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South Chagrin Reservation is easily the most BEAUTIFUL of all the Cleveland Metroparks bridle trails (and I have ridden them all, many times). The trail winds through lovely old growth beech, sugar maple and hemlock forests, and meanders along the Chagrin River for a nice long stretch. There are several creek crossings, but all of them are straightfoward and easy for even an inexperienced horse to negotiate. There are some gently rolling hills, but no steep inclines, so again a novice horse or rider should feel very comfortable here. The only challenging aspect is that the trail travels underneath two very busy roads and some horses get unnerved by the rattle of cars zooming across the overhead bridge (although our horses have not had any trouble). You can easily make a trip to South Chargin an all-day ride, because the trail extends all the way to Bedford Reservation (through suburbia in places - which has some busy road crossings but is interesting to ride through). The only major drawback is that there are limited options as far as loop trails, and the loops are all fairly short. If you want to truly experience all that this park has to offer, you have to ride out and back. The northernmost trailhead (by the polo field) has ample, level parking and port-o-pots. There is a HUGE crushed limestone riding arena here that is open to the public. A second trail head just a little to the south is at Miles Road and in this area there are picnic tables and more port-o-pots. Like all of the Cleveland Metroparks bridle trails, South Chagrin Reservation's trails are exceptionally well maintained, with solid, all-weather (though sometimes rocky) footing. Trail maps are available on-line. Overnight accomodations for horses can be found at Brecksville Stables, which is approximately a 40 minute drive from South Chagrin Reservation. |