Most Disturbing!

[scat silvurz]

I actually like pulling over for equestrians...I like seeing the horses. While I don't like to see them on trails I ride, due to the unavoidable damage those 1200 lbs do to the manicured bike trail, I can help but enjoy seeing such a large animal out doing it's thang..... I can't imagine anyone could really beef against such a thing, even if it cause mtb'er trail maintenance grief. But, when they are not around, it's hard to ignore the damage left behind.

[Roy]

I agree with Scat. I think we should cool it. Lets not inflame the issue. I don't really think all trails will turn out looking like the Maybury horse trail. I don't remember a trail erosion a big issue Pontiac Lake (The Pukes were unsustainable fall line trails) . The issues were more from surprise meetings on the trail between horse and bike riders. We should use the Pontiac Lake experience to help guide us.
Roy

[cyclodan]

I don't really think all trails will turn out looking like the Maybury horse trail...We should use the Pontiac Lake experience to help guide us.
Roy

1) If there is enough horse traffic they will.
2) My experience at Pontiac was I busted my @ss alongside a bunch of other mountain bikers to build new trails so the equestrians could have the existing trail (admittedly I did see a couple of equestrians there for the work days but there were probably 30-35 bikers there each time).
More recently the HCMP cut 2 corridors (with a brushhog), one for bikers one for horses, between Kensington and Pround lake, invited users to come in and clean up and groom the trails. Mountain bikers did that and when we went back for subsequent work days we found horse tracks on the bike trail and little evidence of horse traffic or any work done to the designated horse trail.
Even crushed gravel trails that have horse traffic are subject to damage to the point that trying to ride a bike there is pointless. I would love to be able to ride the rail trails west of Pinkney but I can't stand it for more than a mile or so.

[AJG]

Talked to a couple of equestrians brave enough to be out in the drizzle and wind today at Ft Custer. Nice people, we chatted for a few minutes about the animosity between the user groups. They mentioned that they took care to not ride anyplace that they shouldn't be and stuck to the gravel roads and some of the yellow and blue loops. I explained that while I was not representing the MMBA or anyone from SWMMBA, I had some knowledge of the issues with trail access. They both seemed pretty understanding of the concept of bike/hike-only trails through some parts of the fort. I asked them the number one thing that angered them that mtb'ers do and they mentioned that people flying by on their bikes from behind with no warning was at the top of the list. I also asked them to please not trim any canopy and if they really had to, to throw the branches off the trail - that's after explaining what a rear derailleur is and how sticks are the enemy.

I really wish I could talk to every horse person that uses the fort and trade ideas and insights. I got more from those two in ten minutes than I have in a weeks worth of lurking at that horseboard.

[scat silvurz]

I maintain that the majority of mountain bikers and bicyclists in general are oblivious as to what to do when encountering horses. How would a city folk dwelling cyclist even know that there would be an issue with encountering horses? They wouldn't, since it's not really something that you'd know naturally.

Most bicyclists fail to remember that the horse often doesn't recognize the biker as a "person", and being prey animals [giant body, tiny walnut brain] - their first inclination is to get nervous and look for the nearest exit. Don't really know how to fix that situation, but it only takes one leg shaving-shrem to really cause some angst for a horse, not to mention the equine pilot.

The segregated trails usually prevented these encounters, and cyclists didn't learn what to do when encountering horses. Now that the game is changing, perhaps an emphasis of reminding cyclist at trails the proper way to handle their equine encounters should be made apparent.

[EquineTrailrider]

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the equestrians. That's all I'm asking for. If we try to be informed it will help everyone a great deal. I did ask on the MTRA forum if anyone was interested in helping build separate trails for horses at FC. I got one response about a group who is working on this. Turns out, it's the HFFC group. From what I read here, they won't be much help.
If I pass a low branch, I usually try to break it off and throw it to the side of the trail, not on the trail. I stay off the areas that have the high banks on the side as my horse can't maneuver that anyway.

[fattyclark]

EquineTrailrider
What happen to the post on that link you posted I went to go read it and it was deleted?

[scat silvurz]

Nick keeps deleting it from the MMBA BB....which is rather silly, since it's on all the other horse bulletin boards.....and you're not missing much. Just a bunch of 10 year old woodcut-style Poto Hellrider cartoons from Jason's Hellrider blog....

Why are we trying to censor ourselves, when everyone else can see it on the net?? Guess being the only one at the party with a bag over one's head is the right strategy!

Silly, I tell you, silly!

[otherdave]

What happen to the post on that link you posted I went to go read it and it was deleted?

Congrats... you just made my ignore list.

[fattyclark]

I am not talking about the pic, I am talking about the link to a thread on another board where that thread was deleted on that board

[c0nsumer]

I am not talking about the pic, I am talking about the link to a thread on another board where that thread was deleted on that board

Ask EquineTrailrider. She runs the Michigan Horse Chat forum herself.

[fattyclark]

My question was directed to her not the rest of you guys

[dirt]

Nick keeps deleting it from the MMBA BB....which is rather silly, since it's on all the other horse bulletin boards.....and you're not missing much. Just a bunch of 10 year old woodcut-style Poto Hellrider cartoons from Jason's Hellrider blog....

Why are we trying to censor ourselves, when everyone else can see it on the net?? Guess being the only one at the party with a bag over one's head is the right strategy!

Silly, I tell you, silly!

Jason requested it be removed from the forums. I deleted your repost of his image, since you weren't respecting his request.

[EquineTrailrider]

I moved it to the archives. It turned into an argument thread full of put downs. What's the point of that? I hate it when that happens. Why can't people disagree without the personal attacks? Last time I checked, I wasn't in high school any longer.
None of the horse people seem to want to get anything going to build separate trails and I sure as *beep* can't do it by myself.

[scat silvurz]

Nick keeps deleting it from the MMBA BB....which is rather silly, since it's on all the other horse bulletin boards.....and you're not missing much. Just a bunch of 10 year old woodcut-style Poto Hellrider cartoons from Jason's Hellrider blog....

Why are we trying to censor ourselves, when everyone else can see it on the net?? Guess being the only one at the party with a bag over one's head is the right strategy!

Silly, I tell you, silly!

Jason requested it be removed from the forums. I deleted your repost of his image, since you weren't respecting his request.

Next time Nick, just say that and don't make it a secret between you and Jason...how the *beep* is anyone supposed to know that!?