Horseback Riding & Camping Places in Kentucky

If you like horses, the state of Kentucky and the animal are nearly synonymous. Going there for horseback riding is a natural. Kentucky is also a land of mountains and bluegrass, ideal for camping. Combine the two and you have a relaxing vacation for you and your horse.

  1. Privately Owned Horse Camps

    • Privately owned horse camps have access to their own private trails, as well as to those on public land. East of Lexington for instance, are Daniel Boone National Forest and the Sheltowee Trace Recreational Trail.

      Camps adjacent to Mammoth Cave National Park, like Double J Stables, also have access to the park's trails. Others, like Lost Horseshoe Acres in Bremen, offer training and boarding rather than public trail access. Amenities vary, but most sites include electricity and water hookups.

    State Park Horse Camps

    • Four state parks in Kentucky have horse camping facilities. The eight pull-through sites at Pennyrile Forest and Carter Caves include hookups for electric, water and sewer. Dale Hollow Lake State Park has 24 horse campsites with electric and water, and all three parks give horse campers access to every campground amenity. The sites at Taylorsville Lake State Park are primitive or improved; gravel pull-through sites with electric and water hookups. Horse camp sites also include hitching posts.

    National Park Horse Camps

    • Kentucky is woven through with national parks, recreation areas, recreational trails, and forests. Many of these, in addition to being accessible via adjacent private horse camps, have horse camp sites and trails of their own. Again, amenities vary. Wranglers Campground at Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area and Mammoth Cave Horse Camp at Mammoth Cave National Park provide stalls for your horses, but Mammoth also has Maple Springs Group Campground, with tie-outs for horses.

    Kentucky Horse Park Camping

    • The Kentucky Horse Park is a mecca for horse lovers, a place where all things horse come together in one big celebration. The campground is adjacent to the park, and guests receive discounted entry to the park. None of the sites are set up for horses; the main campground has 260 sites with water and electric hookups. Primitive campsites with and without electricity are also available. The campground itself has a grocery store, bathhouses and pool.