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Last Update: 06 Aug 2010

Riding Holidays | Nevada

The State of Nevada is well known for its contrasting landscape images from the hot and arid Mojave Desert to many high craggy mountain ranges. It is home to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam close to the Arizona border, Lake Tahoe in the west, plus the casino cities of Las Vegas and Reno. It also shares the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range with California. Most of Nevada has a hot dry climate.

Nevada is not a traditional location for a horse riding holiday, however there are some lovely wilderness areas to visit and one of the best ways to see them is from the back of a horse. Visit the Ruby Mountains around Elko in the north of the State for beautiful scenic rides amongst wooded valleys, past sparking creeks and lakes and stunning mountain vistas. This is Nevada's cowboy region. Visit in January and go to the annual Cowboy Poetry gathering at the Western Folklife Center in Elko.

The north of Nevada is the most popular area for horseback vacations, however western riding centres are also found in the west in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in the south near to Las Vegas.

Nevada is home to a large number of wild horses and donkeys. These herds live mainly on public lands, particularly around Winnemucca, Las Vegas and Carson City. In central Nevada there are herds of Bashkir Curly horses, unusual for their wavy mane and tails and closely curled coat hair. This horse breed also has another very appealing characteristic; the make up of their unusual coat hair does not normally affect people with horse allergies, making them a rare, but sought after horse breed.

We are always looking for new riding destinations and regularly update the information on this site. If you have information about horse riding or trail rides in Nevada please do contact us.