Horse Riding in Country Parks

Leicestershire abounds in Country Parks, including rocky hilltops, beautiful woodland, quiet water meadows and historic sites. A number of these are particularly suitable for horse riding.

Beacon Hill near Loughborough has a circuit of specially laid out horse tracks. They pass through woodland, cross open heath and skirt the summit with its jagged crags, traces of a Bronze Age fort and superb views over Charnwood Forest and the Soar Valley. The tracks may be closed in very wet weather.

Burrough Hill, five miles south of Melton Mowbray, provides excellent horse riding. There are tracks across the summit, which is dominated by the impressive ramparts of an Iron Age stronghold. On a clear day, the hills of Charnwood Forest, some fifteen miles away, can be seen.

Bosworth Battlefield, where King Richard III was defeated by the future Henry VII in 1485, is crossed by a bridleway. Part of this actually follows the Battlefield Trail, so the place where the course of English history was dramatically changed can be viewed from horseback, with the help of the interpretation boards.

Sence Valley, near Ibstock, has lakes, plantations, a pleasant view towards Heather and a bridleway through the middle. It is part of the developing National Forest, which extends from the outskirts of Leicester and Loughborough to Burton-upon-Trent. A trail suitable for horses runs from the National Forest Visitor Centre at Moira to Donisthorpe and Measham. Other trails are planned.