ROCK SPORTS:
Rock Climbing  |  Caving

AIR SPORTS:
Hang Gliding & Paragliding  |  Gliding & Microlighting  |  Ballooning & Parascending

WATER SPORTS:
Waterways  |  Canoeing & Kayaking  |  Sailing  |  Surfing  |  Fishing  |  Watersports Centres

ON FOOT:
Distance Walking  |  Festivals  |  Geocaching  |  Orienteering  |  Fell Running  |  Activity Centres  |  Safety Information

ON WHEELS:
Beginners Cycle Routes  |  Longer Cycling Adventures  |  Mountain Biking

HORSE RIDING:
Trails  |  Riding Centres

EASY ACCESS:
Routes & Experiences

Week 42 - Horse Riding

Level of Fitness
Blue/red 

Multi day riding means both you and your horse need to be reasonably fit, and you will need some experience. Going as part of an organised package makes life much easier.

The Experience
The North York Moors has an extensive and well linked bridleway network which means that the horse rider has a fantastic variety of routes to chose from.  There are few gates, few roads and few people (but lots of buzzards, grouse, and curlew). There are long stretches of open moorland and a few steep and stony tracks, so you need a fairly fit horse.

In the west there are rides around Rosedale, Osmotherley, Rievaulx and Farndale. To the east, you can ride around Heartbeat country made famous by the TV series, follow a disused railway line along the coast between Scarbrough and Whitby or see the more wooded country around Newtondale.
This network is not very wet, but you sometimes get low cloud and sea mists coming in from the east coast, but there are low-level alternative routes in case of bad visibility.
You can organise a trip yourself or go through a company or trekking centre.  This has the advantage that someone will have ridden all the bridleways before and have sorted out the best ones to use.  They also consider safe crossings of roads, railways and rivers in order to work your way across the countryside.  They then link this all together with farmhouse B&B's with facilities for horses to make a memorable and stress free journey.

Have a go
Trips can be carried out at any time of year as the bridleway network used is on sustainable surfaces.  The shoulder seasons can be great times to ride as the area is quieter and accommodation easier to arrange.

Find out more

Click here or details of companies and trekking centres operating in the North York Moors.

Click here for details about learning to horse ride, competitions and events