Good Equestrian Centers near Denver Metro Area (Colorado Springs, Lakewood: good schools, subdivision)

[sdb158]

Hello. I will be moving with my wife & 3 kids to the Denver Metro area next summer and plan on boarding a horse. We want a reputable place that boards horses and has their own riding trails (if these exist near Denver). In other words, we don't want to have to constantly load a horse on a trailer and travel to ride on some trails. Here are the areas we are focusing on relocating to:

*Louisville/Broomfield area
*Arvada/Golden area
*Morrison
*Littleton
*Ken-Caryl
*Lone Tree
*Parker

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[2bindenver]

I know there are stables in Parker, Ken Caryl and Littleton. You can get property with your own stable in Arvada, Lakewood, Parker...

[BenWolfe]

You may also want to check out Bell Mountain Ranch in Castle Rock. They have miles of trails winding throughout the community and a very nice area for boarding your horses with indoor and outdoor arenas.

[masalamomma]

I have been to the Equestrian Center in Parker, I think it is in The Pinery Subdivision. It is really lovely, really lovely. They have a huge event every year at Halloween that is just loads of fun for the family. I cannot recall the name now, I just know how to get there. Parker is a really nice suburb too, with really good schools as far as I have heard. I rented in Stonegate for a year and liked it there. My daughter takes piano lessons in Parker every Wednesday too. It is a very family oriented place to live. And now with all the shopping center development (new Target and surrounding area), it has become a much more convenient place to live.

[ Moderator adds: The site in Parker is the Colorado Horse Park, http://www.coloradohorsepark.com/ ]

[sdb158]

Can't the commute from Castle Rock to downtown Denver be rather lenghty though? Although I assume parts of Parker to downtown Denver can be rough too.

[2bindenver]

Originally Posted by sdb158

Can't the commute from Castle Rock to downtown Denver be rather lenghty though? Although I assume parts of Parker to downtown Denver can be rough too.

From Castle Rock or Parker you can get on light rail at the Lincoln Station. From Littleton you can get on at the Mineral Station.

[FromBroomfield]

I don't think there's any equestrian centers near Broomfield/Louisville that have trails. There is one equestrian center that is run by some friends of mine down near Arvada at 96th and Hwy 93. Although it doesn't have trails, it's very close to the mountains.

[sunsprit]

Just about all of the areas under consideration have boarding/training facilities that are adjacent to or very close by extensive trail riding.

If you check out Ken Caryl, they have an equestrian center in the valley which is surrounded by many miles of trail riding in a great foothills setting.

Parker, too, has many equestrian properties, where you can keep your horse at home. Of course, if you're seeking a full care boarding facility, then they're all over the place, with trails throughout the area.

You will not lack for riding access in most of these areas, and there's hundreds of miles of riding along the front range in county open spaces, national parks/forests, wilderness areas, and many other publicly accessible areas throughout the region.

[Mike from back east]

There is a stable in Chatfield State Park that boards critters. A friend stables her mule, Jasmine, there, and rides Jas throughout the parkland and along the Highline Canal. Our instructor trailered mounts in there and we did a trail ride there one day last summer. Had the place to ourselves on a weekday. This is on the southwest side of town, outside of Hwy 470.

Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/fair/index.htm Note the ton of events. No trails here that I know of, but a must see place....

There is a very large group of young ladies, The Westernaires, who practice group riding at Jeff Co Frgrnds, and its a sight to see them all dressed up and with flags flying. http://www.westernaires.org/ Some really cool kids....

There are tons of fairgrounds along the whole Front Range, they seem mainly horse-centered. IMO, I don't think there's a lot of opportunity for trail riding within the area bounded by Hwy 470, a 3/4 beltway around Denver.

Castle Rock, Parker, Larkspur on the south side might do best, not sure about what works on the N, E, or W of Denver. The southern side gets you an hour from Colorado Springs, and lots of trails, even right here in town at Garden of the Gods park, where there is also a boarding stables. See the attached picture of Hopalong Mikey....

s/Mike

[BenWolfe]

Originally Posted by sdb158

Can't the commute from Castle Rock to downtown Denver be rather lenghty though? Although I assume parts of Parker to downtown Denver can be rough too.

My wife used to commute to downtown Denver from Larkspur (just south of Castle Rock) during rush hour it would take her 50 minutes to get to her office on 17th street. The suggestion of taking light rail from Lincoln will actually take a little longer, but it is a much more pleasant trip.