Maryland Horse Council
Trails & Greenways Committee

Keeping Your Trails Open

Will you go on a trail ride one day only to find your favorite riding trail closed to horses, or your trail blocked by a new subdivision? That depends on you! Or phrased more accurately, “It depended on you!”

Trail closures don’t happen overnight. Urban sprawl, the rising popularity of paved trails, and objections to erosion and manure are gradually taking away trails. Here’s what you can do to protect your trails:

1)      First, practice good trail etiquette. Just one negative encounter with an equestrian can give rise to significant adverse actions.

2)      Secondly, join an equestrian group. It is critical that equestrians have a unified communication with state and local governments and private property owners if you want your voice to be heard. Become a member of the MHC directly, or join a group that has a representative on the MHC, so we can provide information to help you:

Trail riding on public and private property is a privilege that can be revoked. It only takes one gallop through a cornfield to make a farmer really mad. It only takes one horse making a muddy mess on a wet trail to justify closing the trail to equestrians. There is only one person who can save your trail. YOU!

Want to do more? Ask your club to publish this article in their newsletter. And let the MHC Trails and Greenways committee know that you’d like to be a trail steward for your favorite trail. It’s easy, and we promise to make it fun!