Swipe on horses. Meet other riders, trail buddies and breeders.

It's built for riders who want company on the trail, horse owners who want friends at the next barn over, and anyone who wants to see this year's foals. Swipe right to paw, left to pass. A mutual paw is a match, and a match opens a chat.

What a horse profile shows

Every horse gets its own profile, the same as a dog or a cat. You'll see photos, the horse's name, age and breed, where it lives or how far away it is, a few lines from its owner and short tags such as Trail, Foal or Breeder.

Bean 3 mo

Arabian · Lexington, KY

Bay colt from a family farm. Visits welcome.

• Breeder
• Foal

Sample profile

Those few lines do the real matching. Two pretty horses can still make a bad pair on the trail, so say what your horse is like to ride, not just how it looks. Good things to mention:

• Experience. Green on trails, steady, or a been-everywhere horse that leads a group.
• Pace. Walk only, or happy to trot and canter on good footing.
• Quirks. Spooks at bikes, gets barn-sour, needs a buddy in front, or wears a red ribbon because it kicks.
• Hauling. You have a trailer, can share a haul, or only ride out from the barn.
• Where and when you ride. Arena, local trails, state parks, weeknights or weekend mornings.

What riders use PawOrPass for

Trail riding buddies

Lots of riders would rather not hit the trail alone, and barn friends don't always ride on the same days or at the same speed. Paw horses that ride like yours, then use the chat to pick a trail and a time. For the weeks you want more than an app, our guide on how to find a trail riding partner covers barns, clubs, clinics and organized rides.

How to meet other horse owners

New to a barn, back in the saddle as an adult, or keeping your horse at home with no one to talk shop with? Start close: set the distance to the barns around you, paw horses whose owners sound like your kind of people, and say in your note where you board. A match can turn into someone to share a clinic, a lesson or a hay run with.

Off the app, most horse friends come from showing up in the same place, on a schedule, with a job to do:

• Adult group lessons. A weekly adult or re-rider lesson puts you with the same faces every week.
• Barn favors. Hold horses for the farrier, help with turnout or cover a feeding when someone is away.
• A club job. Run the sign-in sheet at your saddle club's monthly ride. A role gives you a reason to talk to everyone.
• Volunteer shifts. Therapeutic riding centers need horse leaders and sidewalkers each week, no horse of your own needed.

Then follow up within a week with a real plan, like "Short loop Thursday evening?" Our guide on how to find horse friends as an adult has more ideas, plus tips if you're shy.

Breeders and foals

Connect with breeders and see foals from farms near you or across the country. Breeders can list their foals, and you can paw one with a note asking about its parents, temperament or a farm visit.

Cute horses and ponies

Some people just want to swipe on ponies. That counts.

The rest of the barn

Most barns have a dog or a cat too, and they get profiles of their own. If your barn dog needs a playmate, see dog playdates on PawOrPass.

A paw note for horse people

A paw can carry a short note. It's the only message anyone sees before a match, so make it count: name your horse, say what you have in mind and give the other owner an easy reason to paw back. A few that work:

• "Rocket loves a long trail. Saturday ride?"
• "We board ten minutes from you. Walk-and-trot ride some weeknight?"
• "My mare is green on trails and calmer with a steady horse in front. Yours looks steady!"
• "What a foal! Is his dam on the farm? We'd love to visit."
• "Best pony I've seen all week. That mane!"

Keep it to one or two lines and save the details for the chat. If you're new to swiping, here's how matching works on PawOrPass, step by step.

Near the barn or across the country

The distance filter runs from nearby to the whole country. You can also filter by animal, breed and what you're looking for: playdates, breeders or a new pet. For riders, a playdate usually means a ride together. Some starting points:

• Riding buddies. Keep it tight. If you only ride out from the barn, try 5 to 15 miles. If you haul, set it to what you'd drive on a Saturday morning, often 25 to 50 miles.
• Horse friends. Go a little wider so you catch people at nearby barns and lesson programs.
• Breeders and foals. Go wide, up to the whole country, and filter by breed. The farm with the right lines is often a few states away.

Before your first ride with a new buddy

A match tells you two owners like each other's horses. It doesn't tell you how the horses get along. A few habits help the first ride go well:

• Meet at the barn or an arena first and ride 20 to 30 minutes where both horses can settle. Watch them: pinned ears, a tail swishing hard or a hind leg lifted toward the other horse mean give more room. Keep at least a horse length between them.
• Pick a short trail one of you knows well, about an hour, with an easy turnaround point.
• Agree on the plan before you mount up: route, gaits, who leads, and that you'll go at the slowest horse's pace. If one horse gets upset, both riders stop.
• Tell someone your route and when you'll be back, and carry your phone on your body, not on the saddle. If you haul in, bring a current negative Coggins test. Many state parks and organized rides ask to see one.

Our trail guide has the full first-ride checklist, questions to ask before you ride together, and the trail etiquette worth agreeing on.