About The Venue

The Coldwater Equestrian Campground is located within the Coldwater Recreation Area, in the Blackwater River State Forest (Santa Rosa County), about 1-hour northeast of Pensacola, FL. This recreation area is bordered to the north by Coldwater Creek and has the following facilities: campsites with electricity and water (potable), dump station, restrooms, and showers, horse corrals and stalls, dog kennels, equestrian trails, dining pavilion available by reservation. Coldwater Recreation Area has been a prized recreation area for bird dog and fox hound field trial participants. The equestrian trails take horseback riders through some of the most scenic woodlands in Florida. Recreational opportunities featured here are: horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, picnicking, bird watching, nature study, wildlife viewing and photography.

Geography:

Blackwater River State Forest is the largest state forest in Florida, with over 210,000 acres of woodlands, lakes, and streams that has outstanding forest and water resources. It is named for the Blackwater River, which begins in neighboring Conecuh County, Alabama, and meanders southwestward through the forest. With the adjacent federal landholdings of Conecuh National Forest, to the north, and Eglin Air Force Base, to the south, this area is the largest contiguous ecological community of the longleaf pine - wiregrass ecosystem in the world. 

Recreation:

Blackwater River State Forest has campgrounds, day-use areas and recreational trails that offer a variety of activities such as swimming, hiking, camping, canoeing, nature study, birding, fishing, hunting, horseback riding and mountain biking. This forest is part of the Florida National Scenic Trail and Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Get outdoors and explore the recreational opportunities at Blackwater River State Forest; for further information please Click Here.

Facilities:

There are 56 campsites with electric hooks for RVs or tents, 60 barn stalls, 3 corrals for horses, 124 kennels for hunting dogs in field trial events and 58 covered paddocks.

There is a dining hall with a pavilion.
This facility has restrooms with showers.
There is a sandbar along the creek for campers and horse riders and 55 miles of horse trails.

Event Details

Saturday and Sunday Trail Challenge (TC) – a relaxing trail ride with judged obstacles along the trail. All riding disciplines are welcome.

The Terrain

The terrain is mostly sandy or soft soil woodlands with gently rolling hills and water/creek crossings. There are some rocks at trail entrances. Horseshoes are not necessary. 

Meals

Currently no meals are arranged or available on site. Event participants should bring their own meals. 

Awards

Beautiful ribbons 1st-6th place Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced! 1st-3rd place Junior (age 13-17), 1st-3rd place Youngin' (age 7-12), and 1st place Newcomer!

Additional Fees

Important: Stalls, Hookups and Campsites are booked separately from event registration.

Payment for Hookups, Primitive Campsite and Stalls reservations must be done prior to the event via Reserve America.  Attendees must contact Reserve America to book RV, Campsites and stalls by calling (877)879-3859 or (800)373-3851 TDD. 

Use Event Code 66363602 when booking. Reservations for this event is available Friday 13 Oct through Monday 15 Oct. If you do not want to book Friday through Monday, ask to speak to customer service or customer support and they can reduce the number of days on your reservations. Please note: that checkout time is 1PM on Sunday if you do not book through Monday. 

Click here to be directed to the website where you can view the campground and stalls map and numbers. Campground Details - Coldwater Equestrian Campground Blackwater River State Forest, FL - Florida State Forests (reserveamerica.com) 

Note: This is a special event and therefore we cannot book campsites online. The entire campground is held for this event until 2 weeks prior to the event.