Equestrian Skills Course – Bear Creek Regional Park

Venue Overview

The Equestrian Skills Course at Bear Creek Regional Park is a unique outdoor venue in Colorado Springs, Colorado, designed for horseback riders to practice and build trail skills in a safe, natural setting. Built and maintained by the volunteer nonprofit Friends of the Equestrian Skills Course, the course gives riders and their horses a dedicated place to develop confidence over obstacles like bridges, steps, switchbacks, and water features before heading out on Colorado's open trails. Set within the 545-acre Bear Creek Regional Park in the foothills of Pikes Peak, it's a one-of-a-kind amenity for the region's equestrian community.

About the Course

The Equestrian Skills Course exists to help riders and horses prepare for real trail conditions — and to promote trail safety among all the different users who share Colorado's outdoors. The course features a progression of natural and constructed obstacles, from beginner through intermediate, that let horse-and-rider teams build trust and skill in a controlled environment. Maintained through regular volunteer workdays, it's a labor of love by the local horse community, free and open to riders looking to sharpen their trail readiness.

Course features:

• Outdoor equestrian trail-skills obstacle course
• Bridges, steps, switchbacks, and water/terrain features
• Beginner and intermediate skill progressions
• Set within Bear Creek Regional Park's natural foothills setting
• Built and maintained by a dedicated volunteer Friends group
• Free and open to the equestrian community

Inside Bear Creek Regional Park

The Equestrian Skills Course sits within Bear Creek Regional Park, a 545-acre county park in the rolling foothills of Pikes Peak, entirely surrounded by Colorado Springs. Beyond the skills course, the park offers a wide range of recreation, making it a versatile destination for outdoor events of many kinds.

Park amenities include:

• Ten miles of multi-purpose, non-motorized trails
• Horseback riding and the Horse Skills Course
• Tennis and pickleball courts
• Archery range, horseshoe pit, volleyball, and basketball courts
• Picnic pavilions, playing fields, and playgrounds
• Bear Creek Nature Center and a community garden
• Park hours: 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Events & Programming

The Equestrian Skills Course and Bear Creek Regional Park host a range of outdoor and equestrian events. The Friends of the Equestrian Skills Course hold an annual Poker Ride in the park each spring — a popular community event for horseback riders — along with regular volunteer workdays from March through October. The park's broader facilities, including its courts, fields, and picnic pavilions, also make it a setting for community recreation events of many kinds.

Event types well suited to the venue:

• Equestrian trail rides, clinics, and skills events
• Poker rides and community horseback events
• Racquet-sport play on the park's tennis and pickleball courts
• Group outings and community recreation events

Picnic pavilions and park facilities can be reserved through El Paso County Parks (reservation season April 1 – October 31); equestrian course use and events are coordinated with the Friends of the Equestrian Skills Course.

Get Involved

The Equestrian Skills Course is built and sustained entirely by volunteers. Riders and horse lovers can support it by joining the Friends group as a member or board member, volunteering on monthly workdays, or helping at the annual Poker Ride. To get involved, reach the Friends of the Equestrian Skills Course at friendsequestrianskillscourse@gmail.com or through their Facebook page.

Hosting an Event Here? Launch It on Colorado Under Par

If you're organizing an equestrian ride, clinic, racquet-sport event, or community gathering at Bear Creek Regional Park, you can launch your event for free on Colorado Under Par — Colorado's dedicated platform for discovering and promoting golf, pickleball, and sporting events. Getting your event in front of Colorado's active outdoor community takes less than five minutes.

Launch your event here: coloradounderpar.com/submit-event