Horse lovers thrilled over a possible new horse trail in Southold will have to wait just a while longer to see if the plan will get the green light from the town board.
At today’s town board work session, Jim McMahon, Jeff Standish and John Sepenoski discussed the proposal for a trail on the Forestbrook property, located off the North Bayview Extension, in the area known as Hog’s Neck.
The plan was first discussed last week as Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell met with town staffers and local horse enthusiasts near the 25-acre parcel.
McMahon said the land had a “bit of history” with the proposed use, with an existing trail created by the town’s department of public works years ago; the town cleaned up a debris field, including bottles and bedsprings in the pond, a few years earlier.
The land was purchased by the town in 2004 for just under $1 million, Russell said. “It’s been there for 11 years and it’s not usable by the public in its current state,” he said.
After a recent issue with Suffolk County putting the brakes on horseback riding at Cedar Beach, Russell said this plan was brought to his attention by Standish and Sepenoski, leading him to think maybe the town should “revisit” the idea of a trail.
Last week, Russell said he met with horse owners to determine the feasibility of the project; the original intent of the purchase was to preserve the land for open space and passive use.
Sepenoski said he felt with “enough governance and controls,” a horse trail would be consistent with passive use.
The idea would be to allow for one or two parking spaces and a pre-determined number of horses allowed on the trail at one time.
Councilwoman Jill Doherty asked how the town could ensure that a crowd wasn’t parking and that a large group of horse owners didn’t head for the trail at the same time.
She suggested horse owners might register with the town and said signage could be erected, listing the rules.
Russell said a kiosk might also be created to dispense information about the trail.
Sepenoski said for him, the “wild card” was that the trail had already been created in 2007; work stopped when it was determined that a management plan for the parcel was needed first.
All that’s needed to do is to clean up some felled trees and branches, he said. Justice Louisa Evans asked if the town’s DPW would care for the property; Sepenoski said they would.
Standish said the land preservation committee had called for the management plan to be in place before the completion of the trail.
Resident Jill Franke, he said, has been advocating for the trail for years. Recently, she and fellow horse owner Cindy Hilary called to see if the trail idea could be revived.
“I would like to see it become a horse trail,” he said, adding that most people who would bring horses would walk them directly from their nearby homes, with no trailers involved.
“The property is just sitting there,” Russell said. “Taxpayers paid $1 million for it to sit for 11 years unused.” The land is now overgrown, he said; the purpose of the land was to create passive use for the public.
Doherty agreed the land is a “perfect place” for a horse trail. With the plans so far to include only horses, Doherty asked how to keep hikers out.
She said she believed local horse owners would police themselves, but a plan needed to be in place in case of problems.
Russell said a schedule could be created and if problems did pop up, the town could revisit the issue and say they wouldn’t allow for horses in the future.
Councilman Jim Dinizio said on Cedar Beach, horse owners all thought the Pony Swim was a great idea and all had fun, “but it was not allowed. We need to set the rules.”
Russell said he believes most horse owners from western Suffolk have trails, whereas in Southold, there are none. “It’s a huge difference.”
The board agreed a registry would be a good idea; horse owners would also have to pick up after themselves following the rides.
Most riders, extended the privilege of a trail, will self-police, Russell said.
Sepenoski said a sign could be put up. He asked if the board could vote on the creation of the trail tonight, and then later, send the proposal to land preservation for input on the management plan, since no horse riding will be allowed until February, anyway.
Approving the trail’s creation tonight would give DPW the time to get out and work while the weather is still good.
At the very least, a hiking trail would be created, he said. If the trail was okayed, a schedule could be worked out, possibly, that could include both horseback riding and hiking, with separate times for each, he said.
Russell said he’d rather have a discussion with the land preservation committee first and suggested the board vote on the trail’s creation at the next monthly meeting on the 20th.
The trail would be the first and only horse trail in town; although there have been trails in years’ past, currently, none exist.
The project would be completed at no cost to the town, Standish said.
Sepenoski said the plan would be just for a horse trail, with no jumps, no races, and no mountain biking allowed.
The area would be used for hunting for four months per year and as a horse trail for the rest, he said.
For Franke, who began working on the idea 10 years ago, pitching the proposal to former DPW director Jim McMahon, the idea was exhilarating. “I’m ecstatic,” she said. “It’s been a long time. We’re just so happy to possibly have it.”
Hilary agreed. “I’m really excited about it,” she said, adding that she recently rescued a baby horse from slaughter; the trail would provide a therapeutic place for training. “It would be great for him.”
Both Franke and Hilary agreed the trail would be a godsend for local horse enthusiasts who have nowhere in town to ride, especially since a spike in traffic has made traversing the roads treacherous.
“This is a dream come true for us,” Hilary said.
Of having to wait for the vote, Franke said yesterday, “I am disappointed that they postponed it, but I understand. It’s been ten years in the making so two weeks longer shouldn’t make a big difference.”
Franke said she believes the trail should be for Southold residents only and dedicated solely to those riding horses. As it stands, she said, “There is nothing in town for horses.”
She agreed horse owners would self-police. “We don’t want to lose the only place that will be ours.We are so grateful to finally have this.”
Both Franke and Hilary said with nothing set in stone so far, they’d be happy to continue to meet and discuss plans. Both were happy to have met with the supervisor and town staffers last week and thanked them for taking the time to come out to the parcel. “We look forward to working with them in the near future, to answer any of their concerns,” Franke said, adding that she’d be happy to help the town board and land preservation committee in any way possible.
Russell said he thought the trail was a good idea. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to provide a place for horse owners to enjoy,” he said, adding that opportunities in town have long been limited and no trails are currently in existence. “We have our preserves for this very purpose,” he said.
