How to make horse riding friends

A lot of people that join our horsey meet-ups all over the world, tell me the same thing; how hard it’s been to find like minded horse riding friends. When we were all kids, riding horses at a riding school, it was easy to make friends. We might have even gone to pony camps where you immediately became besties with the other 9 year old that loves ponies. Now, it’s a bit more difficult, and a lot of those old friends don’t even ride horses anymore, or those friendships are long gone. It’s become easier to find new horse riding friends nowadays though, especially with the help of social media.

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Horse riding and boarding stables in your area 

If you’re looking for horse riding friends nearby and have your own horse, make sure to look for a boarding stable that offers activities. If you’re anything like me, where your horse is stabled is where you spend the most time each day. So if your boarding stable has lots of awesome like-minded people, you’re likely to make some friends. Make sure to find a stable that suits you. If you ride western, look for a western stable, if you ride dressage, look for an english stable, if you go on lots of trails, look for a trail riding stable. This might be a bit hypocritical as I was very much a dressage rider for about 15 years, but dressage stables tend to be a bit less… fun. Trail riding places are usually incredibly laid back and there are loads of people that can't wait to join you on your next outride. The same goes for people that don’t have their own horse and take lessons at a riding school! You can also volunteer and help out at events nearby, such as competitions, games and large trail rides. That way you’ll get to volunteer together with people that could most certainly end up being your horsey friends! Last but not least, trail rides are an amazing way of meeting new people who love horse riding. You can book trail rides almost anywhere, and if you join solo they will put you in a group of riders with the same riding level as you! I’ve met a lot of amazing people this way. 

Facebook groups 

Outdoorsy Gals

This group is absolutely amazing. I found them almost a year ago through TikTok, and immediately joined. The group is for women who love the outdoors and travel, and lots of people organise meet-ups, which I’ll tell you more about below. Of course not everyone rides horses in this group, but there are loads of like minded women and because of the size of the group, you will definitely find those horse riding friends you’re looking for! Most of the women in this group are based in the US, and very few are from other countries. So, if you’re in the US you will likely find like minded gals that live near you, but if you’re in Europe you might have to look a bit harder. Lots of people do post about their trips to Europe and other places around the world so there is often someone in your area (even if they don’t live there) that you can meet up with! 

Horse riding adventures around the world

This is our Hooves group for everyone that loves all things equestrian travel. We update this group with upcoming trips and you can also find horsey friends in here to join you on one of our trips. The most amazing way to meet people that love horse riding is on a horse riding adventure or holiday! I started organising meet-ups last year and it’s absolutely amazing. 

Horse riding meet-ups

Horsey meet-ups are for anyone that loves horses and riding. Every year, Hooves Around The World organises lots of these and anyone is welcome to join! When you come with us on one of these meet-ups, you immediately gain a bunch of horse riding friends. We spend a whole week together riding horses, and chatting about horses while sipping our drinks in the sun. The people that join these meet-ups are incredible, and are looking for exactly the same thing as you are. There is no judgment, there is only bonding over horses and a love for the outdoors! All these meet-ups are posted in our Facebook group so go have a look. You can also contact me directly to get information on all upcoming meet-ups! Also make sure to sign up for my newsletter below to be the first to find out about upcoming meet-ups around the world!

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