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Can You Ride Your Horse on the Road? What to Know Before You Go

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Can You Ride Your Horse on the Road? What to Know Before You Go

Last updated: October 17, 2026

By: Miles HenryFact Checked

Maybe the trail you want to ride is on the other side of a paved road, or you’ve passed a horse rider on the shoulder and wondered whether that’s even allowed. Riding on the road is often legal, but the law puts real responsibility on the rider, and a crash can leave you sharing the blame.

Is it legal to ride a horse on the road? Whether you can ride a horse on the road depends on state law, local restrictions, and the type of road. In Louisiana, you can ride on ordinary public roads, but interstates are off-limits. La. R.S. 32:22 gives riders the rights and duties of vehicle drivers, except for provisions that can’t apply.

Here’s where you can ride, how a rider can share fault in a collision, and what to consider before taking your horse on the road.

Can You Ride a Horse on the Highway?

It depends on the kind of highway. Louisiana interstates are off-limits to horses, but a road with “highway” in its name isn’t automatically closed to riders. In Mays v. American Indemnity Co., decided in 1978, Louisiana’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal said a rider “had a right to ride his horse upon U.S. Highway 171.”

Outside Louisiana, the rules vary from state to state, including which side of the road riders should use. Don’t assume another state follows Louisiana’s rules. Check that state’s traffic code and any local restrictions before deciding where and how to ride.

Horseman’s Take I’ve made the trip from Albany, Louisiana, to Old Farmers Day in Loranger on horseback and in horse-drawn wagons, and we rode on public roads all the way there and back.

Louisiana Law on Riding Horses on the Road

Three Louisiana laws come into play when you ride on the road:

  • Riders have the rights and duties of drivers. R.S. 32:22 says a person riding an animal or driving an animal-drawn vehicle on a roadway has the rights and duties of a vehicle driver, except for provisions that by their nature can’t apply. You’re expected to follow the rules of the road, like obeying signs and signals and keeping right.
  • Interstates are off-limits. R.S. 32:263 bars livestock owners from letting livestock onto a Louisiana interstate and prohibits pedestrians, bicycles, and other non-motorized vehicles there.
  • The paved-highway law is about loose livestock. R.S. 3:2851 says horses, mules, and donkeys aren’t allowed on paved highways, which sounds like a ban on riding. But it sits in the part of the law on stock running at large, and in Mays, the court held that those statutes apply to horses running at large, not a horse being ridden.

Who Is at Fault When a Car Hits a Horse?

Louisiana’s general fault rule, Civil Code Article 2315, says a person whose fault causes damage to another has to repair it. In a crash between a car and a horse, the driver, the rider, or both can share the blame, depending on the facts.

Prejean v. State Farm, decided by Louisiana’s Third Circuit Court of Appeal in January 2016, shows how that works. Cyril Prejean and a passenger, Jessyca Steward, were riding his horse on a Calcasieu Parish road at dusk when an SUV hit them from behind. The horse was dark, the riders wore dark clothing, and the horse had no lights. Both riders were hurt, and the horse had to be put down.

The trial court put 100% of the fault on the driver. The appeals court split the fault equally between the driver and Prejean, who was controlling the horse. Steward, his passenger, had no control over the horse and was assigned no fault.

The court also said there’s no legal requirement that a ridden horse have lights. Louisiana’s lighting law covers animal-drawn vehicles, not horses being ridden. Even so, the case shows that being legal on the road and being careful on the road aren’t the same thing.

The stakes have gone up since then. For accidents on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana’s modified comparative-fault rule means that if you’re found 51% or more at fault, you generally can’t recover damages. Below 51%, your recovery is reduced by your share, as this Louisiana law firm explains. Under that rule, a rider found 51% at fault could recover nothing, even if the driver shared the blame.

A horse and rider on a quiet rural road
Daylight, a quiet road, and a horse you trust make road riding a lot safer.

Before You Take a Horse on the Road

  • Pick the right horse. Only take a horse on the road that’s calm around traffic and noise. If you’re riding on pavement, think about his feet, too, whether he’s shod or you’re riding a barefoot horse on the road.
  • Be ready yourself. The road isn’t the place to work on your riding.
  • Ride in daylight. Stay off the roads at dusk and after dark, when drivers have the hardest time seeing a horse.
  • Be easy to see. Wear bright clothing or a reflective vest, and add reflective leg wraps or tape so drivers can pick out your horse.
  • Choose the route. Avoid busy roads, sharp curves, hills that block a driver’s view, and roads with little or no shoulder. Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
  • Ride single file. In Louisiana, stay as far to the right as you safely can.
  • Watch the footing. Look out for glass, litter, potholes, and rocks. Something as small as a plastic bag can spook a horse.
  • Carry the basics. Bring a phone and identification.

A public road isn’t the place to teach a horse to handle traffic. If yours is skittish around cars, choose another route and work on it at home, away from vehicles.

This article explains the law in general and isn’t legal advice. For a specific situation, talk with a Louisiana attorney.