Horseback riders enjoy trails in the regional parks
Jeanne Strand likes Crow Hassan Regional Park Reserve for trail riding because “it sets my horses up for success.”
Fall is a great season for trail riding on the open prairie at Elm Creek Park Reserve. (Photo courtesy Three Rivers Park District)
Strand, a resident of rural Princeton, trains horses at her farm. The variety of trails through both woods and prairie at Crow Hassan allows her to choose a trail suited to the age and experience of the horse she is riding on any given day.
“Sometimes a younger horse will get nervous in woods,” she explained. “On the open prairies at Crow Hassan, a horse has good visibility.” The park also has shorter and longer trail loops, giving Strand the time flexibility for riding that she needs.
Crow Hassan is one of 10 regional parks that feature horseback riding trails. While riding represents a small share of total park activities, the people who enjoy it tend to be quite passionate.
Trail riding close to home
“The regional parks are a wonderful option for horseback riding,” said Jennifer Lucus, a Minneapolis resident who boards her horse in Grant Township. “Accessibility is such a big thing. They’re just a short trailer ride away.”
When Lucus is not taking a longer camping and riding trip, she likes to ride at Lake Elmo Regional Park in Washington County. “It has quite a bit of variety in terrain,” she said. “My horse gets bored easily and he likes the variety. The trails have several offshoots to them.
Ten regional parks and park reserves in the seven-county metro area features horse trails. View larger map (pdf).
“It’s a natural environment, and not so wearing on the horse’s hooves,” she said.
Rosie Meyer, Lake Elmo, also enjoys riding in the park. She and a friend recently took their six-year-old granddaughters to camp and ride there.
“We have buddy saddles so the girls could ride in back of us on the horses,” Meyer said. “We took a ride each day. And they were able to play in the park. They had lots of space to run around.”
Horseback riding becoming more popular
Use of horse trails in the parks overall appears to be steady or increasing. For example, in Washington County, horse trail usage has been stable for the last few years, said Lori Meyers, parks coordinator.
On the other side of the metro, however, the sale of annual trail passes in Three Rivers Park District (suburban Hennepin County) rose from 1,300 in 2005 to 1,700 in 2009, according to Tom McDowell, associate superintendent of recreation and education.
Visits to parks in Three Rivers for horseback riding are estimated at 26,000 this year, up from 20,000 in 2003, he said.
“Horseback riding was one of the first uses in our parks,” McDowell said. “Most of what we’re doing is maintaining the designated horse trails that have been in existence since the parks were established.”
Occasionally a trail segment has been closed due to lack of use, however, more often Three Rivers has made changes to improve the sustainability of the trails, he said.
A young rider guides a horse out the barn at Bunker Park Stable. (Photo courtesy Bunker Park Stable)
As trail use has increased, so has congestion in parking lots.
“We’ve been improving parking lots to create more and separate parking for horse trailer rigs,” McDowell said. That’s a change that Strand really appreciates.
“Crow Hassan is very user-friendly,” she said. “It has a huge parking lot that you can get in and out of easily. There’s a wellhead at the parking lot so your horse can get a good drink on a hot, dry day. And they have outhouses throughout the park.”
Lessons and trail rides at Bunker Hills
For people who like horses but don’t own one, Bunker Hills Regional Park in Anoka County has the answer – a public riding stable that offers riding lessons and trail rides in the park.
Trail rides are popular with a wide demographic, said Kris Kelly, co-owner of Bunker Park Stable. “It’s a great family activity,” she said. “We often have older adults – ages 70 and up – who come with their adult children and grandchildren. It’s a low impact form of exercise, and you can enjoy the company of the people you are with.”
Trail rides at Bunker Hills are also a popular way for someone to propose marriage, Kelly said. “It becomes a very memorable thing that way.”
The trail guides know a lot about the wildlife in the park, and many people enjoy seeing wildlife and learning more about it from horseback, she said.
Bunker Hills saw a surge in trail riding this year. “Because of the economy, people stayed closer to home for their vacations,” Kelly said. “Bunker Hills offers a way to feel that you are far from home. We have the stables, the wave pool, the golf course – and the campground is phenomenal.”
Horses: A tool for good community relations
Members of the Three Rivers Park District Mounted Patrol greet visitors in Elm Creek Park Reserve. (Photo courtesy Three Rivers Park District)
Visitors to parks in the Three Rivers Park District – especially during a big event – are likely to encounter the park police on horseback.
“We’ve got the oldest and longest-running mounted police operation in the State of Minnesota,” said Ed Rudenberg, park police sergeant in charge of the mounted police unit. The unit was started in 1980 when two members of the park police were selected to attend an 11-week training in Washington, D.C. They returned and developed a local training program.
The unit currently has six certified riders who patrol for 10 to 20 hours a week on horseback.
“In the earlier days we focused on searches for missing and lost people, keg beer parties and off-road violations,” Rudenberg explained. “Over time we figured out that the most effective use of our unit is to be in the center of activity at our swimming beaches, campgrounds, picnic areas and at special events.”
For example, the park district’s annual raptor release event attracts up to 4,000 people. Being up on horseback helps officers to spot potential problems and prevent them. In addition, the sheer size of the horses is a deterrent to criminal activity, he said.
The mounted police may be one of the district’s best community relations tools. “We’re helping people to feel safe and comfortable,” Rudenberg said.
“When you get out on a horse, riding among the people, it’s such a friendly and cheerful environment,” he said. “The interaction with everyone is really positive.”