Pipestave Hill and Mill Pond
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We are fortunate to have an equestrian area that is open to the public for all to enjoy. West Newbury’s Pipestave Hill and Mill Pond is a town-owned, multi-use public area.
It is the largest trail network in West Newbury consisting of 270 acres of marked and maintained multi-use trails (hiking, running, mountain biking, and dog walking), two equestrian riding rings (one sand footing, the other grass), an equestrian cross-country course with jumps of various levels of difficulty, a pond for swimming, non-motorized boating, and horse and dog wading, and public athletic fields.
If you would like to know more of how we came to have such a jewel in West Newbury, visit our History page.
- You are allowed to ride around the perimeters of the baseball and soccer fields.
- Trails are marked with colored diamond markers.
- Wide and single-track trails of natural terrains of hills, flats, and fields.
- Terrain may be rocky, have muddy areas, and require the crossing of streams.
- Some trails have bridges.
- Trails are cleared by WNRDC and ECTA volunteers ; some are centuries old, others newly cleared.
- Please be aware that these are multi-use trails.
Riding Rings
- The rings are for MOUNTED RIDING & HAND GRAZING ONLY to preserve the footing. Lunging is not allowed. Rings may be periodically closed due to footing conditions.
- Do NOT leave horses to graze as the fences are not field quality.
Hay Fields
- Stay on the designated track through the hay fields so as not to damage the crop or encounter a woodchuck or rabbit hole.
Mill Pond Area
- Designated wading area for horses (and dogs) in Mill Pond in signed area only.
- Please ONLY WALK near the pond and roads leading to and from the pond.
- You may encounter people and dogs there that are not familiar with horses.
Cross Country Course
- The XC course contains varying height non-frangible jumps on hills and flat.
- XC jumping is very different from jumping in a ring. It is never advised to attempt XC jumping without training or alone.
- The XC jumps are closed (tied off) in winter and spring for safety and footing preservation and open at the end of June when conditions allow.