Overview: Horseback Riding in Illinois

Horseback riding in Illinois offers a more varied and rewarding experience than the state’s reputation as a flat agricultural landscape might suggest. The Shawnee National Forest in the state’s southern tip — where the terrain escaped the last glaciation that smoothed most of Illinois — preserves a landscape of eroded river bluffs, rocky ridgelines, sandstone outcroppings, and extraordinary bottomland forest that surprises nearly every first-time visitor. The Chicago metropolitan area maintains one of the most remarkable urban equestrian trail networks in the country through its county forest preserve systems. And the Galena Driftless country in the extreme northwest, the Illinois River bluff corridor, and the Cache River cypress bottomland of extreme southern Illinois add further layers of variety to a state that rewards the rider who looks beyond its agricultural heartland.

The Shawnee National Forest’s fall foliage season, peaking from mid-October through early November, is among the finest in the Midwest and draws trail riders from Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and beyond. The River to River Trail’s 160-mile corridor from the Ohio River to the Mississippi is the most significant long-distance equestrian trail in the state, and the Palos Forest Preserve’s oak forest within thirty minutes of downtown Chicago is a metropolitan riding resource that riders from any other major American city would envy.

A Brief History of Horseback Riding in Illinois

Illinois’s relationship with horses extends from the earliest Indigenous contact with Spanish colonial trade networks through the French colonial and American territorial periods and into the agricultural transformation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Indigenous nations of the Illinois region — including the Illinois Confederacy and the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Sauk, and Fox nations — acquired horses through trade networks extending from Spanish colonial settlements in the Southwest in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, integrating the horse into their transportation, trade, and hunting practices in the prairie and forest edge environment of the upper Mississippi Valley.

Abraham Lincoln, Illinois’s most celebrated historical figure, was an accomplished rider whose equestrian skills were noted by contemporaries — his law practice required extensive travel by horseback on the Eighth Judicial Circuit of central Illinois through the 1840s and 1850s. The Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail today follows the historic canal corridor whose 1848 completion transformed the economic geography of the Midwest. The racing culture that developed through the nineteenth century made Illinois one of the most significant racing states in the country, a tradition continued by the still-active Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney.

Where to Ride: Illinois’s Major Regions

What to Wear, Pack & Know

An ASTM/SEI-certified riding helmet is essential for every Illinois ride. The state’s trail terrain includes root-crossed sections in the Shawnee bottomland, rocky ridge trails in the Garden of the Gods area, slippery clay slopes in northern Illinois after rain, and the creek crossing challenges of the southern forest. Illinois law requires properly fitted protective helmets for equestrian riders under 16 years of age while participating in equestrian activities at licensed facilities and organized activities — most licensed operations require helmets for all riders under 18 as standard policy.

• ASTM/SEI-certified riding helmet — required for riders under 16 at licensed facilities; strongly recommended for all riders of all ages
• Boots with solid one-inch heel — smooth-bottomed riding boots preferable to heavily lugged soles that pack with clay and reduce grip on the clay-heavy soils of Illinois woodland trails
• Permethrin-treated riding clothes — apply before the season for dual-species tick protection (deer tick and lone star tick both present); essential March through October
• DEET-based insect repellent — apply to all exposed skin before every woodland ride March through October; also effective against the mosquitoes and biting flies active in Illinois summers
• Light-colored long pants tucked into boots — tick visibility; essential from early spring through November in any Illinois woodland or tall grass terrain
• Flexible layering system — Illinois’s four-season climate ranges from summer heat and humidity to cold November riding; carry a packable shell layer for the afternoon rain that is never far away in Illinois’s humid continental climate
• Blaze orange vest — required for any public land ride during deer gun season (typically November) in the Shawnee National Forest and adjacent state lands
• Confirmed Recreation.gov reservation — for any October Shawnee equestrian campground visit; do not arrive without a confirmed reservation during peak season
• Current River to River Trail status — download current information from fs.usda.gov/shawnee before any Shawnee ride; route alignment and access points change with management updates
• At least two liters of water per rider for any ride over an hour; more in summer heat

Trail footing hazards: The clay-heavy soils of the northern Illinois moraine terrain and the central Illinois river bluff country become severely slippery on slopes after significant rain. Root-crossed sections on older trail systems in the Shawnee bottomland and Cache River corridor require a walk pace and active rider attention. Rocky sections in the Garden of the Gods and Pounds Hollow terrain require care on the eroded sandstone surfaces. Creek crossing management in the Shawnee: approach at a walk, assess depth and current, cross perpendicular to the current. After significant spring rain, Shawnee creek levels can rise quickly — check with the ranger district for current crossing conditions before any crossing-heavy route.

Trail etiquette: Horses have the right of way over hikers and cyclists on Illinois’s designated multi-use trails. In the Chicago-area forest preserves, where weekend trail traffic from hikers, cyclists, and dog walkers can be significant, consistent right-of-way communication from the saddle is necessary. Dogs must be leashed when horses are present; Illinois state parks and Cook County Forest Preserve District both require leashing throughout their systems.

Beginner Ride Ideas in Illinois

Intermediate Ride Ideas in Illinois

Equestrian Events in Illinois

Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney near Chicago is Illinois’s primary active thoroughbred and harness racing facility, hosting multiple racing meets annually whose schedules change each year — check hawthornracecourse.com for current meet dates. Fairmount Park in Collinsville near St. Louis is the primary active racing venue for the southern Illinois and St. Louis metropolitan market — check fairmountpark.com for current meet schedule. Do not present Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights as an active racing venue — it has been closed pending redevelopment; verify any current status at the Illinois Racing Board before including in any content.

The Illinois State Fair in Springfield is the state’s primary annual agricultural and equestrian event, hosting open horse shows, breed competitions, and equestrian demonstrations annually — check illinoisstatefair.info for current year dates and equestrian programming. The Du Quoin State Fair in Du Quoin features harness racing and equestrian events — check duquoinstatefair.com for current year dates and race schedule. The Illinois Horse Fair and various USEF-affiliated hunter-jumper, dressage, and western competition circuits operate through the Midwest circuit from facilities throughout the state.

Riding Vacations & Weekend Getaways in Illinois

Sample Three-Day Itinerary — Shawnee National Forest Fall Foliage Ride: