Trails LA County hosts  over five hundred miles of stunningly diverse trails across the County and many of these trails are open for you to enjoy with your horse. It’s easy to filter for horse-friendly trails on our website or you can download the Trails LA County app to your smartphone, which also allows for trail filtering as well as providing accurate trail maps, up-to-date closure info, and offline mapping to make it easy to have a safe and fun outing on the trail.

All trail users should yield to equestrians, but many inexperienced trail users do not know what to do. Adding to that, many trail users, especially children, may be frightened or intimidated by horses. You can help prevent unfortunate incidents by familiarizing your horses with the types of encounters they may have (hikers, mountain bikers, dogs) and be prepared to deal with children or animals who may be frightened by your horse.

You can help ensure a fun day out by remembering to be safe and courteous in sharing our multi-use trails with the hikers and mountain bikers you will likely encounter on the trails by following the safety guidelines below.

Safety Guidelines for Equestrians

• Expect inexperienced trail users. While all trail users should yield to equestrians, many are intimidated by large horses, or just don’t know what to do. Small children, animals, and anyone who doesn’t see or hear you coming can be easily frightened by horses and act unpredictably.
• Speak up! Eye contact and a friendly “hello” will go a long way toward cooperative trail use and sends the message to your horse that you aren’t worried.
• When planning your outing, consider terrain, temperature, humidity, and your horse’s condition. Chart a course that will allow your horse to drink at least once every hour. For an average horse, a hilly, 5 to 7-mile route should take about 1 ½ hours. Learn to take your horse’s pulse and respiration rate. Always wear a helmet and wear sturdy boots. Keep your horse to the right or where safe when encountering others on the trail, and communicate: let other trail users know how to pass your horse safely.
• After rains, check with national and/or state parks for trail conditions and closures. Trail use is not recommended when trails are wet and prone to damage. The Trails LA County app is the best source for the latest information on trails closures and conditions.
• Watch for overhanging branches from shrubs and trees.
• When passing hikers, slow to a walking pace of no more than 5mph. Excessive speed is unsafe and can lead to injury or worse.