While cooking lunch and waiting for the rain to
stop so I can go back to getting my LQ trailer ready for use, (The last 2 weeks
we have been experiencing the strangest drought here in the Bitterroot. It
has rained almost 2" here at my place.) I had a related thought about
multiuse trails.
Before 1991, Wendy belonged to a saddle club that
worked hard as part of a group trying to get the Cannon Valley, MN trail
established. Horses had used the old railroad bed for many years.
This was billed as a "multi-use trail". Somehow it became a paved trail
with horses barred for obvious reasons.
I was not involved, so I do not know how hidden the
agenda was of those who wanted a nonhorse motorized trail. Was it buried
in the fine print of the proposal, and conveniently not mentioned to
equestrians? Was the paving a separate fund raiser, with equestrians just
ignored so they missed it?
The moral here is clear. If you are an
equestrian and involved in the embellishment, maintenance, or "improvement" of a
multiuse trail make sure that horses are mentioned in all documents and are
included in all plans.
Other users have similar problems. In North
MN part of the money that paved some snowmobile trails came from snowmobile
license fees. Then the DNR decided that snowmobiles had to be banned,
because their studded tracks were ruining the pavement. I don't know what
has happened since, but when I left the snowmobile clubs, and lobby were madder
than a mule with a pinching pack saddle and a 300 lb. load.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
