Overview: Horseback Riding in Maryland

Maryland’s riding landscape is as varied, as historically layered, and as specifically beautiful as any in the mid-Atlantic region. The Assateague Island equestrian camping experience — riding the Atlantic beach with wild ponies grazing in the marsh grass on the bay side of the island — is genuinely unavailable anywhere else between the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Cape Cod, and it ranks among the most extraordinary equestrian camping experiences on the entire eastern seaboard. The western Maryland mountain terrain of the Catoctin and South Mountain ranges provides forested ridge and Civil War heritage riding of exceptional historical depth. The C&O Canal towpath, running 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland along the Maryland bank of the Potomac, is the most extensive linear equestrian trail corridor in the state and one of the finest historical trail riding experiences in the eastern United States.

The fox hunting and racing country of the central Maryland Piedmont — the Worthington Valley, the Green Spring Valley, and the Harford County farm landscape — connects contemporary riders to an equestrian tradition extending back to the colonial plantation culture of the Chesapeake tidewater. The Maryland Hunt Cup at Worthington Farms is one of the most demanding timber fence point-to-point races in the world. And Pimlico’s Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the American Triple Crown, brings the highest level of American Thoroughbred racing to a track whose history is as deeply rooted as any in North America.

A Brief History of Horseback Riding in Maryland

Maryland’s relationship with horses is among the oldest and most continuously maintained in North America. Horses arrived with the first English settlers — carried by the Ark and the Dove in the 1634 landing that established the Maryland colony — and the colonial tobacco plantation economy that developed in the Chesapeake tidewater was horse-dependent from its beginning. The Maryland Jockey Club, founded in 1743 in Annapolis, is one of the oldest racing organizations in the country and established Maryland as one of the primary Thoroughbred racing centers in North America — a position the state has maintained through centuries of change.

The Preakness Stakes, established at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in 1873, is the second jewel of the American Triple Crown and the centerpiece of a racing heritage without equal in the mid-Atlantic. The fox hunting tradition of the Maryland Piedmont has maintained continuous operation since the colonial period — the Elkridge-Harford Hunt and the Green Spring Valley Hounds preserve one of the longest continuously operating fox hunting traditions in the country through generations of suburban development. The Civil War Maryland Campaign of September 1862, where Union and Confederate forces fought through the South Mountain passes at Crampton’s Gap, Fox’s Gap, and Turner’s Gap immediately before the bloodiest single day in American military history at Antietam, left a heritage of military riding and battlefield terrain across the western Maryland mountain country that makes the South Mountain corridor one of the most historically layered equestrian landscapes in the mid-Atlantic.

Where to Ride: Maryland’s Major Regions

What to Wear, Pack & Know

An ASTM/SEI-certified riding helmet is essential for every Maryland ride. The state’s terrain ranges from soft sand and unpredictable wildlife encounter conditions on the Assateague barrier island to rocky clay and root-crossed trail surfaces of the Catoctin and South Mountain ridge country to the remote ridges and hollows of the Savage River and Green Ridge state forests. Fall hazards are present at every experience level on every terrain type.

• ASTM/SEI-certified riding helmet — non-negotiable for all riders; Maryland law requires helmets for riders under 18 in competitive activities; most licensed operations require helmets for all riders under 18 as standard policy; strongly recommended for every rider of every age on every ride
• Boots with solid one-inch heel — on Assateague Island, boots that can get wet and provide adequate footing in soft sand are more practical than traditional leather riding boots for the beach and marsh terrain sections; in western Maryland mountain forests, boots with ankle support and some water resistance are practical for creek-crossing sections
• Permethrin-treated riding clothing — Lyme disease tick prevention is non-optional for any Maryland woodland or brushy terrain ride from March through November; treat all riding clothing before the season and reapply periodically through the full tick season; Maryland is one of the highest-incidence Lyme disease states in the country
• Maximum-strength DEET repellent — apply to all exposed skin before every woodland or brushy terrain ride March through November; black-legged deer tick nymphs are active from May through July and again in September and October at peak density throughout the state
• Light-colored long pants tucked into boots — tick visibility on Maryland’s leaf-littered forest trails and brushy terrain is critical; deer tick nymphs are nearly invisible on dark clothing
• Fly masks and fly sheets for Assateague summer visits — the greenhead flies of the Maryland barrier island shore, active from late June through August, are aggressive and persistent biters for whom standard DEET repellent provides incomplete protection; plan Assateague equestrian visits for the September through October window when greenhead fly populations decline dramatically
• Waterproof shell and layered clothing — the Garrett County Allegheny Plateau terrain and the Catoctin and South Mountain ridges experience afternoon thunderstorms with particular severity in summer; plan to be off exposed ridge terrain before early afternoon; the Potomac River valley sections of the C&O towpath provide more weather protection than the open ridge terrain
• At least two liters of water per rider for any ride over an hour; more for the Assateague barrier island summer season and extended western Maryland backcountry rides where resupply points are distant
• Downloaded offline trail map or paper map — cell coverage in the Savage River and Green Ridge state forests and in the more remote western Maryland corridor can be unreliable; a downloaded offline trail map or GPS device with downloaded trail data is a practical safety tool for remote rides
• Blaze orange vest — required for any state forest or wildlife management area ride during Maryland deer firearms season in fall; carry blaze orange on all fall public land rides as hunting season approaches
• NPS Assateague equestrian guidelines reviewed and printed — if visiting Assateague, review the current NPS equestrian guidelines (available at nps.gov/asis) and carry a copy; wild pony management protocols are specific and the 40-foot minimum distance rule is enforced NPS policy

Trail etiquette: Horses have the right of way over hikers and cyclists on Maryland’s designated multi-use trails — recognized by Maryland DNR state park management guidelines and by NPS policies for the C&O Canal towpath, Catoctin Mountain Park, and Assateague Island. On the C&O Canal towpath, where bicycle traffic can be substantial near the Washington metropolitan area, consistent right-of-way management and active verbal communication from the saddle are important components of safe towpath riding. Dogs must be leashed in Maryland state parks and in all NPS areas; compliance with this requirement near horses is a genuine safety matter, not a courtesy request.

Beginner Ride Ideas in Maryland

Intermediate Ride Ideas in Maryland

Equestrian Events in Maryland

Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, home of the Preakness Stakes — the second jewel of the American Triple Crown — is the most historically significant racing facility in Maryland and one of the oldest in North America. The Preakness is run annually on the third Saturday in May; check current Preakness Stakes and spring meet dates at pimlico.com before planning a visit. Laurel Park in Prince George’s County hosts thoroughbred racing through much of the year; check current race dates at laurelpark.com.

The Maryland Steeplechase Association oversees one of the oldest and most celebrated point-to-point racing traditions in the country. The Maryland Hunt Cup at Worthington Farms in Baltimore County — run annually in late April — is one of the most demanding timber fence point-to-point races in the world. The Grand National at My Lady’s Manor and the My Lady’s Manor race at the Merryman farm in Monkton are among the most specifically Maryland equestrian spectator experiences available in the state. Check current event dates and venues at marylandsteeplechase.com before planning any steeplechase attendance. The Maryland State Fair in Timonium (late August through early September) provides the most comprehensive equestrian and agricultural showcase in the state, including open horse show competition, 4-H and FFA youth horsemanship, draft horse competition, and harness racing — check current dates at marylandstatefair.com.

Riding Vacations & Weekend Getaways in Maryland

Sample Three-Day Itinerary — Assateague Island Fall Equestrian Camp: