Pipestave Hill
West Newbury, MA
Park Website
Trail Map
West Newbury Riding and Driving Club
Is it easily accessible? yes, extremely easy
Parking information. How many rigs can fit? numerous - if not crowded with soccer mom's mini-vans & SUVs (see notes below)
Is there a parking or entrance fee? not to my knowledge
Is this location easily accessible for big rigs? yes
Is there a certain location that horse trailers must park? yes, see website
What is this location like? there are lots of descriptions above, but I will add: well maintained dirt roads wide enough for two horses abreast or a carriage (I don't know if they allow carts/carriages - I've never seen any) in some parts and some closer, single file trails in the woods and through the high hay field. Personally, I drive and I would not drive at Pipestave due to the large number of non-horse people using the park, even on quiet weekdays. You just never know when some mad dog is going to come bounding out of the woods with a stupid owner assuring you that he just loves horses...
How is the footing? variable. I've ridden year round in the park. sometimes the cross country course is closed due to footing
How is the terrain? easy to moderate
Are there a lot of people, motorized vehicles etc? Lots of people on weekends, many with loose dogs around the pond. there are soccer fields and masses of families and kids on weekends (esp saturdays). A good way to desensitize your horse - air horns, soccer balls being kicked at you :) Or you can just skip that part of the park. I had to ride past the athletic fields to get into the park and to go home so we had lots of experience with this zoo. Often best to dismount if a game is on as the path between the fields and the stone wall is only about 15-20 feet wide.
How are the bugs? Terrible sometimes - deer flies. And there definitely are ticks.
Is there anything dangerous? There are four concerns that could be dangerous. Avoid all of these by going on weekdays or very early on weekends. During fall soccer season, it's best to skip Saturdays altogether. The best days are weekdays.
1. The parking lot: busy soccer moms in mini-vans or SUVs and horse-clueless
2. Loose dogs especially near the pond or any of the trails near the pond
3. Masses of kids on fields - some can be very respectful and others quite stupid about horses.
4. Some of the trails have lovely hills that are perfect for a wild gallop - and so you may run into a fellow rider doing this. Just be aware of this.
How many miles or hours of riding can you get in? The max I've done was an hour but the bugs drove me home
Are there a lot of obstacles? not really - there is a cross country course though
Is there a trail map available? yes - see website
Are there restrooms available? I think I saw porta-potties but I don't remember - I never needed them
Is camping allowed? I don't think so
Is there water available for the horses? besides the pond, I don't know. we used the pond or waited till we got home as we were essentially neighbors.
Thank you Katie for the information
