Our Trails: Use & Support Them
or Lose Them!
Gone are the days where we depended on our horses to work
the fields, pull the wagons and get us from point a to point b. With
the introduction of the automobile, horses soon became a thing of the
past as far as 'work horses' go, leaving this magnificent animal as a
creature of pleasure. This being said, there are some cultures that
still use the horse for working the fields etc., but here in Ontario
not so much.
In Western Canada and in some states in the U.S., there
are beautiful trails, a horse is common place in town and you may even
find a local watering hole with a hitching post or two. Here in
Ontario, more often than not the horse is looked upon as a nuisance.
Heaven forbid you should ride in to town and leave a pile of manure on
the city streets, not to mention those inconsiderate driver's (not
everyone, but quite a few) that honk, run you off the road and scare
the #!* out of your horse.
First the manure aspect - unless you are operating a
business with permission of the town/city using your horse and whereby
collection of the manure is part of your licensing agreement, there is
no law that states you must clean up the manure. Most towns and cities
require when riding in a parade that the manure be cleaned as you go.
While it is entertaining for the parade-watchers, cheering and jeering
the pooper-scoopers, arrangements must be made in advance to collect
the manure when riding in these parades.
Next the riding on the roads issue - most riders are
courteous to drivers and many driver's are courteous to horses, but
there are those that speed by without giving a wide berth, the honkers,
the creepers, the slow-down, then gun it's, and let's not forget the
verbal abuse. If you've ever ridden your horse on the road, you know
what I'm talking about. As horse owners we should do whatever it takes
to educate the general public about etiquette when approaching a horse
on the road. Of course, as horse owners we need to mind the rules of
the road as well. We do not own the road, any more than the vehicles
do. Here is a link to an article ENN wrote a year or so ago on "Where You
Can Legally Ride Your Horse".
Just this week a mounted
police officer and his horse were injured in Kitchener.
They were hit, not once but twice by two separate vehicles within
minutes. ENN also found another interesting article published in Inside
Halton entitled "Horse
Riders Ask Motorists to Share Road Safely".
And now back to
the real reason for this article - the lack of good trails in
Niagara. It's not that we do not have trails - we do. But, they
are in jeopardy. Why? The rider's of Niagara are not a strong enough
voice to outweigh the voices of the cyclists, the nature walkers and
even the ATVs and offroad motorcyclists. We as horse owners need to
take a stand to keep our trails. Like anything, if we don't use them,
we'll lose them!
Sure, not every horse owner trail rides - many show and show only, but
there are a great number of us that along with showing, enjoy taking
our horses on the trails. So where can we do that in Niagara?
· Short Hills Provncial Park - there are a series
of I believe seven trails through this beautiful park. The trails are
designated for use shared, horse, cyclist, walkers, wheelchair
accessible with only two trails accessible to horses. This year a portion of the trail was closed off due to the
erection of a fence adjacent to the park - plans
are in progress to develop a trail to circumvent this fence, but this
takes time. Ultimately it had closed off a major portion of the trail
that allows a loop of the park for horseback riders. Apparently an alternate route is now available.
·
Upper Canada Heritage Trail - this trail runs from St.
David's to Niagara-on-the-lake. Again a shared use trail for horses,
cyclists and walkers. Recently there have been a number of issues about
local businesses blocking and damaging parts of the trail preventing a
safe journey for not only horses, but cyclists and walkers as well. The Upper Canada Equestrian
Association - a local trail riding group with a mandate to establish,
preserve and maintain horse riding trails in Niagara, has had several
complaints reported to members of the organization about the inability
to safely ride this trail due to damage and/or debris on the
trails.
· The Welland Canal Trail - as the name suggests, this trail runs along side the Welland Canal. Although a relatively easy ride, over the past several years this trail has become increasingly degraded and unsafe to ride due to the numbers of off-road trucks, ATVs and motorcycles illegally using the trail.
· The Friendship Trail - this trail runs from Port Colborne to
Fort Erie with only portions of it accessible to horses. It is a paved
trail along an old railway line with shared use for horses, cyclists
and walkers. As far as horseback riding goes - it's a pretty boring
ride.
· And finally the TransCanada Trail in Wainfleet - again, much
the same as the Friendship Trail - only portions are accessible to
horses.
· Of course there is private property that can be ridden with the
owner's permission. Most trail riders know of a few places here and
there that the private property owners allow us to ride, but how long
will that last? So what can we do?
Make your voice known. Use the trails. Report issues. Join
the various organizations around that will listen, that have a voice
and can help keep and develop the trails. It cannot be done without the
horse owners' involvement. Unfortunately the horse organizations are
not any different than any other organization today - all going through
problems in attaining willing volunteers. So many have a select group
that do all the work, while the others reap the benefits. This has to
change for all organizations to grow and their mandates be
attained.
Locally the groups that can benefit from your membership and a few
hours of volunteer time and also allow you to make your voice heard to
keep our trails are:
Upper Canada Equestrian Association: this organization has monthly local trail rides, participates in most local parades, offers trail rides to locations outside of Niagara, has an annual trail ride to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund in Niagara and more importantly works to maintain and preserve the trails. The UCEA holds annual clean-up meets for both the Upper Canada Heritage Trail and the Welland Canal Trail. The UCEA are affiliate members of the Ontario Equestrian Association (OEF) and the Ontario Trail Council (OTC).
Dry Lake Saddle Club:is a non-profit, community based and family oriented organization, comprised of members and volunteers dedicated to the equine world offering trail rides and horse shows. Friends of Short Hills Park: Friends of Short Hills Park is a community-based organization dedicated to preserving the cultural and natural integrity of Short Hills Provincial Park through liaison with Ontario Parks, volunteer work, public education and fund raising activities.
The
Greater Niagara Circle Route Trails System is over 140 km of mostly
off-road, paved trails suitable for walking, cycling or rollerblading.
Motorized vehicles are not permitted. The paved trail is mostly 3
metres wide and passes through urban centres, downtowns, the Niagara
Escarpment, waterfronts, and rural/agricultural areas. This is not really an organization you can join, but by speaking to
your elected officials, you can help get the word to the Greater
Niagara Circle Route committee that we would like access on this trail
for our horses as well.
On
the provincial level the OEF is currently developing stronger policies
and initiatives for the recreational rider as is the OTC in developing
stronger riding trails. There is also the Ontario Trail
Rider's Association (OTRA) - a non-profit organization
founded in 1970 by horse persons recognizing that trails and bridleways
were disappearing beneath asphalt and housing. This small group
has grown over the years as more and more horse people join the fight
for equestrian trails. OTRA's mission is to promote recreational trail
riding and the creation, development, preservation and safe use of
trails. Over the years OTRA has strived to achieve these goals by
initiating many large project to draw attention to the need for more
trails for equestrians. OTRA has members representing the
equestrian interest on rail trail development committees, regional
forest management committees, local trail groups, the Ontario Trails
Council, and the Ontario Equestrian
Federation.
Trail
use for horses is in the minority. We need to make it a priority to let
our voices be heard if we would like to keep our trails. Consider doing
your part by not only joining the various organizations that can help
make our voice heard, but also volunteer your time to make it happen.
The
local ATV and motorcycle clubs have been making huge advances in
developing their trails and growing their organizations. Their
determination and club member participation is what's making the
difference. The horse owner's of Niagara need to do the same!
