"Find parks matching your amenity choices. Virginia State Parks are literally great places to horse around. Seven parks offer horse camping, and 19 have riding trails.
Douthat, Fairy Stone, Grayson Highlands, James River, New River, Occoneechee and Staunton River rent horse campsites. Some sites have electricity and water and a nearby full bathhouse. Others have electricity and water and a pit toilet. Because sites vary, carefully read about each park's horse camping amenities.
Those parks have horse trails as do another 12 parks, and trailer parking is available at those parks. They are Bear Creek Lake, Belle Isle, Chippokes Plantation, High Bridge, Holliday Lake, James River, Pocahontas, Shenandoah River, Sky Meadows, Twin Lakes, Wilderness Road and York River. Equestrian trails vary from 2 to 57 miles long. See below for details or click here for a detailed list of all parks' horse offerings (PDF).
Horse complexes
...Several parks are known for well-developed horse complexes. Pocahontas State Park's day-use Bright Hope Complex comes complete with ample parking, restroom and exercise rings. One is 20 by 60 feet, and the other is 50 by 100 feet. Call 800-933-7275 for rental information. The complex is near the Bright Hope Multi-use Trail.
At 16.5 acres, the New River Trail's Mark E. Hufeisen Horse Complex is the system's most prominent horse offering. It has a 170 by 250 foot arena, accommodations for calf-roping, seating for up to 600 and plenty of parking. The well-lit complex has a concession building, which has a refrigerator and a microwave oven, an announcer's booth and rodeo equipment. Visitors may bring a horse and ride in the arena for $5 a day, and the complex can be rented in total for special events for a full or half day. Call 800-933-7275 for details. Download a diagram of the arena (PDF).