Western / Reining in Delaware

Delaware runs barely a hundred miles top to bottom, but the riding changes the whole way down. New Castle County in the north keeps rolling hills and old estate country; Kent County flattens into quiet farmland; Sussex County finishes at the coast with sandy trails through pine and maritime forest. Riding academies, trail stables, and boarding barns fill in the map between, and both English and Western riders find programs that fit.

Horses have been part of this state's landscape for a long time, and many properties wear that history, old barns kept in working order, farm lanes that predate the highways. State parks and preserved land carry designated multi-use trails, so a rider is rarely far from open ground. And because the big East Coast cities sit within easy reach, Delaware works as a close-to-home option for lessons, a weekend trail ride, or steady boarding without a long haul.