HB 4684 - Immediate action needed!

[utabintarbo]

Do horses also avoid cattleguards? Maybe all MTB trails can have small versons of these at the entrance to the trails- you can roll across this easily on a bike

The downside to something like this would come if there are multiple entry points on the trail. I'm thinking of Addison, which has quite a few intersections of the MTB trail with the horse trails. Building and maintaining that many "horse gates" would be non-feasible.

[dirt]

Do horses also avoid cattleguards? Maybe all MTB trails can have small versons of these at the entrance to the trails- you can roll across this easily on a bike

The downside to something like this would come if there are multiple entry points on the trail. I'm thinking of Addison, which has quite a few intersections of the MTB trail with the horse trails. Building and maintaining that many "horse gates" would be non-feasible.

It's not as much a matter of 'the downside to this solution' as much as it's a 'good solution that wouldn't apply to every situation'.

[Loren]

Rode Maybury tonight and stopped by to take a quick cell at the horse crossing from the paved trail. It's in fine shape for horses, soft soil, wide enough for two abreast, but wouldn't be my first choice for a bike ride.

[Loren]

IMBA action alert:

http://www.imba.com/alerts/michigan-bill-needs-work

[irishpitbull]

IMBA action alert:

http://www.imba.com/alerts/michigan-bill-needs-work

Link to contact Reps does not work. Its asks for a password.

[Loren]

Seems to be a problem with http://www.house.mi.gov/.

The first few google searches I just did that resolved to that site failed the same way.

[Friend Or Foe]

Rode Maybury tonight and stopped by to take a quick cell at the horse crossing from the paved trail. It's in fine shape for horses, soft soil, wide enough for two abreast, but wouldn't be my first choice for a bike ride.

is that what i think it is lying right in the middle of the trail - DOO-DEE!

[Di_bear]

I can ride around the occasional "doo dee," but I take issue with the soft, bumpy surface. It's hard as *beep* to pedal on and the bumpiness hurts the arms and back.

[dirt]

Seems to be a problem with http://www.house.mi.gov/.

The first few google searches I just did that resolved to that site failed the same way.

Did not ask me for a PW.

[jrshome]

Anyone in the Farmington Hills area interested, looks like our Rep is having a open forum meeting at Panera this weekend. I have been trying to pin her down on if she is for or against the Bill and have not gotten anything

From Facebook

State Representative Vicki Barnett
Hope you all can make it to my coffee hour this Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Panera Bread, 34635 Grand River Ave. in Farmington

[punkerfinger]

Just wrote to my state rep.

[Sortaslow]

Everyone may have to buy fatbikes to ride the rototilled horse terrain.

[spokeywheeler]

So I've been following this issue on the forums here for quite a while, and have been trying to wrap my head around why the Equi's seem to have their own agenda and don't seem willing to work with other groups. I myself do not know any Equestrians, or have spoken to them about their love of the hobby/lifestyle - nor do I have any trail maintenance experience (will be doing some volunteering this year). From what I've been reading on this forum, the equestrians really don't want to have any dialogue with us or share trail maintenance responsibilities. So for grins, I searched around the net to find out a little more about what it takes to maintain the equestrian lifestyle. I went to equisearch.com's forum to find out what the cost of maintaining a horse is. It looks like the average is $400 - $500 per month, on top of buying clothing & other accesories. For a working class mountain biker like me, that's a truck payment! Compared to mountain biking, it costs WAY more a month to maintain a horse. I'm sure there are mtb'ers that race who potentially spend that amount monthly. My guess is that since mountain biking is more accessible to more people due to the lower costs, Equis' probably feel like a minority - and therefore feel THREATENED by mountain biking advocacy. It seems to me that the real long-term solution to this is empathy for one another's "sport". Maybe a "take an equi mountain biking" or "take a mtn biker horseback riding" event? I'm sure I would have to do more research on this forum to see if some outreach to the equestrian community has been taking place. In the meantime, I will continue to contact my local reps and let them know what my stance is on HB 4684. Well, that's my $0.02

[irishpitbull]

Do horses also avoid cattleguards? Maybe all MTB trails can have small versons of these at the entrance to the trails- you can roll across this easily on a bike

The downside to something like this would come if there are multiple entry points on the trail. I'm thinking of Addison, which has quite a few intersections of the MTB trail with the horse trails. Building and maintaining that many "horse gates" would be non-feasible.

It's not as much a matter of 'the downside to this solution' as much as it's a 'good solution that wouldn't apply to every situation'.

These would be a great solution. We used them in Georgia to keep 4 legged sh1t factories off the MTB trails. I wouldn't use flat one tho. I would use something like this:



No digging required, and would cost around $250-$300 in treated lumber. Steel would be a little more and I can provide a welder.

[Di_bear]

spokeywheeler, as a former equestrian of 15 years, I can tell you that $500 per month is a generous estimate for one or even two horses. We didn't pay nearly that. Sure, if you want the blingy lifestyle, then you're going to pay for it, just like with biking. There's also a huge difference between pricey boarding stables and keeping your horse on your property.

Having had three horses in my family, we didn't pay nearly as much for any of those horses as I had on any of the four bikes I purchased. The bikes also cost quite a bit for maintenance and the accessories are pretty pricey.

What it really comes down to isn't all equestrians versus mountain bikers (the Michigan Horse Council supports the MMBA and is advocating on our behalf), but a small group of elitist equestrians who don't want to do any of the work that the MMBA or various MHC organizations do (most MHC clubs are just like the MMBA when it comes to trail development and maintenance, but our trails don't cross so we know little about each other). This current bill is very Pigeon River centric and is supported by a legislator with a chip on his shoulder against the DNR. It's an incredibly selfish bill.