Horse Trail Chicks

Are you satisfied with how many trails you have access to and the quality of those trails? Have you seen your access to trails – whether it be on your neighbors’ land or public land – decreasing over time?

If you live in the western US, you might be pretty happy with your trails. But in the eastern US, other than a few areas such as Aiken, South Carolina and Ocala, Florida, there is a paucity of trails open to horses. With changing land ownership patterns and increasing use of trails by others such as mountain bikers, some regions are seeing their access to horse-friendly trails diminish. Around my barn in Vermont, trails on private land that we used to ride on have been closed by new owners as the land is subdivided or bought by people from outside Vermont. On public land, mountain bikers – who are very well-organized into clubs and advocacy groups – are increasingly demanding that horses be excluded from trails. [I am a mountain biker, myself, so I have nothing against them, but I don’t want horse access curtailed.]

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What can be done about this? Trail riders need a voice when decisions are made, and we need to educate the public about the role horses play in our rural landscape, lifestyles, and economy. Fortunately, there is a mechanism for this. Almost every state in the US has a Horse Council, each of which is affiliated with the American Horse Council. In Vermont we have the Vermont Horse Council (VHC), whose mission is to be a voice for all Vermont equestrians and businesses. While their work touches on many disciplines, their primary focus has been trails. In the past they have sponsored many group trail rides, but they are increasingly getting involved in trail improvement and access.

Some of the VHC’s great accomplishments include developing trails at Groton State Forest and improving the horse campground in Groton Forest (at New Discovery State Park) with permanent corrals, establishing a horse camping area at Silver Lake, and improving trails at Mt. Ascutney and Lake Willoughby. VHC manages the Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails, and recently signed an agreement with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to oversee all equestrian trails and activity on lands under their jurisdiction.

VHC also holds an Equine Industry Summit every year to bring together equine businesses to discuss common concerns and find ways to promote the industry. The Summit is usually attended by about 75 farriers, veterinarians, trainers, boarding facility owners, feed supplies, and others.

The amazing thing is that VHC does all this and more with an all-volunteer board and (at this time) only about 65 individual members and 15 business members. I was shocked when I learned that out of the thousands of equestrians in Vermont only 80 are members of the Council. I’ll admit, I only joined a year ago, myself. Before that I didn’t really understand what the Council was and it seemed that joining did not have immediate, tangible benefits. So, why should anyone join VHC (or their own state) Horse Council?

I recently sat down with Heidi Krantz, the President of the Vermont Horse Council, to discuss this. A lifelong trail rider and passionately dedicated advocate for all things equestrian, Heidi is a powerhouse when it comes to getting things done. She sees the big picture, which I think that as riders living in our own little worlds, we often miss. It was a light bulb moment for me when Heidi explained that equestrians need to join their state Horse Council (whether you live in Vermont or elsewhere) because we need to demonstrate our numbers and show that we care about advocating for ourselves. When Heidi talks with our legislators and public agencies to argue for more access to trails, being from an 80-member organization, it’s hard to compete with, say, a mountain bike organization with hundreds or thousands of members. As trail riders, we also need to help with trail maintenance if we can. Again, if 2 horseback riders and 12 mountain bikers show up to a trail maintenance day at Groton or Mt. Ascutney, we look like a small minority of users. And of course, VHC member dues (a mere $25/yr) help fund the Council’s activities including supplies and equipment for building and improving trails, such as lumber and gravel.

Heidi and the Board’s goals for 2020 and beyond include continuing to demonstrate to the public, state and local agencies, and lawmakers the value of horses and equestrian activities to our way of life and economy in Vermont. They want to engage with mountain bike organizations to develop collaborative relationships with them. They plan to continue work already started with the Green Mountain National Forest to open up new trails to horses as well as campgrounds.

A big dream, which I share with Heidi, is to create a large horse trail system with camping, much like the Otter Creek Horse Trails in northern New York. New York State realizes that creating infrastructure for equestrians will attract people and money to their state, but Vermont has yet to realize this. The VHC hopes to convince the state that such a trail system would benefit our tourism industry and be well worth the cost.

I encourage you to look into your state’s Horse Council and consider becoming a member. Whether or not there are immediate benefits, there will definitely be long-term benefits. Click here for a list of state Horse Councils (note that some state councils are not on this list; so if your state is not there, try Googling your state name and “horse council”).

Also, whether or not you join a Horse Council, if you live or ride in Vermont, please fill out VHC’s 2020 Vermont Equine Economic Impact Survey, which will be a very powerful tool to show decision-makers that equestrians are not just a few people with a hobby, but a meaningful sector of the economy that contributes significantly to providing employment, tourism opportunities, recreation, and therapeutic services.

Happy Trails! More Trails!

Monica