Beyond the Beaten Path Maryland Trails & Land Updates & News
TROT Launches New Adopt A Trail Program
From Trail Riders of Today (TROT) TROT was excited to launch the pilot of
an Adopt A Trail Program this year at their annual meeting in February 2013. T e idea behind the program is for equestrian trail users to help trim trails, report downed trees, erosion, muddy areas and other problems or issues on trails that they utilize on a regular basis. A very simple work log will need to be maintained so that TROT can coordinate time spent by its members. TROT is very interested in tracking time on trail work by equestrians as these hours translate to dollars for the land being utilized. It will also give equestrians a voice at public forums in which all have a vested interest. TROT off ers many resources to its volunteers.
T is program can be provided throughout the entire membership area, which includes Mary- land, parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and even Tennessee where there is a current TROT member. In the past, Montgomery, Frederick and How- ard counties were the areas in which TROT concentrated its eff orts sim- ply because of the volunteers TROT had living in those areas. T e Adopt A Trail program was
started as a response to a simple email complaining about the condi- tion of a trail. Amy Kimble answered the email by saying the trails belong to all equestrians, so step up and fi x the problems with the help of oth- ers. T at led to contacting Sgt. Dave Powell with DNR to ask what the equestrian community could do to work with the parks and land management areas. TROT can now organize the removal of downed trees, trail reroutes, new trail layout and fl agging by going through the land management supervi- sors to obtain authorization. Riders need to avoid unauthorized reroutes by simply going around downed trees. Equestrians can take re- sponsibility for our trails. Many TROT members have clipped and
worked on trails over the years but no formal program recording hours or training was off ered. T ese early unsung heroes did a tremendous amount of work with no recognition, just the satisfaction of what they accomplished. In the world today, trails are multiuse and
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we need to adapt in order to collaborate with the other trail use groups for the benefi t of our trails. Other groups such as MORE (Maryland Off Road Enthusiasts, mountain bike riders), Friends of Seneca, Trails Conservancy and others are very well organized and work very well with the parks, logging huge numbers of hours each year. Equestrian trail riders need to formalize their recording of hours, and learn to maintain, reroute and build sustainable trails while working with the land managers and other user groups. Maryland’s trails are such a gift and we need to do our part to continue to have the privilege of utilizing these wonderful spaces and be sure that they will be here in the future. If you are interested in this program and would like more information please email AmyHkimble@aol. com or call 301-748-8310. You can download the Adopt a Trail form from TROT’s website,
trot-md.org.
Trail Riding for St. Jude’s
By Marie Wheeler T e Horse-N-Around 4-H Club’s Saddle
Up for St. Jude trail ride took place Saturday, May 21 and was held at the Woodstock Eques-
donations to the hospital. Local resident and former club leader Susan Ferrara started the ride 18 years ago as a community service project for the 4-H club. Community service and volunteerism is an integral part of the 4-H program and the club supports those projects in many diff erent ways. Over the years, the club had raised and donated $46,500. T e ride has truly become a family aff air as Susan’s daughter and granddaughter often participate.
Breezy Loop Trail Parking Limited in July
Please be advised that due to a polocrosse tournament at the Potomac Pony Club Field on Bucklodge Road on July 5-7, the parking lot for access to the Breezy Loop Trail will be very limited. T e tournament is expecting at least 60 people to be camping and penning their horses at the fi eld.
Appaloosa Club Wins Achievement Award
Jenny Searles, Margaret Nowak, Tori Willis and Claire Wheeler at the May 21 Horse-N-Around 4-H Club’s Saddle Up for St. Jude trail ride held at Woodstock Park
trian Park in Beallsville. T e 31 riders who par- ticipated rode out at 10 a.m. in groups rang- ing from leadline to advanced and all but the leadliners were out for at least two hours. T e weather was the absolute best anyone could re- member in the 18 years the club has hosted the event—cool and a little breezy with clear blue skies and puff y white clouds. T e grounds were in great shape, not too hard and not too wet, which allowed our riders to try out the newly opened cross-country course at the facility. T e jumps were beautiful and ranged in sizes so that even the tiniest of ponies could get over a few them. A potluck lunch was enjoyed afterward by club members. In total, $3,812.00 was raised this year in
By Kathy Coviello, Free State Appaloosa Horse Club Vice President Maryland’s own Free State Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) trotted home with the top prize in their Territory for the Appaloosa Horse Club’s Exemplary Club Award for 2012. In order to achieve this, club members collected information on their activities throughout the year, ranging from youth members’ partici- pation in the Appaloosa Youth World Horse Show and its affi liated com- petitions/activities, to club members’ involvement in holding trail rides, to heralding club activities in various equine publications, including articles in previous issues of T e Equiery. Club members from Maryland and the sur- rounding area contributed photos and data points, which were presented in a scrapbook submitted to the Appaloosa Horse Club. T ere it was judged against other clubs’ entries with focus on the various categories that highlight member participation and promote the Appaloosa horse as a breed. T e competition and its awards were created to honor clubs that best further the ApHC’s core value: to promote the Appaloosa horse. In completing our entry for this competition, the Free State ApHC better realized just how di- verse our club members’ use of their Appaloo- sas actually is, in that we had members not just active in ApHC breed shows, but also riding in the Lisbon Horse Parade to raise money for area food banks, competing in endurance rides, continued...
JULY 2013 | THE EQUIERY | 17
851038-120712
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