Farms are disappearing as suburbs ooze into once-open spaces. Houses, shopping centers, office parks and apartment buildings dominate horizons where there used to be trees and trails and green spaces. People who long for places to explore nature—either on foot or on horseback—are finding limited options in the densely-packed suburbs.
The common narrative is that there are fewer and fewer options for equestrians looking for trails. In a broader sense, the dilemma can be reframed like this: development is overtaking once-open spaces, but coalitions of open space activists, conservation groups and trail preservation organizations are creating attractive, unique and safe places for trail users to explore and enjoy nature. Activists are changing the landscape. Literally.
In August, Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) hosted a webinar focused on trails—how to advocate for, plan and create equestrian trails. Instead of lamenting the loss of open space, ELCR opened a discussion among people who have successfully created trails and trail access for equestrians, from the east coast to the Bay Area in California. And right here in Pennsylvania!
Get Your Head Out of the Sand
Denise O’Meara, ELCR’s Director of Education, opened the webinar by encouraging participants to get active and organize. “I want to talk about the power of organizing…in other words, how to get your head out of the sand.” She spoke about ELCR’s three focus points for advocacy. “Get informed. You need to learn about issues (that affect trail access). Talk to other people that are like-minded. Get organized.” She urged participants to join horse or conservation groups—or even to start one if there’s not one in their area. Finally, advocate. “Organizations need to understand the process of planning, designing and implementing trails. Know the steps. Communicate with the decision-makers.” Often the people who are designing trails are not aware of how to make the trails accessible to and safe for horses. Equestrians’ expertise and willingness to help are great assets.
The Pennsylvania Equine Council’s (PEC) award-winning Trail Stewardship Program has been working with equestrians, land owners and conservation groups for years. In addition to advocating for access to public lands, PEC has taught how to build, repair and maintain equestrian trails since 2002. The organization was responding to members’ concerns about access to trails throughout Pennsylvania’s vast game lands. Bud and Gwen Wills have spearheaded the Trail Stewardship program and have coordinated workshops throughout Pennsylvania. “We conducted two one-day trainings in October for Brandywine Conservancy,” Gwen says.
“We have had probably upwards of 1,000 people go through our three-day trainings, and probably close to 2,500 for our one-day training sessions. I think people think the threat is taken care of because the agencies are contacting us letting us know there are issues. We do our best to try to engage the equestrians, to do workshops, to do public meetings to start the conversation.” She says she and her husband are also willing to act as go-betweens for equestrians who are trying to figure out how to work with land managers.
In Montgomery County, PA the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) protects about 1300 acres of land along and around the Wissahickon Creek. There are 24 miles of trails, many of which are open to equestrians. Gail Farmer, WVWA’s Executive Director, says that local groups like Horseways have become key stakeholders in the Watershed’s mission. The Wills’ coordinated a training program for Horseways members and WVWA several years ago. “We welcome equestrians, and we have for many years; in fact, the horse community has been a supporter of our work to protect open space throughout our entire history. They played an important role in our ability to protect open space and protect the trails; so, we welcome them on our properties.”
Farmer says one of the keys is the way the equestrian community enthusiastically and eagerly supports WVWA’s mission—with boots on the ground and contributions. “For example, at our Briar Hill preserve there’s a muddy trail crossing of a creek. It’s nasty to walk through and it’s nasty to ride your horse through. We’ve been talking about wanting to put in a bridge. And so we talked with members of Horseways (a local trail group), and there’s the opportunity for partnership. We want to put in a bridge for our trail users and we want to make it horse friendly, and the equestrian groups can help us get that bridge in.” Several Horseways members are WVWA trail stewards, volunteering to monitor sections of the trail.
“Trail stewards are very important to us because we have a small staff, and 24 miles of trails,” Farmer explains. “We need boots on the ground because the trail stewards go out and monitor their stretch of trail and that’s how we find out there are issues with the trails. Our staff couldn’t do that without the help of trail stewards.”
Equestrians Are Full Partners
Mark Flint, of Southwest Trail Solutions, was one of the ELCR Webinar speakers. He shared the remarkable story of the Arizona Scenic Trail, an 800-mile trail enjoyed by hikers and equestrians. “The trail goes through National Forest, National Parks, the State Park, Bureau of Land Management land, and one private property. One would think that’s a really rough mass of red tape to negotiate to get the trail built, but there was a lot of support. The power of the trail itself, it was an irresistible force.” Flint said that equestrians were full partners in the project, despite the fact that they represent less than 50 per cent of the trail users.
And equestrians’ participation from planning to execution was critical in ensuring that horses could use the trail safely. “One of the things we emphasize is correct pruning of vegetation, having good sight lines and safety with wider trails where there is a steep slope. User conflict really doesn’t exist.” He says they have outreach events for the different user groups and the emphasis is always on trail sharing. Good manners. Among the amenities they offer are mounting blocks and hitching posts at trailheads.
John Ferro, WVWA’s Director of Conservation has been instrumental in helping Horseways achieve important strategic goals, such as completion of a trail map with GPS overlays that show the equestrian trails as well as Watershed trails. “We share the love for and desire to protect open spaces. We work hand in hand with equestrians in our area.” He recognizes that the trail stewards and the Horseways volunteers who work on trail clearing and maintenance are partners—not intruders in the Watershed. “We know equestrians love the open spaces. Without people out there loving open spaces we would not be able to protect them. We all need to find ways to support each other’s interests.”
Composting Manure, Preserving Trails
In the San Francisco Bay area equestrian trails are getting a boost from a group called Bay Area Barns and Trails. Lyndall Erb, President of the group told participants in the ELCR webinar that her organization exists to provide funding for individuals and organizations that want to create and preserve open space for equestrian trails. “We give grants to groups with trail, barn, pasture, horse camp, staging area projects throughout the Bay Area,” she explained. She said that they have protected one of the largest urban space areas surrounding the Bay. “We require that the trails have equestrian access and the barns and pastures must have access to public trails.”
Erb said that they stress safety on the trails they support. “We work with trail users to try to educate and stress safety on the trails and keep groups that aren’t really familiar with horses—get them more familiar with horses, get them to know what to do when they see horses on the trail.” She says they have a variety of programs, from the “slow and say hello,” aimed at educating bikers on the trails about horses, to the information they provide about composting manure. “We give information about composting manure and such so that we try to keep trail users happy with the horses on the trails.”
She says that her group also provides grants that support volunteers who maintain the trails, build new trails and work on drainage and other issues on the trails.
WVWA’s Farmer believes it all comes down to building good relationships, and she encourages both conservation organizations and equestrians to celebrate their common goals. “Most people when they spend time outside feel better. There’s a wellness factor we can leverage and promote to get people to spend time in our preserves and to build that constituency,” she says. “Build the relationship before there’s a problem. Look for connections, intersections of interest before you need to. Then when you need to you already have a relationship that’s built on trust.”
Join up. Speak up. Step up.
Farmer has spent her life exploring and learning about how people can connect with Nature. After graduate school, she spent a year and a half living on an undeveloped island in Alaska. “It was a totally different experience of Nature and my relationship to it,” she says. “You were dependent on everything that was happening in the natural world for safety. It was a float plane ride to the nearest town. You had to be careful and pay attention to things. We were the visitors.” She knows that the Watershed and suburban Philadelphia are not the same as the Alaskan island. But she also understands this: “That experience solidified my commitment to wanting to make sure the world continued to have a place for Nature.”
She sees her job as both land protection and connecting to the community. And she urges trail users to join up. Become members of the organizations that manage preserves and trails. “Becoming a member is a great way to show your support and appreciation for the work the organization does.” They should also step up and help maintain and sustain the trail network they love—through financial support or volunteering time. Finally, trail users should speak up. “Be ambassadors for the organization. Tell friends, family and neighbors about the good work the organization is doing.”
Equestrians can worry about access to trails, about vanishing open spaces. But a more effective strategy might begin in reaching out to the organizations protecting open spaces.