Dear Anne,
I heard that you are going to the Clemson Trails Symposium as a
representative for the NYS trail system. I'm hoping that you will bring
one of my concerns to the symposium, even if I am not from NY.
We recently moved to West Virginia - Morgantown area - North Central
part of the state. I called the WV Dept. of Natural Resources and
explained that we rode endurance ON OUR OWN HORSES. We were interested
in what state park trails were open to trail riding, where the trail
heads were, was there water or camping available, etc.
They were unable to answer - AT ALL. They could list a couple of parks
that have hack stables nearby, but that was it. On the other hand, they
could tell me everything that I ever wanted to know about mountain
biking, rafting, river kyacking, fishing, golf, etc.
They're missing out on attracting horsemen to some of the prettiest
areas I've ever been to. They don't see horsemen as having a big impact
on the economy. They also subtly discourage horsemen by lack of
information.
One state park flier listed activities that did not require a backwoods
permit - it included mountain biking, rock climbing, and horseback
riding. When we asked the rangers which trails were open to the horses,
he said horses weren't allowed. All the multi-use trails were hiking &
biking only. When we reviewed the park flier with him, he said that
he'd never seen a horse there before & had no idea what to do with us.
The states need to consider the economic impact of vactioning horse
owners. WV wants to promote an image of a destination vacation state
for outdoor enthusiasts. They are missing the mark!
Sincerely,
Linda Flemmer
(work) flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu
(home) bluwolf@earthlink.net
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