Maine Equestrian Trails Alliance
Maine Equestrian Trails Alliance (META) is a newly formed state wide organization.
META’s mission statement is, to encourage the establishment and management of equestrian
trail opportunities on lands public, private and those held in trust, to assist with the formation and
management of local equestrian trail riding clubs, to explore avenues to educate state
government and the public about equestrian trail use needs, to promote communication and
cooperation between equestrians and other trail users, and to foster responsible and safe
equestrian land use.
Horses were used as a tool to open up Maine from the time wooden ships first carried
them to our shores. Horses cleared the old county roads and converted forest land to agricultural
use. They can be credited with providing the power to create habitat diversity, allowing for
today’s high game animal holding capacity.
With the invention of the internal combustion engine, horses made a slow yet steady
transition to recreational use. The infrastructure they created was replaced with more modern
roadways leaving the discontinued roads as the backbone of today’s trail system. Equestrians
have enjoyed recreational use of these trails for over a century.
The earliest documentation of one activity still being pursued in Maine was an attempt to
find the best horse breed for the United States Cavalry. A 165 mile race was laid out from Berlin
N.H. to Portland, and then back to Bethel. The race was run in October 1918 with the best time
being awarded to Kheyra, an Arabian mare, and Rustem Bey, an Arabian trotter. The completion
time was 31 hours and 5 minutes. Coincidentally, a Bethel resident, Kathy Brunges, riding an
Arabian bred by her mother, Janet Brunges of Norway, qualified for, and competed in the World
Equestrian Games in endurance. The World Equestrian Games is the Olympics of the horse
world with competitions for numerous disciplines. She has consistently qualified for
international events with her latest being a competition in Dubai in February.
Equestrian trail access held steady until the 1980s. After this period all of the usual
suspects were responsible for access reductions. The access losses that disappointed equestrians
the most were due to land closures in response to unorganized motorized recreation. Gates
installed to keep out trucks and ATVs also kept out horses.
Thankfully motorized recreation has organized. For the past several years increases in
approved motorized trail have compensated for other losses due to development, and other
factors. META would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals who have in the
past and who are currently part of the dynamic change in motorized recreation of all kinds.
META acknowledges the financial burden being forced on the motorized recreational
community through registration fees. We feel it is important for equestrians to share this
financial burden. We have set membership dues at a rate that allows for $20 of every
membership to be dedicated to trail infrastructure. The keystone of META’s trail construction
efforts is a bridge materials grant program. We will be providing materials to grant recipients
meeting two requirements. (1) any club, organization, or land trust that includes horses in there
annual land access contracts, and (2) can get a META member to co-sponsor their grant. Grant
recipients will receive, at no charge, pressure treated bridge stringers and decking capable of 20
year life spans. All bridge materials will be produced to our specifications and the quality will
exceed that of standard materials available through retail outlets. META will assist you in
finding a cosponsor for your application, if you do not know the equestrians in your area.
The META Bridge Materials Grant Program will advance equestrian access in two ways.
It will (1) give us formal permission, and (2) provide confidence that bridges will be safe for
equestrian passage. The 2007 trail season was a typical year with 8 reported bridge failures under
horses. These are only the failures that META was made aware of by persons who knew we were
working on this program. It is safe to assume that many more horses and their riders were
endangered by inadequate bridges during the 2007 season.
At present, snowmobile clubs, ATV clubs and land conservation organizations are
grossly underestimating the demand horse and rider combinations place on bridge design. It is
not uncommon for total loads to exceed 2000 lbs. The mechanics of horse locomotion create
loads exceeding 1000 lbs. / hoof placement. A rough sawn 1 ¾” x 6” board will not handle this
load safely even when brand new. The question of responsibility for equestrian bridge safety and
the expense of meeting these needs, is not simple. Is it reasonable to expect all bridges to be over
built for the needs of the group building the bridge? On the other hand, is it fair that under built
bridges, should act as road blocks stopping more demanding users that have every right to use a
trail? The equestrian community has made the decision to take responsibility for it’s needs
through the bridge materials grant program. It will take time to ramp up to full production. Our
long term goal is to sustain between 1000 ft. and 2000 ft. of bridge annually. In the meantime
please plan your bridges with a safe bypass so horses can ford crossings. It is not illegal for
horses to cross without a bridge, however, we prefer to leave minimal impact and for this reason
we do want all bridges to be safe in the future.
Having witnessed the monumental effort that has been undertaken by snowmobile and
ATV organizations to gain permission for land access, the organizers of META decided to spend
significant amounts of energy creating a more efficient internet based method that also addresses
the needs of land owners. Partners for Recreational Land Use, is the result of this desire. By
forming META affiliated clubs, with PRLU to use as a tool, we expect our member clubs will
save thousands of hours every year now and in the future. As with all internet based projects,
economies of scale are key to success. We realized from the beginning that it would take more
resources than equestrians could muster to develop this project. As a result of this factor, PRLU
has been set up as a stand alone organization with equestrian clubs holding no more status than
any other club or organization. Please take advantage of the ongoing PRLU membership drive
and amplify the results of your current land owner relations efforts.
Scott Hatch; V.P. Maine Equestrian Trails Alliance
Board Member Partners for Recreational Land Use