Horse riding
A paradise for horse lovers
South-West Drenthe is a paradise for horse lovers. Ride through vast areas of heathland, interspersed with lovely woodlands. South-West Drenthe offers a wealth of varied routes for enjoying the countryside on horseback.
Want to gallop at full speed? This is the place to cover some distance!
In the Drents-Friese Wold and Dwingelderveld National Parks, you’ll find beautiful signposted horse riding routes, so you can set off without a care in the world. Prefer to plan your own route? You can now also make use of the new equestrian junction network in the Drents-Friese Wold. With 75 junctions, you can easily put together your own route, from a short loop to a long trail ride.
Start your day’s ride from dedicated trailer parking areas and make use of the special horse rest stops along the way for a lovely break.
Riding routes
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Drents-Friese Wold National Park
View all routes in Drents-Friese Wold National ParkFor horse riders and drivers, four day routes have been set out in the Drents-Friese Wold, each with its own colour pictogram sign. The day routes take about 2 hours and start at 4 different locations. There are also black bridleways which are connecting paths to shorten or connect a route.
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National Park Dwingelderveld
View all riding routes in National Park DwingelderveldNational Park Dwingelderveld is a welcoming area for recreationists with horses. There are signposted bridle and driving routes with a total length of 57 kilometres.
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All riding routes in South-West Drenthe
View all riding routesBeautiful riding routes have also been set up outside the National Parks.
New: horse riding junctions in the Drents-Friese Wold
Good news for riders and carriage drivers: the Drents-Friese Wold now has its own network of route junctions. With 75 junctions, you can easily plan your own route. Choose for yourself how long you want to be out and about, which parts of the area you want to explore and what you’d like to see along the way.
The existing signposted horse riding routes will also remain available as usual. Above all, the new network gives you the freedom to combine routes, shorten them or extend them as you wish. This allows you to explore the Drents-Friese Wold on horseback or by horse and cart exactly as you please.
View the route junctions and plan your own route.
Staying overnight with your horse - These overnight locations have the right facilities
Trailer parking
National Park Drents-Friese Wold:
- Car park Het Halve Maantje | Canadaweg | Appelscha
- Forest car park Boschoord | Boylerstraat | Boschoord
- Car park Shakespeare Theatre | Hezenes 10 | Diever
- Hoeve Morgenster, Huenderweg 17 Doldersum (please call in advance)
- Day campsite Noordelijke Veldhuizen | Near Bosweg 27b | Hoogersmilde
- Hoeve 202 | Noordwolde (please call in advance)
- Holiday Estate Alberthoeve, Wateren 24 Wateren (please call in advance)
National Park Dwingelderveld:
- Queen's trail | Beilen
- Oude Hoogeveensedijk | Dwingeloo
- Visitor centre Dwingelderveld | Benderse 22 | Ruinen
- Oude Postweg | Spier
Holtingerveld:
- Holtingerveld access gate, van Helomaweg 18, Havelte (including rinse-off point for horses)
Forestry Ruinen:
- Car park Ruinerweg, Echten
- Car park Gijsselterweg, Ruinen
- Car park Bosweg, Koekangerveld
Catering facilities with moorings - "Horse places"
Fancy a break along the way? At these locations in and around the Drents-Friese Wold, you can securely tie your horse to a tether post, let it drink from the water trough and enjoy a snack or drink yourself on the terrace.
- Landhotel Diever | Diever (horse tethering post, water trough and tack rack)
- Restaurant Grenzeloos | Doldersum (horse tethering post, water trough and saddle rack)
- Bospub | Lhee
- Boslounge Spier | Spier
- Hoeve de Werkhorst | Vledder (horse tethers, water trough, tack rack, small paddocks)
- Hotel and Restaurant Villa Nova | Zorgvlied
Tip for the Drents-Friese Wold National Park: Spartelvijver
There is a special splash pond, suitable for letting your horse drink or swim.
The pond is located north of Lake Canada on the Appelscha-Wateren road. Easily accessible from trailer park Het Halve Maantje.
