I have heard people argue for closing trails, or not providing public facilities (like trailer parking areas in state parks), because “those equestrians are rich, and why should we give them anything at all?”
Most are far from rich. Many are retired and just getting by, teenagers, or average Joes working several jobs to be able to have a horse. Most horse facilities are built on a shoestring budget, and are held together with bailing twine and ingenuity. They are not the rare “exclusive” barns you see on TV.
Horses are expensive, but so are RVs and ATVs, and you never hear the whole “those people are a bunch of rich snobs – they shouldn’t be allowed here” argument about them.
If public lands are closed to horses, then yes, only rich people who own their own land will be able to ride. But how many “soccer families” do you know who could afford to let their kids play soccer if they had to build a pitch on their own property? It would become “only for the rich” too.
Please work for equestrian access to trails and public lands.
