If you want to take it riding then think carefully about the size of the body you choose. I have a canon eos 50d and it would be a complete pain to take riding unless the point of the ride was to take shots. It’s just too bulky and heavy.
If it is the case that you want to take more control over you photography and integrate it into your riding then you may be after a compact system camera. There’s loads to google about them so I won’t bore you.
Needless to say though, any body is only as good as its glass.
May have a sony nex 6 up for sale soon, which would be within your budget if interested. Would suit your requirements perfectly, comes with a 16 to 50mm power zoom lens that makes it almost pocketable whrn retracted, whilst still producing DSLR standard shots. Its a much more carryable option compared to taking a DSLR out with you. Theres a nice range of e-mount lenses available. One of the best of the current crop of compact system cameras.