This is excellent. I did see a bill that addresses that, but did not include trail access.

There are some very nice bridle paths. It seems as though Highland has a nice one. I cross it when I visit that trail system. I’d like to see a lot more of that.

Unfortunately, Sleepy Hollow needs a bit more attention in the form of bridges. It’s a pretty wet area and both the mountain bike and equestrian trails get saturated or flooded in certain sections. I don’t think there is a dedicated mountain biking group out there, although I know some occasional work is done. I really have no idea what the equestrians are doing. I just remember raising money to fund the creation of the bridle paths.

Just as you thought the “trail fairies” did everything, there are others that think the same. There are many publications available from the Federal government that help trail builders do things in an environmentally friendly way. The Michigan Trail Riders Association has used those publications and training, and offers their assistance to other groups in the state. In addition, the Back Country Horsemen of America promote multi-user cooperation for all their affilates and chapters. I have a slide presentation from a group in Washington state where horses and mules were used to carry stone, matting, boards, etc. back to trails used by mountain bikers, horses, and hikers, where no motorized vehicles were allowed. In some cases, motorized vehicles cannot access areas that need work. It was great to see all users coming together to work like that.

The agencies of any public land should seek to work with all outdoor users thereby taking advantage of thousands of volunteer hours and in many cases, thousands of dollars of donated material and equipment to help all outdoor enthusiasts access to public lands. This would diminish the demand on their budgets and create cooperation from all users – berry pickers, mushroom gatherers, bird watchers, bikers, hikers, equestrians, dog sled teams, dog trialers, cross-country skiers, etc. etc.

Thank you for the heads-up! I’ll be on the lookout for the revised bills on the legislature web sites.

I do realize that many bike trails were once equestrian trails. Unfortunately, many of those trails were not sustainable for horses or bikes. There are areas where even foot traffic is not permitted.

Trail building has improved over the last decade and equestrian traffic has not been considered with new trail construction and maintenance in areas of the ban, where equestrian traffic is a non-issue. Other areas simply will not be sustainable because of the soil type.

The reason I am not in favor of this bill is because it presents timeless legislation that does not consider the potential for ever-changing environmental impact. What is okay to ride today may not be okay another day. Also, there are areas where horses were allowed that horses really should not be permitted to use, and there are areas that horses currently are not using that would be an ideal environmental.

This is blanket legislation and it is irresponsible. I would like to see this issue taken, more responsibly, on the local level.

For me, this is not an issue of sharing the trail with other users. I live in an area with trail systems that allow equestrians to use the same trails. Currently, traffic is so low in areas of potential concern that a negative impact has not been seen. Other areas have a bedrock base and can sufficiently support equestrian traffic.

I hope that you will consider that many bike trails were originally laid down by equestrians who were later excluded from those same trails.
There are ways that trails can be used by several users – it simply requires input from all users – berry pickers, bikes, hiking, horses, etc. etc., and cooperation. Dr. Gene Wood of Clemson University is very knowledgeable on the subject as he has been doing this for more than a decade on public land in South Carolina.