell routes; the summit country requires sure-footed native breeds or experienced larger horses. Intermediate to experienced for fell routes; all levels in valleys. Season: May to September.
6. Scottish Borders
The Border country between Carlisle and Edinburgh is deeply associated with horsemanship — the Border reivers and the Common Ridings (annual civic riding events that commemorate historical boundary-riding ceremonies) are a living cultural tradition in towns like Hawick, Selkirk, and Galashiels. Riding in the Cheviots and the Southern Uplands accesses open moorland and river valley terrain with a sparse, powerful quality. Several operators offer multi-day routes. Intermediate. Mixed breeds. Season: May to September.
7. Snowdonia, North Wales
The national park of Snowdonia (Eryri) is mountain country on a relatively compact scale — the Welsh mountains are not alpine in height but are genuinely wild in character. Welsh mountain pony and Welsh cob — two of the most distinctive and ancient British native breeds — are used in local operations and are supremely well-adapted to the terrain. Rides access forest plantation, high pass, and valley river. Intermediate to experienced for mountain routes. Season: April to October.
8. North Wales Coast
The coastal strip between Anglesey and the Vale of Conwy offers beach and dune riding with a mountain backdrop. The beaches near Rhyl and Barmouth have a tradition of horse use going back to Victorian seaside holidays; the quality of the riding is less dramatic than Snowdonia but accessible to all levels and excellent for families. Welsh pony crosses. All levels. Season: April to October.
9. Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire
The limestone rolling country of the Cotswolds offers one of the most pleasing recreational riding landscapes in England: green lanes through agricultural land, honey-stone village edges, and a bridleway network dense enough to plan multi-day point-to-point routes. The terrain is gentle; this is English countryside riding at its most comfortable. All levels. Warmblood and hunter stock. Season: year-round.
10. Traditional Hunt Country
English foxhunting country — the Quorn in Leicestershire, the Beaufort in the Beaufort Vale, the Berkeley in Gloucestershire — preserves a form of cross-country riding across private farmland that is otherwise inaccessible. Whether following hounds (the Hunting Act 2004 governs what quarry if any is hunted) or joining a drag or trail hunt, this is riding at a pace and across terrain that arena and bridleway riding does not approach. Riders need a solid seat and a bold horse; this is for intermediate and experienced riders only. Thoroughbred and hunter crosses. Season: November to March.
BHS and the bridleway network
England and Wales have the densest legally protected bridleway network in the world — approximately 22,000 km of rights of way where horses have a legal right to pass regardless of who owns the land. The British Horse Society maps, advocates for, and defends this network through its BHS Access team, which investigates obstructed bridleways and presses local authorities to maintain the network.
The BHS Approved Riding Establishment scheme provides an independent quality assessment of centres offering lessons and hacking. Look for the BHS Approved logo and the tier of approval (Riding Holiday, Trekking Centre, Riding School) when choosing a centre.
For multi-day riding in England, the many Bridleway Holidays and Saddle-sore Routes offer inn-to-inn itineraries on the bridleway network across Exmoor, Dartmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland. These are self-guided or guided; luggage is transferred between inns; it is one of the most civilised forms of equestrian travel in existence.
See them all in one view
Open the map to see how these places cluster — and what else is within reach of each one.