Dressage in Ohio

Ohio's riding runs the width of the state's geography: flat agricultural plains in the northwest giving way to the rolling, forested Appalachian foothills in the southeast. Trail-riding stables work out of state parks like Mohican and Hocking Hills; polished riding academies teach English and Western disciplines within reach of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. Between the public trail networks and the private farms, there's room here for pleasure riders, competitors, and everyone doing serious training in between.

Horses are woven into Ohio's farm culture, and it shows in the barns. Many working farms have grown into boarding, training, and lesson operations, run by people who've kept horses their whole lives. The Ohio River and its tributaries cut scenic terrain for trail rides and pack trips through the south, while Lake Erie shapes the riding country along the northern edge. Region to region, the character of the horse industry shifts, and stays busy everywhere.