Flying Changes: magazine for northwest sporthorse enthusiasts

Tired of looking for love in all the wrong places? Hoping to find a partner who loves horses as much as you do ? Perhaps it’s time to check out the world of equestrian dating websites.

We’ve put together a quick tour of the many sites available, with a focus on the more broad-based equestrian sites. There are additional Western-specific sites, just a Google-search away, if you’ve got your heart set on a cowboy or cowgirl.

Like most dating websites, the equestrian sites noted here all offer “free registration.” In most cases, this allows you to do a broad search of members at no charge. You can look at photos and read profiles, to check out the clientele without making a commitment. Many sites also allow you to post a photo and profile of yourself (a list of your attributes and what you’re looking for in a friend, riding buddy, or romantic partner) at no charge.

All sites allow you to search for partner by gender (woman looking for man; man looking for women, etc), age range, and location. The best searches allow you to look within a specific distance of your zip code (for example, within 50 miles of where you live); most allow you to search by state—a drawback for those living near a state border, such as Portland/Vancouver; the most-limited allow you to search by country. (Fine for those who work for or own international airlines; not as great for the rest of us.)

Not surprisingly, equestrian dating sites are a great place to meet women. In our searches for equestrians of any age in the states of Oregon and Washington, women far outnumbered men. Also as expected, most of the men on the sites selected trail riding as their primary area of riding interest—although there really were some men who selected English, hunter/jumper and even (gasp) dressage.

With these limitations in mind, online dating does allow you to meet a broad variety of people from the comfort of your own computer, in private and without the hazards of a smoky bar. If you’ve never tried online dating, spend an evening looking at the various sites and see if anyone strikes your fancy. Best of luck and Happy Valentine’s!

EquestrianCupid.com
“The best and largest dating site for single horse lovers and friends in the world.”

Membership: $29.95/month; $59.95/3 months; $95.95/6 months.
Searches: By state- although if you complete a profile, you can search within 100 miles of your location.
Comments: Cheesy photo makes this site’s homepage look like an ad for Viagra. However, the site does allow you to specify riding interests, including English disciplines, in your profile.

EquestrianMatchMaker.com
“Where the Equestrian Enthusiast can find the Perfect Match”

Membership: $14.99/1month; $24.99/6 months. (Currently promoting a 6-month free trial membership)
Searches: By State
Comments: Site allows you to specify disciplines in your profile—we actually found a dressage guy and a hunter/jumper! Home page features hot models posing as equestrians—where’s the dirt?

EquestrianSingles.com
“The #1 Online Equestrian Community”

Membership: $19.95/month; $29.95/3 months; $39.95/6 months plus 6 free bonus months (in other words, a year for $39.95).
Searches: By state
Comments: Once you get beyond the scantily clad, leggy blonde on the home page (“As See n on Oprah”), allows you to specify riding interests, including English disciplines.

FarmersOnly.com
“For down to earth country singles”

Membership: $15.95/month; $29.95/3 months; $49.95/6 months; $59.95 12 months
Searches: By state.
Comments: Get past the folksy-cute graphics and you may well meet something with a tractor. Not horse-specific but most members have property and livestock.

Horseandcountrysingles.com
“A community for lovers of the equestrian and country lifestyle.”

Membership: $19.99/month; $29.99/3 months; $39.99/6 months
Searches: By state—once you complete a profile. Guests can search by country only.
Comments: This site has a decidedly British feel to it, you can select “interests” such as rambling, trekking, and stalking. (I did not make this up.)

HorseLoversConnection.com
“A personal ad dating service where single horsepeople find friendship, romance, and love!”

Membership: $20/month; $45/3 months; $65/6 months.
Searches: By state
Comments: From the barbed wire to the “United We Stand, Reins in Hand” graphics, this site has a decidedly Western feel, which is reflected in its membership.

On-line Equestrian Dating