Are we training on sustainable trails?

Do we hold rides on trails that are environmentally sustainable? Two hard questions to ask. But isn't it time we begin to take a look around us to study our trails? Or, better yet, isn't it time we begin to study our attitude about riding on trails that are not sustainable?

The AERC Trails Advocacy Committee, along with the AERC Trails Grants Committee, is making it possible for our riders to be trained in the latest techniques of trail building and trail maintenance. Our objective is to send trained trail building experts (Trail Masters) into the field to teach other riders the correct way to build and maintain trails. The only way this can be accomplished is if all of you participate in trail maintenance days within your state.

Yes, I know you are all busy training, raising families, or spending too much time at work. But twice a year, take the kids and join a trail maintenance work party. Or take some trail riding friends along and introduce them to trail maintenance.

At this year's Ohio Valley Equestrian Trails Symposium (OVETS) in Louisville, we had a speaker come in from Region 8 of the U.S. Forest Service to give a short talk on partnering with the FS. With budgets cut, and maintenance the last thing on their minds, the FS needs all the help it can get. Now is a perfect time for us to partner with the forest service to bring our trails up to sustainable standards.

We are being handed a golden opportunity to build a connection with the forest service. It's up to you and your friends who ride with you to get the job done. Making your presence felt in partnership with the FS will have a long-term impact when the forest service has to re-write the management plan every 10 to 15 years.

If you have a new management plan being written in the area where you live with either the Bureau of Land Management or the USFS, get involved and share your concerns and thoughts. Without you at the table, we will lose trails. Input and hands-on maintenance: that is what it now costs to keep us on our trails.

Your input regarding the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in your area will be invaluable. Some agencies allow OHVs on the same trails that you use. If the OHVs are tearing up your trails, obviously the trail cannot handle the load. Make the agency manager aware of your concerns. Go to an OHV club meeting and let them know of your concerns. Working together is the only way to solve the problem.

But back to the beginning. If your trails are not sustainable, what are you going to do about it? Will you be part of the problem or a solution to saving our trails?

Remember, all you need is a horse and a trail.