Re: RC: Urgent ASAP trailhelpneeded!!!

["Tiffany D'Virgilio" <dvirgilio@mindspring.com>]

Title: Re: RC:  Urgent ASAP trailhelpneeded!!!

on 1/29/02 3:30 PM, beth glover at bgloverhrsewmn@hotmail.com wrote:

>    My friend and I went over to Altadena today, to the particular trail that was mentioned in the LA times.  On the south side of the street is a flooded arena. From there a narrow trail heads north, across a street, and between a chain link fence and a wire cable. The trail passes right by a busy park/gymnasium complex. Then it seems to disappear into a trash filled gully, and then veers to the east because of the private gated area of development. From there it picks up again along a narrow cliff trail which was very much erroded after our recent rain. It was steep, muddy, and a severe drop off. Watch the news, next time you see a horse being helicoptered out of Altadena, it could be here.
    Horse people in this area are being treated like so much garbage. The horses are considered to be like inanimate objects or vehicles with no thought to the possibility of them making unscheduled movements in unofficial directions.

I am kind of surprised to read this, considering I boarded my horses there at Eaton Dam for many years, just moving out in May of 01. The trail there isn't that bad-it has been the same for many years. Last year two horses/riders were helicoptered off-it is a pretty normal thing. The problem is that there are only two trails left there. That one and the switchbacks-which is where the rescues actually occurred. I don't think horse people there are treated like garbage at all. In fact the city just built a nice arena and show facility on that trail. It is more than they have had for years in that area. ETI corral number 5 is the one in charge there. The problem in Altadena is that horses have nowhere to ride or go anymore and that isn't going to change. It is all houses and roads-you can't connect to any trail system there, so I doubt any good is going to come of it. It is the reason I moved. Who wants to ride the same two mile trail everyday? I just don't see how they could ever get more places to ride there-where would it go, connect to? You are better off near JPL-at least there are a some trails left there. 
Tiffany-glad she moved from Altadena to Alta Loma, where I can ride for DAYS!