Horse Country

Attempting to define “horse country” in Texas is a tricky business. In reality, the entirety of Texas is horse country simply because Texans love their horses.

Pictured: Profile of a horse during golden hour
Credit: Jason St. Peter

We are a horse culture, particularly considering that most of our ancestors arrived here either on horseback or in a conveyance pulled by horses or mules. Texas, in fact, is considered the number one horse state in the country. Today, unless you are a working cowhand, your status as equestrian means that you ride for competition, sport, or the sheer joy of it. Some of the best country for raising horses, however, lies in north Texas where rolling pastureland growing from a cushion of treasured sandy loam soil supports an abundance of farms with a concentration in specializations like equine suppliers, breeders, horse care, and professional training. Best known for the Quarter Horse, the area of the North Texas Horse Country driving tour also produces superior Thoroughbreds, Paints, Arabians, and Appaloosas. Want to see it for yourself? Contact the Denton Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for a guided tour of the surrounding horse country or download the self-guided driving tour route. Expect to be charmed by the horses and the cities in the tour whose histories include the Butterfield mail stage route, the Chisholm cattle trail, leather goods heritage, and peanut festivals in historic downtowns. Best yet, choose a ranch to see from horseback, an opportunity the Denton CVB can help you with as well.

Explore Horse Country Sites and Attractions

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