 Illinois
Trail Riders
Dedicated To Keeping
Horses On Our Trails
E-mail: lLTrRdrs@illinoistrailriders.com
www.illinoistrailriders.com
November, December 2007, January 2008
All
Trails Lead to the Mid America Trails and Greenways Conference;
December 9-12, 2007
Renaissance Hotel in Chicago,
Illinois
By Peter
Viet
Learn to succeed in all types of trail
projects by working with representatives of federal, state and
local government agencies, citizen advocates, non-profit
organizations, business and industry and special interest
groups. Become familiar with the many different aspects of
greenways and trails in Urban, Suburban and Rural settings.
Join the network and collect the building blocks and important
tools to accomplish projects in your Mid America community.
(register on-line at www.openlands.org) Early
registration closes Nov.16
We, the equestrians, are willing, able,
and eager to work with THE LAND MANAGERS, politicians, planners
and community groups at all levels, ON every TRAIL ISSUE.
1. As responsible citizens,
equestrians are concerned with the preservation and enhancement
of the magnificent natural resource (the land) which we all own
together.
2. It is our desire to work
with the land managers in the: a) location, b) design, c)
construction, and d) maintenance, of an ever-expanding network
of designated multi-use trails.
3. We understand that local, multi-use, shared trails are
practical, and are the direction of the future.
4. It is essential to
develop a better understanding between all trail users. We must
all recognize each other’s needs and desires, and understand the
other’s view of how best to utilize our resources.
5. Through education and
mitigation dispel the commonly accepted myth of
incompatibilities (if not outright conflict) between different
trail users.
6.
Like land managers and other trail users, equestrians are
concerned with design, operation, safety and funding of trails.
7.
Everyone’s goal is to assure that the limited available
resources are appreciated and shared by all trail users for the
betterment our communities and of our land.
Horses have
played an important role in the very formation of our nation.
Most privately owned horses reside in urban and suburban areas
where the quality of life is high. It is vital that equestrians
remain active participants in the parks, lifestyle, and leisure
pursuits of the community, Horses, responsibly ridden on trails,
can move quietly through forests, meadows and along linear
corridors with a minimal impact on the environment and
residents.
Join and Help Us
·
ENCOURAGE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF YEAR-AROUND HORSE TRAILS WITH IMPROVED TRAILER
PARKING AND HORSE CAMPING FACILITIES
·
ESTABLISH/MAINTAIN COMMUNICATIONS THROUGHOUT ALL STAGES AND
LEVELS OF TRAIL OR LAND PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
·
UTILIZE EDUCATION
PROGRAMS TO HELP TRAIL DEVELOPERS PROVIDE SAFE MULTI-USE TRAIL
FACILITIES AND ALL TRAIL USERS TO UNDERSTAND TRAIL ETIQUETTE
·
WORK WITH
LEGISLATORS TO ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAIL-BASED
RECREATION TO THE HORSE COMMUNITY AND ILLINOIS ECONOMY
·
WORK WITH
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVANCY ADVOCACY GROUPS TO ENCOURAGE AN
UNBIASED APPROACH TO TRAIL DEVELOPMENT (SADDLE, CARRIAGE & PACK)
·
WORK TO KEEP
EXISTING TRAILS OPEN AND MONITOR CHANGES IN TRAIL USE TO PROTECT
EQUESTRIANS AND DEFEND OUR RIGHT TO BE ON TRAILS AND ROADS
THROUGHOUT ILLINOIS.
 
Illinois Trail Riders
4873 Indian Hills Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62025
Voice: 618 656-2591
E-mail:
ILTrRdrs@illinoistrailriders.com
www.illinoistrailriders.com
Officers &
Directors |
|
DENISE MAXWELL, President
4873
Indian Hills Drive
Edwardsville, IL 62025
618
656-1129 |
|
2330
Rockton Road
Caledonia, IL 61011
815
292-3010 |
 LORI
KENNEDY, Treasurer
18051
South Gougar Road
Joliet, IL 60432
815
726-5346 |
|
SANDY
POLETTI, Secretary
8727
Rosewood Hills
Edwardsville, IL 62025
618
656-4712 |
|
KELLY
BLAND
P. O.
Box 449
Bethany, IL 61914
217
665-3550 |
|
CAROLYN CUSHMAN
RR1
Box 179A
Mode,
IL 62444
217
774-2639 |
LEE
ANN FOUERT
19454
Briar Drive
Bloomington, IL 71604
309
378-2146 |
 JoANNE
GERNANT
450
Highway 6 East
Geneseo, IL 61254
309
944-4317 |
JUDY
GRIFFITH
30902
Henery Road
Girard, IL 62640
217
627-3522 |
|
GARY
HAMPSMIRE
3418
Sheridan St.
Springfield, IL 62703
217
529-7961 |
|
GLORIA HEGGY
23447
Digilvanna Ave.
Athens, IL 62613
217
636-7421 |
|
JERRY
(BUCKWHEAT) McKINLEY
912
N. John Street
Farmer City, IL 61842
309
928-2484 |
|
SARA
RHOADES
2372
N. 1500 East Road
Seymore, IL 61875
217
687-2654 |
|
PETER
VEIT
1041
N. Mill Street
Naperville, IL 60563
630
357-6465 |
THE HISTORY OF HORSE TRAILS
(as I know it)
By Denise Maxwell
Trails
have always been a part of America since the first Europeans
brought their horses and began to explore. By following Native
American footpaths and wildlife tracks the explorers, and later
the settlers, conquered and made America from the backs of their
horses. Using horse power the first naturalists documented the
wilderness, surveyed the land, and set the stage for all of the
civilization and culture that we now claim as ours. Until the
1900’s there was at least one horse for every five persons
counted in the census. Starting in the 1920’s the population of
horses plummeted until only a few horses remained at the time of
the depression. By 1959 the Department of Agriculture could
find no more than 3 million horses on the nation’s farms and
stopped counting them.
During the
industrialization and war years, few Americans paid much
attention to preserving any open space or any of our heritage.
Only the wealthy had time for leisure and recreation or money to
support a horse unless it was still used in farming or for
transportation. Many States did not have a park system until
the 1930’s when federal programs of the New Deal got underway,
such as Civilian Conservation Corps, National Park Service,
Forest Service and others helped to establish and improve camps,
buildings, trails and forests.
The rugged
individualist rode and hiked the rural and wilderness roads and
trails, while the bicycles and engine driven vehicles stuck to
urban and commuting roads. As development increased the wheels
demanded paving of the paths and tracks and as speed increased
the paving needed ever more engineering. Equestrian Trails,
Inc. was established as a nonprofit corporation in 1944 with the
Charter to be "Dedicated to the Acquisition and Preservation of
Trails, Good Horsemanship, and Equine Legislation."
During the
1950’s and 60’s Recreation and Education expanded for most
Americans. Americans found they had more discretionary time
(leisure), more affluence, more mobility, more technology, and
new access to the arts and cultural pursuits. Public attitudes
regarding recreation and work began to change and there was a
significant growth in the professional development of Recreation
and Parks Personnel. This movement caused the creation of many
documents and training manuals that described how to build
better trails for agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service.
It wasn’t
until the 1960’s that there was a widespread realization that
trails, parks, and public land resources were limited and
valuable. A multitude of environmentally based organizations
sprang up as open space disappeared. A resurgence of the
“non-farm horse” gained momentum rapidly. The horse population
doubled by 1970. The National Trails System Act of 1968, as
amended, called for establishing trails in urban and rural
settings for persons of all ages, interests, skills and physical
abilities. The first Earth Day happened in 1970 and along with
it raced a flurry of legislation as people began to understand
and demand various forms of preservation and politicians took
action.
The trails
movement began gaining impulsion in the 1970’s shortly after the
National Park Service (National Trails Council), and the
American Trails Network (along with Rails to Trails conservancy,
American Hiking Society, National Recreation and Park
Association, Virginia Trails Association and others) began
organizing. Many of the first organizers of the trails movement
worked in Washington DC as members of Federal agencies or
non-profit organizations.
By the
70’s California and East Coast horse owners led the way. These
rural/agricultural areas were the first to resist urban
onslaught, were better organized and had experience solving the
problems. Research shows that educated individuals in these
areas began generating papers and articles to address issues of
land use, zoning and loss of trails which were threatening the
Horse Industry’s survival. Foresighted communities worked
together and included and accommodated horses and agriculture in
planning for the future.
Equestrian
leaders, like the late George Cardinet (Grandfather of Trails
according to the Library of Congress) took trail issues into
professional journals such as “Parks and Recreation” or
“Journal of Geography”. In 1971 Equestrian Trails, Inc.
published and sold a “Trails Manual” written by Charles Vogel
of San Mateo County (CA) Hiking and Riding Trails Committee in
1969.
During
this decade The Western Horseman, Equus,
Appaloosa News and other horse-oriented publications began
to carry articles advocating and educating for the increased
organization of equestrians. Trail Blazer and Trail
Riders Magazines featured activists such as Sharon Saare, an
Endurance Rider, whose column “Hit the Trail” discussed the
importance of trails and the need for horse owners to organize
and become involved. Bonnie Davis became a writer and speaker
on trail issues and still is consulting editor for Trail
Rider Magazine. Units of Back Country Horsemen (organized in
1973 to perpetuate the historic use of recreational stock in the
back country) volunteered locally on multi-use “fore country
trails” (neighborhood trails) within their community. East Bay
Regional Park District surrounding San Francisco was among the
first to realize the importance of equestrians as trail users
and volunteer providers of maintenance and patrol operations
within the suburban setting. Their programs and trails can
easily stand as models for many others.
In the 1980’s various states began
finding money to fund trail preservation, designations, and
creation activities. Leaders like Stuart Macdonald (then the
State Trails Coordinator for Colorado, now of American Trails)
emerged and gained notoriety by staging the first Colorado
Trails Symposium. The Rails to Trails Conservancy opened its
doors in Washington DC on February 7, 1986.
The
National Trails Council and the American Trails Network combined
sometime after sponsoring the ninth National Trails Symposium in
1988 to form American Trails. This was the year that the
Horsemen’s Council of Illinois started it’s campaign aimed at
making motorists aware of equestrians riding or driving along
the highways with the “Horses have Road Rights” bumper sticker.
As the
80’s came around more and more horse owners found they were
being ejected from the spaces where they had kept and ridden
their horses. While they were busy cleaning stables and making
hay, the world was changing and often they were not notified nor
invited to participate. Trail organizers apparently overlooked
the horses and the horsemen who had always utilized and kept the
trails open.
One by
one, every leader in today’s horse trails advocacy movement met
a hurdle they couldn’t jump or get around. The realization that
they were excluded, banned, eliminated and even despised by the
new trail activist and user was a threat that could not be
ignored. Old timers often just faced this prejudice and just
kept on riding wherever they always had ridden. Reactive
individuals emerged with indignation, anger, ready to fight for
their freedom and right to continue to ride the trail.
Proactive horse owners joined committees, attended meetings, and
tried to work with the new land management agencies when they
could identify them and find the schedules. Sometimes the
equestrians were successful, many were told to go join a big
group, with big bucks, get organized and get to work.
The
leaders who were energetic worked in a variety of ways. Often
they felt like “The Lone Ranger” amid a group of non-horse trail
promoters. Like a burr under the saddle, they persisted and
were often perceived as aggressive by new trail enthusiasts who
didn’t understand the history. Tired equestrians retreated,
seeking new horse property in more rural areas, next to large
public lands where horses were still welcome. Some of them have
had to face the same hurdles again in the new location.
Energetic leaders needed the strength of numbers so trail
advocacy groups were formed. No matter when an Equestrian
Trails organization was formed, or by whom, its first goal is to
preserve the threatened trails and then to create new ones.
This is a markedly different approach from the new trail users,
who seek first to build a trail for their special interest.
Ruby Homquist was one of those tireless
leaders who just happened to live in Lake County Illinois. As
she faced the hurdles of being excluded, she created the
Illinois Trail Rider organization and in 1989 Illinois Trail
Riders copyrighted its first handbook of trails. This book
advertised 70 places in Illinois where horseback riding was
still permitted and cost $10.25 with postage. In 1991 Ruby
copyrighted a small “Guide to Developing Horse Trails” in an
attempt to help trail engineers to better design with equestrian
safety in mind. Membership in Illinois Trail Riders grew
throughout the 1990’s as equestrians joined to preserve the
trails they were using.
About this
same time the Bicycle Federation of America, Inc published “Mountain
Bikes on Public Lands: A Managers Guide to the State-of
–the-Practice” addressing issues that equestrians had in common
with mountain bicyclists in an attempt to be allowed onto
existing trails beyond the growing pavement of urban sprawl.
More and
more people got into the act. “On the Trails” by Frances Land
and “From the Side of the Trail” by Kandee Haertel became
important to Sentinel readers in Illinois and other
Midwest states as they were kept informed, organized, and
educated. They contributed much to Illinois Trail Riders and
worked hard within the organization to keep horses on trails.
Equestrian trail conferences such as (SETC and OVETS) began to
start up and evolve on a regional and national level.
In
universities people worked hard too. Gene Wood and Clemson
University researchers continue to generate some of the science
on the impact of horses within forest and natural environments.
Roger Moore generated user and adjacent landowner studies on
Rail-Trails which included horses. His studies, among others,
put to rest the stereotypical apprehensions of crime, vandalism,
and user conflicts on multi-use trails. Dedicated individuals
such as Myron Filkins and Jerry Fruth became recognizable names
to those who followed the action at equestrian trail conferences
and symposiums.
It wasn’t
until 1999 that the Mid America Trails and Greenways group got
off the ground. It started in Indiana with a steering committee
whose membership included Yvette Anderson-Rollins of the Indiana
Horse Council. Yvette, like the others woke up one morning to
find that she and her horse had been excluded from the superior
trails where she had ridden freely as a girl. Her trails had
been designated, delineated and decreased. She joined with
several others to create a forum which would educate and
encourage an inclusive and educated involvement in the Greenway
and Trail movement.
In 2007,
as the earth continues to warm and gasoline or hay prices
threaten our recreational horse activities, those who are lucky
may be able to find moments of quiet relaxation on a
neighborhood trail.
From The
President
In preparation for a September ITR
board work weekend at the Little Missouri Campground near Siloam
Springs I took the opportunity to try to streamline parts of the
eight drawer filing system that houses the history and business of
ITR.
There are files from the 80’s when
Ruby Holmquist recognized the problem of decreasing trail
opportunities and the 90’s when she started the Illinois Trail
Riders. The files contain the records of our evolution as an
organization. I also began to try to organize my personal library
on recreation, trails, and horse industry which I began accumulating
before 1979 when my Master’s degree thesis was finished.
For weeks I read bits of collected
horse trail oriented literature containing information from
successful trail projects throughout the nation, and stories of loss
from communities that rejected their heritage and paved over the
pastures and trails. I sorted mounds of correspondence, records and
accounts from past trail advocacy business. I revisited manuals and
notebooks, trail files, and organizational information until I
became dizzy with memories and new information. I realized how
important it is for the horse industry to take our trail concerns
(expressed at SETC and OVETS) into the greater trail movement.
Past information, case studies,
solutions to problems, the real science that deals with equestrian
use of trails and the material of the horse industry needs to be
compiled and indexed. It needs to get into the hands and brains of
both the trail rider and the trail managers. Without information,
organization, and involvement equestrians and their horses may be
excluded in 21st Century Urban, Rural and Suburban trail
plans.
This newsletter might encourage you
to become a better as a trail advocate as a member of the horse
industry. It is dedicated to the MATAG conference and copies of
this newsletter will be made available to the greenway and trail
managers, planners and advocates who attend.
May our Trails
never end!
Green
Garden Township (draft) Trail Plan,
A
public hearing will be held Monday, October 22, at 7 pm at the town
hall, Manhattan-Monee and Center Roads. Written public comment may
be made at the meeting or mailed to Township Clerk Barbara Rizzo,
26840 South 88th Avenue, Monee, IL 60449 through October 31, 2007.
The
draft plan is available on the website: http://www.greengardentownship.org.
Check it out, it is pretty inclusive!
Ohio Valley Equestrian Trails Symposium
Begun in 1998,
the Ohio Valley Equestrian Trails Symposium has provided a forum for
educating trail riders and interested groups about the care,
maintenance and preservation of the horse trails located in the Ohio
Valley, which includes Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and
Tennessee. The Summit features speakers from a variety of
organizations who are involved in trail preservation and
maintenance, including State and National Park Managers, officers
from other large state trail groups, universities, and local trail
groups.
Thousands
of miles of trails have been closed to horses across America due to
urban development; legitimate problems associated with horse use;
lack of knowledge of the actual impact of horses on trails; and not
networking with other agencies. Where will you ride tomorrow? Will
our cultural heritage of riding in America’s open spaces exist for
your children or grandchildren?
You can
help preserve our cultural heritage of “riding horses in America’s
open spaces,” by attending this educational experience about various
trail issues tailored for the riding enthusiast. Attend OVETS to
learn how to work with land managers; learn the facts about
protecting trails; and learn where to get help when trails are
threatened with closure.
2008 Ohio
Valley Equestrian Trails Symposium
will be held at the Little Lusk Trail Lodge near Eddyville,
Illinois on June 19-22,
2008. The program will
feature great speakers and demonstrations ranging from trail
construction and maintenance to horse health on the trails. The
OVETS is an unparalleled educational experience so encourage your
local public land managers, all trail users, and the general public
to attend. Watch for posted flyers and check the Horsemen’s Council
of Illinois website for registration forms.
The 2008
OVETS Steering Committee is comprised of members from 6 different
states: Illinois - Brian Bourne, Candace Bourne, and Sara Rhoades;
Indiana - Christine Eickleberry and Yvette Rollins; Kentucky -
Jennifer Truax; Michigan - Mike Foote; Ohio - Jean Dunbar;
Wisconsin - Dan and Linda Catherman
Southeastern Equestrian Trail Conference
July 31 -
August 2, 2008, in Charleston, SC
"Yesterday,
Today, Tomorrow - Providing for Future Equestrians"
Join us for
the tenth anniversary conference!
www.southeasternequestriantrails.com
The
purpose of the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference (SETC) is
to bring together people who are concerned about the future of the
natural and cultural heritage of the trail experience from the back
of a horse.
The
Conferences include participants from natural resource agencies,
non-government organizations, and individuals representing
themselves and/or local saddle clubs. This mix of participants is
extremely important to the airing of a wide array of perspectives,
values, and knowledge.
In July of
2007 the Southeastern Equestrian Trail Conference was held in
Knoxville, Tennessee. As in prior years, there was a pre-conference
in-field workshop in trail design and trail building conducted by
Mike Riter, a well respected consulting trail design-building
specialist. His teachings on trail design, grading, drainage,
contours, etc. correlate with those seen in “IMBA’s Trail
Solutions : IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack”. The
equestrian community understands that properly designed and
constructed horse trails will be sustainable for many years with
minimal maintenance.
The rest of
the conference sessions were held at the Crowne Plaza and co-hosted
by the Back Country Horsemen of East Tennessee, The Blue Ridge
Trail Riders, all in partnership with the Federal Highway
Administration/Recreational Trails Program, the Tennessee Department
of Environment and Conservation, and the Tennessee Department of
Agriculture. Additional sponsorships were by the Horsemen’s
Councils of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, the
AQHA, The American Southeastern Endurance Rider’s Association, and
The Tennessee Walking Horse Association and others. There was a
fantastic mix of diversified interests, backgrounds, and experiences
and points of views.
Of this years
197 registrants, 51 represented various levels of land manager
organizations, such as DNRs from various states, US Forestry
Service, US Park Service, as well as several state forestry and park
districts. Mr. Christopher Douwes, the Trails Enhancement Manager
for the Federal Highway Administration, was once again an active
participant.
At this
conference there is always a spirit of cooperation and friendship in
what appears to be the development of a better understanding of each
other’s problems. The land managers are responsible for an awesome
amount of territory, and frequently must do so on very limited
budgets. It is their responsibility to maintain and preserve the
land, while at the same time creating the best possible use of that
land for all land users. This, together with an ever-expanding
population and pressures from all directions, indicates that in the
near future there will be a continuous shift in emphasis of how that
land and trails are used. There is no question in my mind that
there will be ever increasing emphasis on designated trails.
Our accepting that fact, and with proper cooperation, the equestrian
community can work with the land managers and help to designate
those trails. By this mechanism, designated trails can become
those that are most beneficial to us. Similarly, there will be
more and more use of shared trails.
Information
about the topics covered and the speakers who have presented at past
conferences is available on the SETC website.
www.southeasternequestriantrails.com
SETC will
return to Florida on July 9-11, 2009, Georgia in 2010!
MATAG Booth
Illinois Trail
Riders’ display at the Mid America Trails & Greenways Conference
(the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago on December 9-12, 2007) will
feature the “Share the Trail” theme. (Please see the lead article
for a more detailed explanation of the Share the Trail theme.)
Please contact Sara Rhoades by November 10 if you can help with
booth staffing. The booth will be open at 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Sunday,
December 8, 7:30 AM - 8:00 PM, Monday, December 10, and 7:30 - 10:30
AM on Tuesday, December 11. The exhibit hall will close at 10:30 AM
on Tuesday, December 11, and the booth will be disassembled.
Sara Rhoades
2372 N 1500 East Road
Seymour, IL 61875
217-493-9654 Cell
sara@rhoadesgroup.com.
If you have
any photos (especially digital) that show horses sharing the trails
with other trail users, please send them to Sara for possible use at
the MATAG conference. Also, if you would like to attend the
conference and need a registration, let us know.
Contact Amy
Madigan at Illinois IDNR if you would like to volunteer for other
positions at MATAG. She can be reached at IDNR, Greenways & Trails,
p 217/782-3715
amy.madigan@illinois.gov
The Horse
Industry: Zoning and Land Use
Horses are a
part of a large, highly diverse and vital industry that makes
significant contributions to our way of life and the quality of our
communities. These contributions are often unrecognized and
underestimated. (check out the statistics on the impact of the horse
industry).
Today’s
horses are primarily used for recreation and sport. People of all
ages ride and drive horses to enjoy the benefits of physical
activity and relaxation in healthful outdoor locations. Horses
contribute to the personal development (including responsibility,
citizenship, physical and mental health) of those who work with them
and are popular in youth, handicapped, and educational programs.
Trail riding is particularly popular as a means to gain access to
nature’s beauty in residential, rural and remote areas. Horses help
sustain agriculture and maintain open green spaces near population
centers through the profitable use of pastures, hayfields, cropland,
and recreational areas. They contribute to our nations scenic
beauty and help retain a rural character in developed areas.
Migration to
the city, rising salaries, increasing leisure time have led to a
democratization of the pleasure horse away from the traditional
“horsey” set. Despite large and recurring costs (including land
price, taxes, structures and tools) as well as daily stable
cleaning, feeding, grooming and exercise routines, horse ownership
continues to grow even among blue collar workers. For those who can
not flee to suburbs and exurban areas, boarding stables have sprung
up within commuting distance of the strongly motivated urban horse
owner. In some areas only ½ acre is needed to own the backyard
horse.
The
horse-owners worst nightmare became “Urban Sprawl” galloping toward
his horse property, intent on creating concrete, steel, asphalt, and
high-density development. New types of trail users took over the
open spaces and began to exclude the equestrian from places that had
once been their domain. In other areas the horse and most other
forms of agriculture are being excluded. There is no REAL reason
why planned urban development can not include horse keeping.
Horses fall
into a gray area somewhere between personal pets and livestock. The
nation’s horse herd will increase more rapidly in the future than it
has in the past. (Especially considering the efforts of the anti-
horse slaughter and animal rights activists) The keeping of horses
for recreation and as pets in metropolitan and suburban areas is
increasing and contributing to a land use dilemma.
Often
decisions are made and ordinances put into effect that regulate and
restrict the keeping or use of horses, which are formulated by
persons unfamiliar with acceptable and environmentally sound horse
science principles. It is the responsibility of horse owners to
ensure that safety, sanitation, and best management practices are
considered when building horse facilities and keeping horses. It is
the duty of planners and government officials to include them in the
community. There continues to be an increased need for open and
green spaces near the city where horses can be stabled, exercised
and pastured on a controlled basis. These will have to be multi-use
areas designed for all members of the community.
Horse,
pedestrian and bicycle trails/greenways should be within 10 minutes
of every home and barn. Harmony between the urban, suburban and
rural residential areas and the agricultural, commercial and
industrial areas should provide a quality of life that is
sustainable and must be maintained into the future. Some communities
currently provide model ordinances, development, and programs to
ensure a quality of life for horse owning members while others are
woefully lacking.
Attention Comprehensive Planners and Decision Makers
Despite urban
annexation and leap-frog development a strong recognition should be
given to environmental, cultural, and economic values that
agriculture provides for an urbanizing area.
Goals:
·
maintain the rural
characteristics,
·
promote proper use
and maintenance of prime agricultural land,
·
protect and secure
open space and scenic vistas,
·
encourage diversity,
stability, and sustainability in the human and land use
interactions
Zoning
definitions and classifications
for improved horsekeeping opportunities can replace low and high
density residential or business classifications in urban and
suburban settings:
Home
Agriculture or Residential Agricultural:
The activity of producing principally for home use or consumption of
plants, animals or their products by man. (examples; gardens,
poultry raising, home meat production, horse keeping, plant and
animal 4-H projects)
Commercial
Agriculture: The
activity of the production principally for sale of plants, animals
or their products for the use or consumption by man including
growing, harvesting, storage, preparation for use and marketing of
the products. (examples; forage and sod crops, grains and feed
crops, dairy , meat, & fur animals, horse breeding, boarding,
training, fish or bee raising, forest, fruit, landscaping products.)
Agricultural Recreation:
Activities or services of an open space type such as camping,
picnicking, fruit picking, hiking and bridle trails, horse boarding,
hunting, etc.
WHO WE
ARE and HOW TO INVOLVE US
The
American
Horse Council is
supported by approximately 160 organizations and 1,200 individuals
representing every facet of the horse world – from owners, breeders,
trainers, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen’s
associations to horse shows, racetracks, rodeos, commercial
suppliers and state horse councils.
There are 9.2 million horses in the
United States.
The industry
has a $102 billion impact on the U.S. economy when the multiplier
effect of spending by industry suppliers and employees is taken into
account. Including off-site spending of spectators would result in
an even higher figure.
The horse
industry pays $1.9 billion in taxes to all levels of government.
Over 70% of
horse owners live in communities of 50,000 or less.
Approximately
34% of horse owners have a household income of less than $50,000 and
28% have an annual income of over $100,000. 46% of horse owners have
an income of between $25,000 to $75,000.
State Horse
Councils, such as
Horseman’s Council of Illinois represent Illinois' diverse $3.8
Billion Horse Industry which provides more than 15,000 full-time
jobs, counts over 213,000 horses, and supports more than 77,000
horse owners.
The Indiana
Horse Industry
produces goods and services
valued at $779 million. There are 203,000 horses in Indiana, over 80
percent of which are involved in showing and recreation.
Michigan
Horse Council has not
completed an equine survey since 1996 but is in the process of
determining the economic impact and land use of horse in that state
now.
 Wisconsin
State Horse Council, Iowa Horse Council, Ohio Horseman’s Council,
Minnesota Horse Council and Kentucky Horse Council
all address land use and trail issues that affect their members
through committee and grassroots efforts Every state has a multitude
of saddle clubs, organizations and horse interest groups. Most
councils can identify individuals and/or committees on Trail and
Land Use issues. Each has it’s own website.
DID YOU
KNOW?
The
Recreational Use of Land and Water Areas Act has been amended !
(745 ILCS
65/1,2,3)
The amendment
provides that purpose of the Act is to encourage owners of land to
make areas available (at present, to any individual or the public).
Provides that the definition of "recreational or conservation
purpose" includes conservation, resource management, exercise,
education, relaxation or pleasure (at present, hunting or
recreational shooting).
Equestrian
activities are now included in this legal protection for landowners
who allow riders onto their property.
Civil
Immunity on access road and trails
(ILCS 745 10 / 3-107)
There is more
protection for land and trail managers from liability if more user
groups are allowed on a trail. Injury protection heightened for the
land owner and trail manager if equestrian uses are allowed.
Local
Ordinances and Codes may
not allow certain user groups (fair or unfair).
They may ban
horses, roller skating, skate boarding, mopeds, bicycles or other
forms of alternative transportation within jurisdiction limits or
along certain corridors. These may be challenged in a number of
ways. Often the “liability” excuse is used. When a user group can
actually uncover and addresses the real concerns, it may become
obvious that there is a true bias against a given group. Prejudice
is unmasked!
The Equine
Activity Act (Illinois
P.W.A, #89-0111) states that each participant who engages in an
equine activity expressly assumes the risks of engaging in a legal
responsibility for injury, loss, damage to person or property
resulting from the risk of equine activities.
Individual Members of the Horseman’s Council of Illinois have
$1,000,000 Equine Excess Personal Liability Insurance,
provided by Equisure, Inc. and underwritten by Lloyd's of London,
while otherwise enjoying their horse(s). Check to see how your
homeowners insurance, health insurance, and auto liability insurance
cover the recreational horse rider.
A HISTORY
OF OVETS AND SETC
The first Ohio Valley Equestrian
Trails Symposium (OVETS) was held in northern Kentucky in February,
1999, and the first Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference was
held in Clemson, Alabama, in May, 2000. The idea for both OVETS and
SETC came from the National Symposium on Horse Trails in Forest
Ecosystems which was held at Clemson University in October, 1998.
This national symposium was the first attempt to create a concerted
effort at focusing on trails issues in a natural resource
conservation policy context. The need to subdivide into separate
units of states with similar regional geography led to the formation
of OVETS and SETC.
The separate entities (Dr. Greg Jones in cooperation with the
Kentucky Horse Council for the 1999 inaugural OVETS and Clemson
University for the inaugural 2000 SETC) organized the two regional
equestrian conferences. Each began with the common purpose of
bringing together people who are concerned about the future of the
natural and cultural heritage of the trail experience from the back
of a horse. Both conferences included participants from natural
resource agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals
representing themselves and/or local saddle clubs. This mix of
participants was and is extremely important to the presentation of a
wide array of perspectives, values, and knowledge. Both groups used
a forum of meaningful communication between natural resource
management agencies and trail equestrians that should lead to
well-informed decisions that become the platform for trail policy
development.
Both OVETS and SETC will continue their pursuit of equestrian
self-evaluation, learning, and the development of a conservation
force that will influence land-use policies at local, state,
regional, and national levels with their 2008 OVETS at Little Lusk
Lodge in southern Illinois in June and 2008 SETC in South Carolina.
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