Meeting with the Horse Folk

As you can see from yesterday's post, I had a great meeting with the Gold Country Trails Council last night (view the slides). We spoke about sharing trails and unifying our efforts. The presentation was well received.

I promised attendees that I would share some of the comments equestrians made about local mountain bikers with BONC membership. These included:

• Equestrians find that the vast majority of local mountain bikers are extremely considerate and courteous on the trail. Even if a cyclist rides inappropriately, he or she is receptive to constructive criticism from equestrians on the trail.
• No one wants to replicate the culture of user animosity and conflict that is so dominant on Bay Area trails. We have something very special here that is worth preserving.
• Horses are prey animals. Thus they react quickly if a hiker or cyclists suddenly appears from behind a tree. Because of this, please announce yourself, talk and make some noise when you approach a horse.
• When riding on a trail that cuts across a slope, it is best to ride on the down side of the animal.
• GCTC equestrians try to avoid wet trails because they leave hoof holes and such trail conditionals are stressful on the horses legs.

GCTC is working very hard on many of the USFS trails that we ride and enjoy. It is crucial that we continue to work with them and support their efforts as much as possible.