Oklahoma horse lovers look for a ticket to ride
BY DIANA BALDWIN
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Published: March 29, 2009
EDMOND — Rider Terri Folks calls the equestrian trails near Edmond’s Arcadia Lake "a little jewel that has potential.”
Singing birds, playing wildlife and running water are found along the sandy trails winding through the tall trees.
"It is quiet and peaceful,” she said.
There is no doubt in Folks’ mind these trails could become an inviting destination for hundreds of faithful horse riders in the state. She said there also are grants out there to help pay for the development of the trails.
Equestrian trails, with rest rooms, showers, camping and picnic areas, are on city-owned and federal-owned lakes.
In
Oklahoma, hundreds of miles of equestrian trails, many well developed and maintained, are open.
Riders often volunteer to help plan, build and maintain riding trails.
Equestrians
Camellia Foster of Duncan and
Deanna Hamilton of Seminole know what it takes to put in miles of trails and provide upkeep.
Foster said she spent many hours at city meetings planning the trails at the city-owned
Duncan Lake. Today, she still spends a lot of her time keeping the trails up.
"We could not afford to hire our cleanup,” Foster said. "So volunteers are most important.”
If the job is too big for the local volunteers, Folks said, riders from elsewhere will come to the rescue.
All the trails at
Sportsman Lake in Seminole were planned and developed by a number of volunteers, Hamilton said.
There are more than 30 miles of equestrian trails that wind around most of the 329-acre city-owned lake. There is an equestrian camp that includes showers and rest rooms, electricity, water and a place to tether horses.
At Stillwater’s
Lake Carl Blackwell, volunteers are vital to operating a 48-mile trail operated by
Oklahoma State University.
"Volunteers work out well for us,” said park ranger
Chad Meisenburg. "Volunteers take ownership and pride in the trails. They are a passionate group of people.”
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