Horseback Riding

Equestrians will find stables with horses to rent to ride on hundreds of miles of public horse trails in Virginia, the majority of them in the Shenandoah Valley and the Southwest Highlands. The granddaddy of all trails, the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail, runs the length of Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, which has campgrounds especially for horse owners. Horses are also permitted on the Virginia Creeper Trail and the New River Trail. You can rent horses at the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and along the New River Trail. Shenandoah National Park has guided trail rides. Ironically, few stables rent horses in northern Virginia's Hunt Country, where just about everyone who rides owns a horse.

The Virginia Horse Council, 2799 Stratford Rd., Richmond, VA 23225 (tel. 804/330-0345; www.virginiahorse.com), publishes a list of public horse trails and stables statewide.