Re: Despair
This message is from: "ruth bushnell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I am so frustrated and angry, I had to share with this list. I live in Connecticut next to a state park. My sister and I sold a large piece of our property to the state so that it could be used for our very active group of local riders. Now the parks department wants to ban horses from most of the trails. Any ideas on how to deal with this situation would be appreciated. Vanessa N Weber Westbrook, CT THIS SOUNDS like an issue that you can't get started on soon enough, because once the restriction is engaged, it would be difficult if not impossible, to repeal. As someone already suggested, networking with similar interest groups could help your plight immeasurably.. the Back Country Horsemen of America http://www.backcountryhorse.com/ have considerable expertise in this area and may have valuable information that you could use to your benefit; if you were to form a coalition group and perhaps draft your own restrictions for area use, you could thus approach the issue from THEIR viewpoint, offering impressive remedial guidelines for their consideration. It's easier for them to simply close the trail to horses, But they might welcome your participating stewardship in the interest of public cooperation. This resource is older, but there may yet be some good contacts there for your area: http://www.cthorsecouncil.org/chcnewsoct05.pdf and here's the main site for the Connecticut Horse Council http://www.cthorsecouncil.org/ I would suggest you first garner as much public interest in this proposal as possible, You might consider having a professional write-up on your position, which you could then forward to area newspapers and top state officials ..creating a clime in which your proposal might be more well received. Trail closure is an impending doom for horseback riders across the nation, which is why it is so important that each one of us use public resources responsibly, and support those alliances who are working for continued use. Ruthie, nw mt US The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Despair......
This message is from: "Jeanne Zuker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Vanessa, I am sorry to hear that you are having this problem, seems like many states are limiting or banning equestrian activity on lands. I hope you had something in writing regarding the use of the land you sold, at least stating some of the intented use of the land. You are going to have to become very active (ie, aggresive but still friendly) with your equestrian friends, pony clubs, etc., to get your information out, if you can get some media (papers, tv, radio) coverage it will help. Contact your local politicians for support. Have letter (mail, not emails) writing campaigns asking for hearings, etc., if the state intends to ban the horses from state lands. Write letters to the editors regarding the 'treatment' equestrians are being given by the state. Good luck, will be keeping you in my thoughts. It is hard to understand the rationale used sometimes to ban horses but let the gas engine recreational vehicles have full access to state lands. (And no I don't have a problem with them having their fun their way. :>)) !! Jeanne ~MI~ The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
RE: Despair
This message is from: "Vanessa N. Weber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I totally agree. Thanks for the testing suggestions too. I think there must be some silly reason behind this, and that it's not just the horse poop. I think they may be hiding something else behind that. I will be finding out more at the end of the week when our local horse club and members of the Horse Council meet with the DEP. I was scheduled to fly to St Louis for an important dog show, but am now considering cancelling because of this. Vanessa -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tamarack Lamb & Wool Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 3:02 PM To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: re:Despair This message is from: "Tamarack Lamb & Wool" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> re: the rational behind closing trails to horsescontamination of waterways with manure is NOT a legitamate reason. There have been studies in Minnesota that have found that there is far more wildlife manure contaminating streams than there is manure run off from farms (and there still are farms which have run off direct into small streams and ditches that eventually run into rivers which is much more significant that horse manure on the trail). Knowing that the amount of wildlife manure is NORMAL the itsy bitsy bit contributed by horses along a trail (often far from the stream and river crossings), is totally insignificant. IF they are trying to claim horse manure is a genuine problem, ask for PROOF. There are ways to measure this (studies where water is sampled and a count on species specific ecoli is done). Make sure these measurements are taken over an entire year's time, not just on one day or one month and to include wildlife as well as horses. Hikers might be legitamately upset by mud or erosion. If so then establish separate albeit parallel trails or repair the damage. We have this in some areas in MN where horse, hiking, and ATV trails travel in the same general area, but are separate to avoid conflicts. It does not take much distance for the second trail to be totally unobservable, so it does not ruin the experience for the other users. Erosion can be repaired. Example are steps (see our photos page www.tamaracksheep.com ) filled with wood chips. Travel by horse back is a part of our history as much as travelling by foot. It is wrong to disallow horse back riding, not to mention the special circumstances in this case where land was sold for the purpose of developing horseback riding trails. Janet -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
RE: Despair
This message is from: "Vanessa N. Weber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Gail, Yes, we have a pretty active horse council. We will be meeting with them on this. I have a feeling that this is going to become a really big issue here with threats of lawsuits and more on a political level. I am not looking forward to what I believe will be a big fight. Vanessa -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gail Russell Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 12:16 AM To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Subject: RE: Despair This message is from: "Gail Russell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This is ridiculous. At the trail heads here they have built small areas to put manure dropped when folks are tacking up and heading out. People who have gardens tend to pick it up, and there really is not that much of it. On the trail, our horses very seldom poop. There must be a horse council somewhere that can debunk the idea that the horses are compromising the clean water. Yes, horses living in the area are probably producing manure that could be a problem to the river, but not just when passing thru. Do you have a local horse council? Gail P.S. I don't yet know what the rationale is for this, but I suspect it has to do with things like maintaining "clean water" and leaving manure on the trails. We have water ways that flow into the Connecticut River. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
RE: Despair
This message is from: "Gail Russell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This is ridiculous. At the trail heads here they have built small areas to put manure dropped when folks are tacking up and heading out. People who have gardens tend to pick it up, and there really is not that much of it. On the trail, our horses very seldom poop. There must be a horse council somewhere that can debunk the idea that the horses are compromising the clean water. Yes, horses living in the area are probably producing manure that could be a problem to the river, but not just when passing thru. Do you have a local horse council? Gail P.S. I don't yet know what the rationale is for this, but I suspect it has to do with things like maintaining "clean water" and leaving manure on the trails. We have water ways that flow into the Connecticut River. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: Despair
This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I don't know what to tell you Vanessa, but get all the equestrians together and keep at it. Hard to believe but even here in Alaska we have to fight for the right to take horses in the State parks. I don't know what it is about Park personnel, but they all seem to want to ban horses from the parks. I guess the hikers don't like horse poop? Seems far less obnoxious than dog poop, and smells better than ATV exhaust. Write letters to the Editors, copies to the park people that are creating these policies, keep up on all the public meetings (If there are any), and mobilize other user groups, educate the other users, etc. Good luck, Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, sunny and cold , -25, no wind. Hi All, I am so frustrated and angry, I had to share with this list. I live in Connecticut next to a state park. My sister and I sold a large piece of our property to the state so that it could be used for our very active group of local riders, (Not to mention pony club). We have a great group hereThey maintain the trails, report problems as needed, put on the occasional hunter pace and help with an annual trail ride competition. The trail system here actually goes for 20 miles and is one of the few places left in the state of Connecticut for riding. Now the parks department wants to ban horses from most of the trails. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Despair
This message is from: "Vanessa N. Weber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi All, I am so frustrated and angry, I had to share with this list. I live in Connecticut next to a state park. My sister and I sold a large piece of our property to the state so that it could be used for our very active group of local riders, (Not to mention pony club). We have a great group hereThey maintain the trails, report problems as needed, put on the occasional hunter pace and help with an annual trail ride competition. The trail system here actually goes for 20 miles and is one of the few places left in the state of Connecticut for riding. Now the parks department wants to ban horses from most of the trails. I've been trying to build a small barn so that I can keep my Fjords here and go riding across the road in "Weber Woods". This is the parcel that we sold to the State. I've been so eager to bring my children riding with me and they've been taking lots of lessons. My daughter has been taking lessons since October '02 and is now 9 years old. My son, who will be 7 in a couple of weeks, has been going for about a year and a half. Although the Connecticut horse owner groups are mobilizing, I'm just so concerned that we won't have enough clout to over turn this. Any ideas on how to deal with this situation would be appreciated. Best, Vanessa N Weber Westbrook, CT P.S. I don't yet know what the rationale is for this, but I suspect it has to do with things like maintaining "clean water" and leaving manure on the trails. We have water ways that flow into the Connecticut River. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
