Horse Park Rules

These rules are in place to protect the rider, horse, and the integrity of the facility including the Cross- Country Course. Please review The Horse Park website regularly for full rules and policy/rule changes. 

General Rules:

  • PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY! 10 MPH ON ALL HORSE PARK ROADS!
  • Membership is required to use Horse Park facilities.
  • All membership types must comply with Horse Park dog policies/rules.
  • Only Dog Members and Full Members are allowed to bring their dogs to Horse Park.
  • Helmets are required when mounted for anyone 18 years old or under (regardless of riding style).
  • No jumping allowed without helmets, regardless of age or skill level.
  • No jumping alone anywhere on the property (this includes arenas).
  • No unattended or loose horses.
  • No unattended turnouts in the Round Pen.
  • If there is an emergency, call 911 first and then the Main Office. All non-urgent injuries and incidents need to be reported to the Main Office within the same day.
  • No smoking anywhere on the property.
  • No open flames, campfires or cooking.
  • Arenas and Cross-Country Course may be closed due to weather conditions, Horse Park maintenance or horse shows.
  • Drive on designated roads only, NOT on the Cross-Country Course.
  • Pasture and other facility gates must remain closed, please close behind you.
  • All members and visitors, please clean up after yourself, your horses and your dogs.
  • All members and visitors should be courteous to staff and others.
  • All members and visitors should yield to Horse Park staff, equipment and contracted vendors.
  • No dogs are permitted to accompany a rider or riders while riding.
  • Rider’s family, guests, and spectators must stay out of arenas and off the Cross-Country Course and keep to designated viewing areas.
  • Rider’s family, guests, and spectators must respect the “NO DOG” policy.
  • Show exhibitors (non-members) are not permitted to use jumps on the Cross-Country Course.
  • Dogs need to be leashed, kenneled, housed or tied in barn areas and out of foot horse / traffic. Dogs are not allowed in any arena.
  • All riders/trainers must either attain a HPW “Pay As You Go” or “Full” membership with required paperwork and/or insurance certificate (trainers) PRIOR to using the facility.
  • All “Pay As You Go” members must check in and pay use fee BEFORE using the facility.
  • Riders, when schooling on the Cross-Country Course, MUST wear a safety helmet, protective vest, approved medical armband, and be accompanied by a partner over 18 years of age with a cell phone.
  • Riders may never jump a “closed” fence or any “closed” section of the Cross-Country Course.
  • When the Cross-Country Course is closed, it pertains to all the portions of the course, for all types of riding and driving.
  • No unauthorized vehicles permitted on the Cross-Country Course.

Violations
Please report any infractions of these rules by fellow members, boarders, trainers, or staff to Horse Park Main Office immediately.

Any violation of HPW rules/policies may result in the revocation of membership and/or removal from the property.

Emergencies
In the event of an emergency, dial 911 immediately. Then please notify The Horse Park Main Office at (650) 851-2140 or a Horse Park office employee. The Horse Park is located at 3674 Sand Hill Road in Woodside, San Mateo County, California.

Updates on activities and facility conditions are available on the website or by calling The Horse Park Main Office at (650) 851-2140 during regular business hours.

Entrance Gate Access Procedure/Hours
Gates will automatically open/close as each vehicle enters and exits during regular business hours. 

DOG RULES
Cross-Country Course Designated Hours for Dogs:

  • Sunrise – 10:00 AM & 5:00 PM – Sunset
  • Why Are There Rules For Dog Members?
    1. Member safety is the #1 priority at The Horse Park. The shared environment of dogs  and horses provides a challenging mix of uses. Many horses are frightened of loose dogs, loud dogs, dogs running through water at high speed, or dogs chasing after thrown objects. Loose horses are a hazard and are extremely dangerous to pedestrians, vehicles and other riders. Strict adherence to Horse Park rules is necessary to keep the Park safe and available to all members.
  • Who May Bring Dogs To The Horse Park? Where Are They Allowed?
    1. Dog Walker Members and Full Members may exercise their dogs on the Cross- Country Course or bring leashed dogs to the remainder of The Horse Park. If it is otherwise unoccupied, dogs may also be exercised off leash in the south parking lot/trailer parking area.
    2.Show participants may bring dogs only during events and must obey all Horse Park rules. Subject to following such rules, show participants may exercise their dogs on the cross-country field or perimeter trail during designated dog hours only.
    3.Basic Day Use Members are equestrian members only. They may not utilize The Horse Park for their dogs.
    4.The Cross-Country Course is designated into “interior” and “perimeter” areas. See below for separate uses. The perimeter trail is the trail along the inside of the fence line of The Horse Park. The tracks of the Cross-Country Course are the interior areas.
  • Rules That Apply On Cross-Country Course:
    1.Permitted members may exercise their dogs on the Cross-Country Course during designated hours if the course is open to equestrian use and at any time the Horse Park is open even if it is closed to equestrian use.
    2.Designated hours for interior Cross-Country access are currently sunrise to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to sunset.
    3.The perimeter trail is open to permitted members and their dogs at any time. The Horse Park is generally open, and whether or not the Cross-Country Course is open to equestrian use, the perimeter trail remains subject to right of way and general rules.
    4.If a competition is being run which utilizes the Cross-Country Course, no dogs are allowed on the interior Cross-Country Course or the perimeter trail at any time during the active phase of the competition.
    5.Dogs may be off leash in the Cross-Country field ONLY if they are under complete voice control at all times (and should never be more than 100 feet from the handler). It is the handler’s ultimate responsibility to be on the lookout for approaching horses, in all directions.
  •  General Dog Rules
    1. All dog walkers must abide by general Horse Park hours and rules.
    2. Dogs MUST be leashed, kenneled, housed, or tied in barn areas at all times.
    3. Dogs may not ever enter an arena, and are not permitted next to an arena that is being used.
    4. Horses/Riders always have right of way. It is mandatory that even when it is otherwise permitted for a dog to be unleashed (i.e. on Cross-Country Course), any dog who is being approached in any direction by a horse, must be put on a leash and must yield to the horse/rider, even IF the rider grants permission to stay unleashed.
    5. No dogs may accompany you while riding or “run alongside” vehicles, including golf carts, motorcycles, etc.
    6. Please clean up after yourselves and your dog(s) wherever you are at The Horse Park, including on the Cross-Country field.
    7. Courtesy refuse bags are available at the entrances to the Cross-Country Course and near the Four Winds Annex. Courtesy leashes are available at the Main Office if you have forgotten your own.
    8. No “Professional Dog Walkers” are permitted at The Horse Park at any time.
    9. The Horse Park practices a “no tolerance” policy as it relates to aggressive, disobedient, mismanaged, and/or mishandled dogs. Any such dogs will not be allowed to return to The Horse Park and members may lose their membership privileges.