horses on the Katie Trail

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amanda from st.charles on 2/7/2007 3:56:27 PM:

I think that it is a shame that you can only ride your horse on certin parts of the Katie Trail. It kindof limits those who don`t have that kind of transpertion to get there horse down to that area. The Katie trail is less them 3 miles from my house, and alot of people are not aloud to ride there horse on it for the fear of getting in trouble bye the concervation department, or even the law! I wish that changes would be made for those of us who have horses; Could ride the historic Katie trail. Not just in that one area. I have seen other areas on the Katie Trail that could accomadate horses, and there trailers. If there is something that I can do to get this accomadation to ride my horse the katie trail. Please let me know. I thank you for you time.........Amanda

Nails on 2/7/2007 4:14:27 PM:

Silly suggestion aside, this sounds like a bogus post to entice flaming. It's full of misspellings that'll act as a convenient accelerant for the stereotypical Molotov cocktails that would be lobbed at it. IMHO, there are too many misspellings to be real.

Missouri Joe from O'Fallon, MO on 2/7/2007 7:26:59 PM:

Maybe it was written by a kid.

Mom who rides with her daughters from Lee's Summit on 2/10/2007 4:59:17 PM:

I would have no problems with horses, if the owners would be responsible about the droppings. Her in is the problem. The KATY trial is for hiking/biking and you are lucky that you can ride parts of it. Those of us that ride, do not want to be dodging droppings or driving thogh them. That is the main issue and it is why horses are nt allowed on msot the trail. There are so many horse trails around, that I don't see why there can't be specific bike trails where we do not have to deal with horse refuse or whatever you call it, as I have never seen it picked up.

Sedalian from Sedalia on 2/13/2007 5:55:04 PM:

I think the main problem with horses, from a cyclist's point of view, is not the droppings, but the hoof imprints in the trail surface. If the trail is the least bit soft, the hooves cause indents which cause difficulties for bikers. Maybe the parks dept could drag those parts of the trail on a more frequent schedule and that woould solve the problem.
I'd like us all to share the trail, so I wouldn't want to exclude horses, but I think they ought to be trained to accept others using the trail normally.

Anonymous on 2/13/2007 6:19:26 PM:

another one of the problems from what i have read on this forum is that the horse back riders take up the entire width of the trail riding side by side, instead of end to end, not letting the cyclists by, and showing no respect towards the bicyclists. i personally have no quarms with the ones riding the horses, but show the same respect towards the cyclists that the horse riders want. it is that simple.

Jason from Huntsville, AL on 2/16/2007 9:41:12 AM:

I have no issue with horses or the people that ride them. The simple fact of the matter though, is that horses and cyclists/walkers simply do not belong on the same trail together. I live in Alabama and we have our fair share of horses. I ride dirt bikes (i.e. motorcycle) also and come across horses quite a bit on "multi-use" trails. The dirt bikes terrify the horses and create all kinds of problems. Bicycles invoke some of the same emotion in horses and thus, does not create a pleasant situation. I have run across lots of people on horseback and my experience has been that the majority of them feel like they own the trail and do not want to get out of the way. The fact that they are on a multi-use trail does not support their attitude, especially when there is a horse only trail 2 miles down the road. Horses are dangerous creatures and can/will act very different around bicycles, dirt bikes, people, etc. Not to mention the fact that they do leave large hoof prints and droppings. My opinion is let the cyclists/walkers have their trail, the dirt bikers have their trail, and the horses have their trail. This is the safest and best way to go all around.

Wayne from OH on 2/17/2007 6:13:15 AM:

I have been on many trails that are shared by horses, the damage I saw on the KATY was minimal compared to some I have been on. There are some trails in OH and WV that are difficult to ride because of the hoof prints.

I do however have a question, Most every trail that I have shared with horses (KATY included if I recall correctly) have a yield progression sign. The bicyclist is at the bottom of the food chain yeilding to both the walker and the horseback rider. I understand the concept when approaching a horse traveling the opposite direction. However how is the progression susposed to work when approaching (overtaking)a horse traveling in the same direction as the cyclist? I have had this question ever since I began using multi-use trails four years ago, after seeing we have civil discussion on the subject here I thought it safe to ask my question .

missouri tourist on 2/17/2007 1:26:13 PM:

wayne, the way i understand it, and i could be incorrect, the horses and their owners / riders should allow the cyclist to pass so as not to spook the horses, basically, being respectful to each other. problem is, from what i have read, the horse owners on the western end of the katy trail kinda thinx they own the trail and will not allow the cyclists to pass. they ride side by side instead of end to end. basically, the cyclists is stuck behind the horses as long as the owners / riders want them back there.

i have ridden my motorcycle past horses in the past in my home town, and with out problems. each simply respected the others area, and i turned my motorcycle off as i passed, recieving thanx from the horse owners and the horses weren't spooked.

simply put, respect each other and there will be no problems. but it has to go both ways.

happy bikin folks

Anonymous from Jonesboro, AR on 2/23/2007 11:54:27 AM:

I've ridden both horses and bicycles most of my life. They do not mix. My experience with the horses and their riders on the west end of the KATY was very unpleasant. The riders were rude, arrogant, and totally blocked the trail. It will keep me from ever biking that portion again.

Jm Doyle from Eastern Kansas on 3/4/2007 8:11:55 AM:

Horses and their riders rarely mix with foot and cycle traffic. They could, but I really don't think they care about the rest of us users (bikes are viewed as mechanized travel instead of the hiking accessory they really are). My local experience has been a lot of trail destruction by heavy footed users (bikes pack by rolling the trail - horses make a deep chop), very little assistance for trail maintenance, and a lobby that is formidable. If the horse lobby wants the KATY they will probably get it over time. I plan to ride it end to end again this year. Once horses take it over, I'll take my money elsewhere. BTW, I we two horses ridden responsibly by my wife and daughter. Fences, hooves, and hay maintained by me. Please keep the KATY clean and smooth.

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