Sustainable Trail Design Video
Here is an introduction to sustainable trail planning presented by Douglas County, CO. If trails are built sustainably, you are less likely ot have erosion issues and fewer maintenance costs. Well-built sustainable trails can support a variety of recreationists.
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Conservation Partners Spotlight:
Essex County Trail Association
Preserving equestrian lands against urban sprawl is an ongoing war, and it may seem as if an army is needed to turn the tide of development and preserve precious acres for riding.
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Recreational Trails Program
The Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program is the country’s primary source of trail funding. Learn about the program, state trial funding allocations, find your state RTP administrator and learn how to apply for the funds here:
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The Leave No Trace Pack & Saddle Stock Master Educator course...
...is one of the valuable offerings of the USFS Ninemile Wildlands Training Center. Class descriptions and course schedules are available here.
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The US Forest Service Trail Fundamentals reference materials and training documents are now available.
Sharing the trail with other recreationists requires cooperation and some rules of the road to keep everyone safe.
Click here for Trail Sharing Tips

Economic Benefits of Trail Tourism
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Horse Trails, Sustainably Built and Maintained Are Critical to Continued Equestrian Access
A sustainably built trail is one that is well designed and capable of being continued for a long period of time, with very minimal long-term effect on the environment and on the resources of those who must maintain the trail in the future. Practicing the principles of trail sustainability when riding, as well as volunteering to assist with trail maintenance, are important ways to build and maintain good relations with trail lands owners and managers.
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Leave No Trace for Equestrians
An experience in Montana’s Lolo National Forest to learn Leave No Trace Principles to receive the Master Educator designation leaves the author with a deep understanding of low or no impact land use. Leave No Trace riding and trail use practices are not only extremely applicable for horse trail users, but of great value to land owners and managers.
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Trail condition preferences of horseback riders
The study, completed by Clemson University, compares the visual preferences of horseback riders for various levels of trail conditions on the Clemson University Experimental Forest.
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North Bay's Equestrians Keep Parkland in Good Condition
How one group works to clean and maintain open spaces and trails for use by the public, those with and without horses.
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THE EFFECTS OF RECREATION ON BIRDS:
Here is a literature review of scientific studies regarding recreation by humans and bird disturbance. See page 9 for comments on horse and bid disturbance. The document also cites additional resources on horses and bird disturbance that can provide additional information.
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ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF HORSES ON TRAILS:
Here is a summary document by EnviroHorse on the environmental issues commonly raised about horses on trails.
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Defend Against Complaints of Manure on the Trails Polluting Water and Invasive Species:
click for more info

BRIAN O'NEILL'S 21 PARTNERSHIP SUCCESS FACTORS
As the Superintendent of Golden Gate National Parks, Brian O'Neill and his staff earned a reputation as a model partnership park where partnerships are a way of thinking about how best to accomplish the park's mission and build a community of stewardship.
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Michigan passed their Right to Ride legislation in March 2010
The legislation consisted of two tie-barred bills, one passed in the House and the other in the Senate, in which one piece of legislation had to pass for the other to pass as well. The text of the MI House and Senate bills as enacted into law, are attached here:
ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4610 - click here
ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 578 - click here

Right to Ride Legislation
Michigan is the second state (Missouri was first) to be successful in passing a Right to Ride legislation which provides for horseback riding on public lands as a recreation and tourism/economic development interest. The law also delineates that if horseback riding is to be excluded from public lands, it should be based on sound science and documentation. Several other states are working on similar bills.
Click here to listen to a short radio clip of the MI success story.

2009 Report on Equestrian Access on Federal Land
2009 Survey Results on Equestrian Access on Federal Lands as conducted by the America Horse Council.
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Garlic Mustard is an invasive plant species.
Horses are often unjustly banned from trails because of their potential to spread the garlic mustard seed. In fact, wind, water, humans and a variety of animals, including dogs and deer, spread the garlic mustard seed. Trail riders should not be singled out when there are other seed carriers on the land/trail in question. Watch this video which is posted on the US Department of Agriculture website for more information.
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How to Build a Trail System
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Proceedings from the 2001 Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference entitled:
Equestrian Trails and Water Quality Protection
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Research paper on recreational use and natural environments
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Model multi-use trail plan and process; the New Jersey Trail plan
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Trail Study commissioned by the South Carolina Department of Parks Recreation & Tourism
to provide an description of the use of trails in South Carolina by walkers, hikers, runners/joggers, bikers; skateboarders, in-line skaters; horseback riders, off-highway vehicle riders; and canoeists, kayakers, or river rafters.
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Pittman Robertson Funding and US Fish & Wildlife Service Southeast Division: Non Hunting Non Game Benefits Defined
Scroll down to the Non-Hunting Non-Game section for other recreational uses. While this does not specifically exclude horseback riding, it does suggest that non-hunting and non-game uses are allowed on lands purchased with P-R. Wildlife can and is regularly viewed by horseback riders.
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Rick Potts, Chief of Conservation & Recreation for the National Park Service & ELCR Advisory Council Member
Rick shares some thoughts about the dangers of overprotecting natural spaces.
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Negotiating with Residential Developers
Negotiating with Residential Developers to preserve equestrian trail access is an option. Read this article on Equisearch.com to learn some helpful tips from a developer.
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Senate, House give country another month of SAFETEA-LU
To no one's satisfaction, Congress last week extended the current surface transportation law ...
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Check out Tread Lightly!'s Tips for Responsible Horseback Riding
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Language on non-hunting use and non-game benefits of wildlife management areas from the Southeast Region
(Click on "read more" and scroll down)
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Check out the Tread Lightly! Play Nice campaign
Scenic vistas lay ahead ready to explore...
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ELCR & Back Country Horsemen of America Work Together; Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The missions and purposes of BCHA and ELCR are different but complimentary...
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MODELS FOR EQUINE-BASED USE OF STATE FISH
& WILDLIFE LANDS
In June of 2009 the Equine Land Conservation Resource examined three models-New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Mexico-for equine-based use and enjoyment of state game lands (commonly known as Wildlife Management Areas or WMAs) and formulated general recommendations for horsemen in other states seeking access to the same.
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Diseases of Humans and Horses (Zoonosis)
The authors become concerned about information being provided to the public about the extent to which horses pose threats to human health from exposure to manure deposited on public trails.
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Horses Are Not Hazardous to Conservation Land
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SHARING OUR TRAILS - A GUIDE TO TRAIL SAFETY AND ENJOYMENT
A group of national and state trail advocacy organizations representing equestrian, OHV, and bicycle interests recently completed a collaborative effort...
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Virginia Horse Council Conducts Trails & Tourism Study
Results available
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American Trails Selects www.WeedFreeFeed.com as "Best Internet Education & Trails Training Site"
Each year American Trails seeks out the best websites in the cyberworld of trails and greenways looking for sites that make trails...
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Environmental Aspects of Horses on Trails
Does equestrian use have an impact on stream and lake water quality?
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Recreational Horse Trails and Water Quality Protection
Water quality has become the basic indicator ecosystem health...
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Funding for Trails in Stimulus Bill
President Obama's approval of the American Recovery...
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