In late November I received a post from Bob Morris in Idaho. It seems the Forest Service wants us to hold our horses at a trailhead for three days before venturing into the National Forest lands. The idea here is for the horse to purge itself of any noxious weeds. This is not the first time I've heard about the three-day wait concept. Every time I hear about it, it's from a FS employee who does not have a clue about how the gut of a horse works. It's just an idea they picked up from someone else in the Forest Service.

Several questions come to mind. I wonder what they do with the horse poop at the trailhead. Are we supposed to spread it around? Leave it in a big pile? No answer for that question. And are we supposed to feed weed-free hay during the purge cycle? And if so, is there weed-free hay available?

Weed-free hay regulations are state controlled. Will the weed-free hay in Idaho be acceptable in Montana? And does the Forest Service have enough weed-free hay cops to enforce the new regulations? And what if someone cheats and sneaks into the wilderness on day two? What is the fine?

As you can see there is a lot to be worked out regarding horses and noxious weeds. The number one issue is science. All of the weed-free hay/noxious weed issues are being fueled by non-science. Your AERC board of directors is considering underwriting the cost to do real science on the issue.

I've asked the Forest Service in Washington D.C. to pull the plug on any new regulations until the science data is available for us to make intelligent decisions. In addition I have asked the FS to put together a "summit" of FS personnel involved in the noxious weed issue and different equine organizations from around the country. I've suggested we do that this coming spring at the American Horse Council annual business meeting.

In any event, we need science, and a lot of discussion between us and the FS before new regulations are set in place. There is some support in Congress concerning the noxious weed issue. It affects ranchers and every recreational user. It's an issue that is not going to go away.

So where is the AERC going to fit into the mix? From where I sit, it seems we should become very proactive with the issue. By working in partnership with our federal land management agencies I believe we will be better served if we have had input into the process. Sitting back and waiting for the land managers to hand us a new set of regulations is not an option open to us.

Trail master seminars

A reminder: If you live in the Mountain Region and are interested in becoming an AERC Trail Master I need for you to contact me. We will have 12 seats available for the first class in Parker, Colorado. We need a rider from Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. We have about five openings left.

The four-day class will be held at the Colorado Horse Park. Tom Greer is the contact in Colorado and will be the person to put all of this together. World-class trail instructor Mike Riter will be the instructor. The date will be posted on the internet soon, but for now it looks like the end of April or the first part of May.

If there is anyone out there who wants to host an AERC Trail Masters class in your AERC region, please let me know. Classes will be limited to 12 students.

Remember: All you need is a horse and a trail.

FROM THE TRAILS GRANTS COMMITTEE:

Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest trail signage

A proposal has been presented to the Trails Grants Committee to fund new signage for trails in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin. The proposal has been submitted by our Wisconsin trail advocate, Dawn Haas.

The following clubs will be working in partnership with the AERC to complete the project:

UMECRA (Upper Midwest Endurance and Competitive Ride Association)

DRAW (Distance Ride Association of Wisconsin)

ApDRA (Appaloosa Distance Ride Association)

AHDRA (Arabian Horse Distance Ride Association)

MDDA (Midwest Distance Driving Association)

Currently we have three endurance rides a year at the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. AERC members helping with the project are Jim and Dawn Haas, Chuck and Connie Gray, Bonnie Mielke, Mary Alice Ruckwardt, Sheryl Levin, June Scheunemann and Mike Bernsdorf.

The AERC, working in partnership with these other equine-related clubs, will make a significant change in how trails are marked at the Southern Kettle Moraine. Thank you ,Dawn, for taking the leadership role in putting together this grant. ÐJerry Fruth