Grand Rapids Horseback Riding
Dream of being a cowpoke, trail riding, or training for the big show?
Grand Rapids area horse farms have amazing classes and riding opportunities.
Whether you are a seasoned rider with a well-worn saddle or just want to wander off into the sunset on a dusty trail, West Michigan can easily accommodate you.
And riding isn’t just for little kids. Everyone can get in on the fun, no matter their level of experience!
in this article
Featured Horseback Riding Lessons
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With 25+ well-trained horses and ponies, we welcome riders ages 2 and up — no experience needed.
Our knowledgeable, friendly instructors teach strong foundational horsemanship and riding skills while helping students build meaningful connections with our equine partners.
Join us for one-time lessons, trail rides, weekly group lessons, equestrian vaulting, camps, and more! With two indoor arenas and various trails, we offer year-round fun for the whole family.
Sign ups are year round and program dependent.
Equestrian Programs: Horse Stable, Riding School, Horse Riding Lessons, English Riding Lessons, Western Riding Lessons, Vaulting, Trail Riding/Horseback Riding (No Lessons)
Sign Ups: Year-round and program dependent
Ages: Preschool, Kindergarten, Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Toddlers
I love how the instructors foster confidence by pushing riders to do things they may not think they can. It is a perfect balance of teaching responsibility, building confidence, and fostering calm/peace being around the horses. - Lauara M.
Enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of wildlife through the woods and hills of the Flat river valley.
The highlight of the ride is crossing the Flat river on horseback. The ride is geared for beginners and is mostly walking with a trot or two.
We also offer a 9 hole golf course, driving range, 140 campsites, lodging, and river float trips on tubes, kayaks, and canoes.
This is our go-to for trail rides. It’s an hour-long guided trail ride through the woods, very peaceful and relaxing. Great guides, sweet horses, all around fun!
Ways to Experience Horseback Riding
While there are many styles of riding and types of horses, getting started can be as easy as wearing the right clothing and picking up the phone to make a reservation.
Trail riding and riding lessons are the two most common horseback riding options.
Sign up for Riding Lessons
Riding lessons are a great option for those with a passion for horses and who want to ride regularly.
Lessons are typically an hour long. Choose between private lessons, where you’re the sole rider, semi-private lessons (you plus one), or group lessons which can be three or more riders (the number of riders varies from barn to barn).
You can even ride year-round in Michigan.
If that’s your goal, be sure to find a stable with an indoor arena. Plan on spending between $45 and $65 per hour, per lesson.
Go on Trail Rides
If you are looking to take a leisurely stroll through fields and forests, trail riding is the way to go.
The stable provides the horse and the trails; you bring the desire for adventure or a meandering ride.
There is nothing more peaceful than hearing the swish of the horse’s tail as you wander through tall grasses and sun-dappled forests, seeing nature from a whole new viewpoint.
The average cost of an hour-long trail ride is $35.
Take a Sleigh Ride
Perhaps you’d like to snuggle up and let a horse whisk you through a snow-covered forest.
That’s possible, too, if you book one of Michigan’s sleigh rides!
They’re highly dependent on the weather, but January and February tend to be promising months for this kind of horse ride.
5 Places for Horseback Riding in Grand Rapids
Ready to get your equine fill, but not sure where to start?
It’s always great to get personal recommendations. Did you have that horse-crazy friend in school and she’s still at it? Give her a jingle.
Don’t have her phone number? Let us give you a leg up on your research.
Legacy Stables & Karin’s Horse Connection
8001 Patterson Ave SE, Caledonia, MI 49316
616-570-1106
Gymnastics on horseback? Ride to music? Combine your love of horses with your passion for dance or gymnastics!
Legacy Stables offers vaulting lessons on horseback, riding lessons, trail riding, equine-centered therapeutic programs, birthday parties, field trips, and summer camps.
Ride year-round in their two indoor arenas.
Lesson rates start at $29.
White Oak Farm, LLC
11900 Vergennes St SE, Lowell, MI 49331
616-848-8451
Come experience this family-friendly, warm atmosphere with patient, dedicated, and very knowledgeable instructors.
With their well-run lesson program, each lesson starts off stress-free due to their organization and attention to detail. You will love the extra large indoor arena with a heated and air conditioned viewing area.
The primary discipline here is English, with an emphasis on jumping. Horse boarding is also available.
White Oak Farm is also home to a successful Interscholastic IEA Team for elementary, middle school, high school and adult riders of all levels!
Lesson rates start at $55 per hour.
Wild West Ranch
1861 52nd St, Fennville, MI 49408
269-673-3539
Go dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh!
The knowledgeable, friendly guides will ensure you have a magical experience.
Wild West Ranch offers trail rides, private winter sleigh rides, carriage rides, and pony rides year-round.
By appointment only, rates for riding start at $35 per hour, and sleigh and carriage rides start at $100 per couple.
Willow Ridge
3700 8th Ave, Hudsonville, MI 49426
616-617-2497
Learn from a United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medalist, where they take a holistic approach to ensure the comfort and health of the horses.
Biomechanics (the science of movement of a living body) of the horse and rider are taught by a professional, knowledgeable staff.
Some riders trailer their horses in from an hour or more away to ride with these experts.
Adult private dressage riding lessons, horse leases and boarding are available.
Weekly lessons start at $85 each.
Wolf Lake Ranch Resort
3640 Wolf Lake Dr, Baldwin, MI 49304
231-745-3890
Head out for a unique dude ranch experience where many families have returned year after year for 20+ years.
Enjoy quaint cabins and wonderful hospitality.
The dude ranch experience includes horseback riding, home-cooked meals, campfires, a pancake breakfast ride, and water activities on a sandy beach.
Rates vary depending on the season, a 2-day weekend starts at $269 per person.
Horseback Riding FAQs
Do you need to take lessons to go horseback riding?
You do not need to take lessons to ride a horse.
There are many places that offer trail riding in West Michigan to riders with no prior experience.
Don’t forget Mackinac Island – no cars here, just horses!
What type of clothing or equipment is needed to go horseback riding?
The equipment for the horse will be supplied by the riding stable.
The stable should also provide a helmet, but if you are taking lessons, plan on purchasing your own soon. Remember to always wear a helmet.
Wear hard-soled shoes with a heel from day one.
While the importance of the helmet is obvious, the shoes can be equally important to help keep your foot safely in the stirrup.
They also protect those tender toes from being squashed. (My son recently learned that horse feet are heavy!)
Wear jeans: athletic apparel is slippery on leather saddles.
You may find that trail riding stables are more lax with their requirements for shoes and apparel.
What type of horseback riding is commonly offered in West Michigan?
English is the predominant riding taught in Michigan, but if you search hard enough, you can find a few places that offer Western along with English.
Also, most trail riding is done in a Western saddle.
Are there age limitations when it comes to riding?
Yes, there are age guidelines when it comes to horseback riding.
The limitations vary by location. Some stables start lessons as early as 18 months, but most lesson and trail riding stables require children to be at least five years old.
Kids ages 5 – 8 may be required to have a “wrangler” or employee lead the horse or pony on trail rides.
What horseback riding style should a beginner start with?
Dressage riding is recommended for beginners.
This style teaches the foundational basics of riding, learning to control the movements and speed at which the horse moves.
Once you have mastered this, you can easily move on to other disciplines.
(Riders from other disciplines may disagree and say theirs is the best way, and opinion-wise, they wouldn’t be wrong.)
Full List of Riding Lessons
Looking for a few more riding lessons and horseback options? Here’s the full list of where you can hang with horses in West Michigan.
Full List of Horseback Riding Lessons
| 5 High Farms | 6700 Moe Rd, Middleville, MI 49333 |
| Alpine Ridge Farms | 600 10 Mile Rd NW, Sparta, MI 49345 |
| Deo Volente Enterprises | 1900 Pettis Ave NE, Ada, MI 49301 |
| Double JJ | 5900 S Water Rd, Rothbury, MI 49452 |
| Double R Ranch | 4424 Whites Bridge Rd, Belding, MI 48809 |
| Down The Rail Ranch | 2237 66th St, Fennville, MI 49408 |
| El Caballo Loco Ranch | 9451 Bailey Dr NE, Ada, MI 49301 |
| Foxfield Arabians, LLC | 9404 100th St SE, Alto, MI 49302 |
| Great Lakes Equestrian Center | 13901 Bagley St, West Olive, MI 49460 |
| Great Lakes Equestrian Vaulting | 4599 16 Mile Rd NE, Cedar Springs, MI 49319 |
| Heart 2 Hoof Equine Services | |
| Hestóvin Stables Therapeutic Riding Center | 1217 East Paris Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 |
| HighPointe Farms | 3333 Egypt Valley Ave NE, Ada, MI 49301 |
| Karin's Horse Connection & Legacy Stables | 8001 Patterson SE Ave, Caledonia, MI 49316 |
| Meadowview Farm | 9914 Vergennes St SE, Lowell, MI 49331 |
| Pine View Arabians | 6740 Bauer Rd, Hudsonville, MI 49426 |
| Rise and Ride Ranch | 2855 36th St, Allegan, MI 49010 |
| Rivendell Stables | 11555 W Grand River Ave, Lowell, MI 49331 |
| Serenity Farm | 7872 Wilson Ave SW, Byron Center, MI 49315 |
| Stony Lake Stables | 4345 S 44th Ave, New Era, MI 49446 |
| The Barn For Equine Learning | 3203 Timpson Ave SE, Lowell, MI 49331 |
| Thomet Stables | 1900 Pettis Ave NE, Ada, MI 49301 |
| Umlor Stables | 3848 Cleveland St, Conklin, MI 49403 |
| West Michigan Riding Academy | 2100 E Riley-Thompson Rd, Muskegon, MI 49445 |
| White Oak Farm | 11900 Vergennes St, Ada, MI 49301 |
You missed a few places that give riding lessons out here closer to the lakeshore. Determination Equestrian, Dehann Horsemanship, plus some whose names I don’t know.