Horseback Riding Routes in the Slocan Valley

Although it doesn’t look like Kentucky horse country here, it’s surprising how many people in the Slocan Valley keep a horse or two, or three. Farriers are booked weeks in advance and a common conversation topic is “Where’d you get your hay from?”

With all the old logging roads and paths through the bushes, you don’t have to go far to find a trail you’d love to discover on horseback. The old deactivated rail bed that runs along the Slocan River is a good place to take your “hay burner”, although the footing is currently quite rocky. The Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society will be upgrading this surface and installing bridges over creeks during 2004-2005. Once this happens, we expect the Valley to be an even better horse destination.

Horses and riders that are used to travelling on roads and encountering cars, wildlife, domestic animals, the occasional dirt bike, skidoo or logging truck, do just fine here.

Currently there are no horse-specific facilities like overnight corrals or “Bed & Bale” establishments for visitors, but with the prospect of the new hiking/cycling/horse riding route along the old rail bed, we have great hopes that facilities will spring up soon.

If you want more information about ‘horsing around’ in the Valley, contact the Slocan Valley Outriders - a club where horse lovers share their equine passion, and coordinate equine play days, clinics, and trail rides. For more information contact Tammy Steen or visit the Slocan Valley Outriders profile page in the Community Organisations section of the Valley Directory.

Throughout the lifetime of this website, we will be adding horseback riding routes in this section. Check back here soon for additions.