NEWS & VIEWS The Latest Regarding the WSSC Bridle Trails Submitted by Debbie Poole
Debbie Poole owns and operates Belle Cote Farm in Burtonsville, which adjoins the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission watershed area; in the July Issue, T e Equiery reported on at- tempts to close the bridle trails and relocate horse- back riders to the fi rebreaks. For more background, please see
equiery.com/blog, and in the lower right hand corner, click on the June News and Views Ar- chives. Look for the article titled “Trail Closures? Triadelphia & Rocky Gorge.”
On July 28, 2011, the Washington Subur-
ban Sanitary Commission hosted a stakehold- ers’ meeting to address concerns about recent policy decisions. T e meeting went well, and the horse people are grateful that WSSC had the meeting and gave us plenty of time to discuss our concerns. I believe and hope I am correct that those from WSSC who attended will do what they said they would: that they will take the information they received from us and review it at their next meeting. T ere was certainly miscommunication on both sides, and the stakeholders need to meet and discuss the information from the meet- ing as well. Although WSSC had ostensibly changed the allowable equestrian paths, all the maps they are distributing still indicate that we can ride on the old bridle trails. T en notices were distributed and articles in papers appeared that we were supposed to ride on the fi rebreaks, and if we didn’t we were going to be fi ned, but all of the WSSC maps tell us to ride the bridle trails, not the fi rebreaks. (It is important to note that WSSC keeps changing the name of the wide lanes; they used to call them fi rebreaks, then access lanes, and now buff ers.) T e message at the meeting then became
“go ahead and ride on the trails until this is straightened out,” but the local papers have reported that, “Horseback riders may continue to ride only on the access roads and the utility is considering doing some repairs to them… riders spotted on the now-closed trails will be warned the fi rst time” and then fi ned. No won- der the equestrians are confused–the WSSC employees appear confused! WSSC offi cials then reported to the stake- holders their observation of recent illegal ac- tivities on the trails, such as people riding with their dogs and riding on the blue-marked trails that lead to the water’s edge; horses are sup- posed to stay on the orange trails. After much discussion, we discovered that nonriders mark and use these trails for a variety of events, such as triathlons, leading to confusion by rid- ers who know to stick to the orange trails but may unwittingly follow the orange marks for another event. WSSC also informed the stakeholders that the equestrians were not the only ones facing
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recreational use changes, that boaters and oth- ers will likewise be facing new restrictions for the sake of erosion control and water quality.
So where do we go from here?
We must move forward. Equestrian groups, homeowners and businesses have clearly in- formed the WSSC offi cers, commissioners and community that they are unhappy and con- cerned about the trail changes and closures. Riders need to be alert and sensitive to the
trails, stay away from the water, banks, and erod- ed areas. Such a huge amount of the watershed trails are safe, dry, and away from the water. Continue to dialogue with the WSSC with
your ideas of how to help to maintain the trails in an environmentally friendly way. Perhaps we could help put in bridges such as the ones in Rock Creek Park and the Agriculture Park (maybe we could take up collections and name the bridges after friendly Commissioners). WSSC has shown that they are interested
in hearing from us, so let’s keep up the dialog and ideas.
Concerns I am frustrated that each time I’ve spoken to
WSSC employees, it is always a diff erent group. Most of them did not attend the stakeholders’ meeting, nor have they ever been on the trails.
BITS & PIECES...
Update in Canterbury Polish Arabian Neglect Case T e trial date in the Canterbury Farms neglect case seems to move around a bit, and currently it is scheduled for late September. As we reported in August, Queen Anne’s County State’s At- torney, Lance Richardson, fi led a total of 68 counts of criminal neglect against Marsha Parkinson, owner of the herd of horses seized on April 29, 2011. T e prosecution team is hoping that Par- kinson will agree to a plea arrangement prior to trial. For background on this story, please visit
equiery.com, scroll down and in the right hand column, under “Categories,” click on “Welfare: Neglect and Cruelty Cases” for the archives stories.
Tack Theft in Monkton
Early on August 15, someone broke into the tack room at Independence Hall Farm on Monkton Road in Monkton and stole six saddles as well as several bridles, girths and various leather equip- ment. Farm owners have fi led a theft report with the Baltimore County Police. For a complete list of what was stolen, see T e Equiery’s Facebook page. If you have any information concerning the theft, please call the police department at 410-887-1820.
Maryland-bred Trotters and Pacers Win Big in Delaware On July 28, four Standardbreds bred by Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City captured three
important wins at the Harrington Raceway’s Governor’s Day program. Overnight Command won the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) fi nal for three-year-old fi lly trotters. T e fi lly has won all six of her starts this season. Badlands Jenna won the $100,000 DSBF fi nal for three-year-old fi lly pacers. Powerful Odds won the $20,000 DSBF consolation for three-year-old colt pacers. Finally, in the last of the four DSBF fi nals, T ree Martinis won the $100,000 DSBF.
New Maryland Stable Inspector After a seven-month hiring process, a new Stable Inspector for the Maryland Horse Industry
Board is fi nally in place. T e Maryland Department of Agriculture received well over 100 ap- plications for the entry-level job; at least 60 of those applicants met the minimum qualifi cation
Bits & Pieces continued on page 12 SEPTEMBER 2011 | THE EQUIERY | 9
T ose that have, to my knowledge, have only seen a couple of areas of the trails, and they are probably the most degraded trails. I was espe- cially disappointed that we did not have a report from new Commissioner Melanie Hartwig- Davis, who recently rode the WSSC equestrian trails as well as buff er/access road/fi rebreaks. I still have not seen any real evidence that the horse trails are detrimental to the environment and water quality to the extent that they need to be closed. If the trails are closed and area stables go out of business, all these farms that protect the watershed buff ers will most likely be sold. Because of the nutrient plans and the fact that owners avoid using lots of chemicals with horses, horse farms are relatively safe. In my mind, opening up all this real estate would be far worse for the environment. Prohibiting horses from entering the watershed
from private farms and limiting access to just a few entry points increases use in parking areas not designed to accommodate trailers. Others will need to ride along streets and busy roads to access the trails, increasing the risk of accidents. To all horse people in the WSSC watershed area: please continue to keep the attention focused on this issue, and please continue to emphasize our willingness to work with WSSC to improve the equestrian trail system to accommodate water- shed and water quality control concerns.
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