Dear FETA Members,
Who’s ready to ride? Your FETA board has worked diligently to coordinate with Trail Owners and volunteers to open a LIMITED NUMBER OF TRAILS following Hurricane Helene.
We have some things to review to keep everyone safe on the trails. There are a few things you need to know before you head out. Please take the time to read all of this and hear it as a friendly reminder of what we all have to do to make this work.
1. Only ride the marked trails - trails are marked with surveyors tape. You will see surveyors tape in what is called “confidence” intervals. If the trail requires a turn that isn’t obvious, it is indicated with three markers together.
2. DO NOT STRAY OFF MARKED TRAILS - non-marked trails are too numerous to mark with caution tape. If you do not feel confident of where to ride, go out with someone who knows the trails. Closed trails (the majority of the system) are not safe for people or horses.
3. If you see Caution tape, assume it indicates a closed area. Remember that actually closing a trail is difficult because workers still need to get past in vehicle to work trails.
4. As more trails become available you will notice there have been rerouting changes. Some of the old trails have too many trees down to make clearing a viable option. Those trails have been rerouted.
5. Even if you personally have cleared a trail, but do not own the land, the trail is closed. Trails can only be ridden by land owners or if the trail is opened by FETA. If a trail owner invites a FETA member over to ride a closed trail, the trail owner takes on ALL LIABILITY.
6. As always, if you go out on closed trails, you are trespassing and put the entire system at risk. We can not stress enough that the trails are on private property. This is not a park you are sneaking onto when it is closed. If the trail owners lose confidence in FETA’s ability to manage its members they simply close their trails. Riding closed trails hurts everyone. Please do not be selfish.
7. Check the open phone line or Facebook page daily. We hope to be opening more trails often. Volunteers and trail owners are doing a tremendous amount of work. As soon as your board can verify the safety of the trails we will open them up for fun.
So we have covered the tough stuff and can now move on to the fun information.
What is open as of Tuesday, October 15, 2024?
- The FENCE parking area is open:
- Riding across Hunting Country Rd to the Cross Country area, you can ride: Hardwood Trail, Creekside Trail, and Powerline Trail. These trails make a nice loop and are marked with pink ribbons.
- Riding under the I-26 overpass onto Mane Gate and following the markers (green and pink) you can ride a long loop of Mahlers Trail, Pete’s Pond, Tigger Trot, cross the creek and pick up Colby Trail, Big Drag, and back to the FENCE competition area.
- Also open to ride are the Connelly Creek Trails.
****Finally, a brief reminder that the jumps and the arenas at FENCE are closed to FETA riders.
Happy Trails Everyone!
Your FETA Board
P.S. See photos below of our wonderful board members and volunteers working diligently to get the FETA trails open!