EQUESTRIANS CAN THANK HELEN KOEHLER FOR THE AMAZING HORSE TRAIL SYSTEM AT GOETHE STATE FOREST.

Pond East Bailey trailhead, and a 7-mile horse trail is accessible from the Watermelon Pond North trailhead.

Primitive equestrian camping is available at the Tidewater, Black Prong and Watermelon Pond North trailheads. There are numerous private facilities adjacent to Goethe State Forest. Examples include Goethe Trailhead Campground, near the Apex trailhead, and the luxurious Black Prong

Roundup

Florida State Forest and Goethe State Forest details: fdacs.gov

Black Prong Equestrian Village, Bronson, Florida, blackprong.com, 352-486-1234

Goethe Trailhead Campground, Dunnellon, Florida, ocalatrailsrvcamping.com, 352-322-0723

Equestrian Village near the Black Prong trailhead. In addition to luxury accommodations for you and your horse, Black Prong Equestrian Village hosts a variety of social events and equestrian competitions.

Plan your visit to Goethe State Forest. Find out the schedule of the various hunting seasons, as well as where and when controlled burns or logging activities will take place. During the rainy season and after heavy rains, many of the horse trails can be very muddy or pass through deep water. Portions of many of the horse trails also include gravel roads.

Sign up for the FFS’s Trailtrotter Program to get credit for horseback riding in our awesome state forests. After you have ridden and logged eight trails on the Trailtrotter’s Trail list in a minimum of four state forests, you can receive an awesome patch and certificate acknowledging your achievement.

Once you become a Trailtrotter, you can become a Trailsaddler after you ride and record 16 trails, and a Trailwrangler after you ride and record a total of 24 trails from the list. FCM