The new year has started with the Venue Manager at Stromlo Forest Park advising that he is seeing people riding horses on the mountain bike tracks at the facility. This is beyond dangerous. The narrow windy mountain bike ‘single-tracks’ are not designed for other users. As attractive as they might look, horses are not welcome on them. They are designed for bikes to travel at speed. They are generally very narrow and steep with blind corners and have been purpose built with jumps, berms and other trail features. There is no guarantee a cyclist could stop if they suddenly came upon a horse or that there would be anywhere for a rider to go to get out of the way. If you love your horse DO NOT DO THIS.
There are many designated equestrian trails on Mount Stromlo and horses are welcome on all the fire trails. There are maps of the equestrian trails on the SFP website at http://www.stromloforestpark.com.au/maps. You can download these and take them with you. These same maps are also on the information boards at each of the equestrian entrances to the Park. Horses are also welcome on all the fire trails in West Stromlo which you can access from the western car park.
It is great to see a lot more horses at Stromlo since Forest Park Riding School moved next door and the venue management is welcoming of horses but they are also very safety conscious and it is unthinkable that equestrian access could, in the future, be restricted due to the unsafe actions of a few individuals. As the city’s open spaces fill up with houses all recreational groups increasingly have to share smaller spaces. This will only work if we all try to follow agreed protocols.
Let’s make 2018 the year of safe riding.
Please pass this message on to anyone you think needs to see it.