Fw: [RC] Mountain Bikes and Horses - Getting Along - Karen Sullivan
It's wonderful when bikes and horses can safely use
the same trails, work together and get along....
While multi-use trails is an ideal to work toward;
the reality is that some trails are just not
appropriate for multi use. I have been doing
a lot of research on what constitutes a multi-use trail, and what constitutes a
singletrack footpath..and all sorts of criteria are involved such as narrowness
of trail, grade, sightlines, blind corners, composition of soil, etc. I
have found many Bay Area regional parks, county parks and National seashore that
restrict mountain bikes to fire roads and wide trails; the singletrack are left
for hikers and horses. Their goal is to ensure
the safety and enjoyment of ALL users...and they have also seen the havoc
wrecked when bikes are added into narrow singletrack trails.....
the IMBA would have you believe that all trails can
be multi use....I graciously admit they have done TONS of work in trail building
in parks, establishing safety rules for bikes and horses and trying to work with
all goups. I believe they are a more active trail organization than most
in the horse community. They research on bike damage on trails IS
somewhat slanted....
but the reality is that a huge group of mountain
bikers is out there for the speed and thrill......not caring about other users,
OR the damage to the trail. IMBA councils bikes on how to negotiage trails
on a bike to minimize damage....but, again, the reality is that RACING bikers
DON'T care, and do pretty extreme damage, especially on
switchbacks....
Steve Proe's post may prove very helpful to me at
this point, in helping to develop existing old horse trails in a park this past
year...in determining which should be multi use and which should be singletrack
bke/horse
A case in point, also in Boggs State Demonstration
Forest in Cobb, CA. For years, horses have used the trails and fire
roads....until the bikes found it. In my opinion, most of the singletrack is NOT
suitable for mixing horses and bikes....but the bike community has been so more
visible in developing a volunteer work force, bring in IMBA for work days,
GPSing trail and doing a new map; WHERE SOME TRAILS ARE STATED THEY MAY BE TOO
STEEP FOR HORSES; that the horseback riders basically have been run out on
weekends; it's just too dangerous to ride there. Who's fault? Horse community,
for not sticking up for their right to trails.....again, maybe this new ruling
at Oroville, and Steve's post may help someday in reclaining horse
trails.....
For many years I have proclaimed myself to be in
favor of all multi-use trails...but experience and common sense may be heading
me in another direction. Just a few months ago, I was on a single-track
trail at Sly PArk with a friend....I did not know it was multi use....and got
dumped when my horse and a biker came face to face on a blind corner....,my
horse did an exit right and I lost it....fell on my butt....not hurt and
fortunately my horse did not run off into the wilderness!!! Not the bikers
fault as he was not going fast....not my fault for not exposing my horse to
bikes....just a plain bad corner with bad visibility....and yes, she could have
had a similiar reaction to a hiker or backpacker....yet not 10 minutes later we
had a bike come screeching around a corner too fast and head down hill, right
toward my horse...I asked him to stop, he skidded several feel..but as my horse
could see him, she just stood!!!!
Will I ride that trail again? Probably
not!!!! Just too dangerous. Another horseback rider giving up a trail
due to multi use.....
