HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquestrian Position, 12-08December 11, 2008
PROST committee of the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Re: Equestrian Trails in Gallatin County
To Whom It May Concern:
In creating the Parks Recreation
Open Space and Trails plan for the City of Bozeman, the principal purpose addressed was development within the city limits. There are currently no designated equestrian trails in the
city. In the past the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board has reviewed subdivision plans that included equestrian trails but none of these came to fruition. We would gladly assist
any future development in designing trails for equestrian use if the developer wished to do so and the location is deemed appropriate.
As for the existing trails in Bozeman, RPAB
and the Bozeman Parks Department have determined that existing city trail locations are not appropriate for equestrian use due to safety and user conflict issues.
This being said,
we recognize that horse travel provides great value for both recreation and transportation. Horse travel also provides a connection with our history that would be our loss if we allowed
it to disappear. We would like to clearly state that the absence of equestrian content in the PROST Plan does not indicate a desire on our part to thwart the future development of horse
trails as long as the issues waste disposal/enforcement, user conflicts, safety, impact, maintenance, and the necessary modification of existing ordinances are addressed.
We urge
those involved in trail planning for Gallatin County to look for ways to preserve existing horse routes and ways to create new equestrian pathways for the future.
Sandy Dodge
Chair,
PROST Plan Committee
Bozeman Recreation and Parks Advisory Board