Horses on The WCC Trails

On Friday, June 25th, horse hoof prints were noticed on 25% of the WCC Trails.  All of the access points to these trails are clearly marked with signs allowing CYCLING AND HIKING ONLY.  The horses are forbidden by the landowner on ALL the single track cycling trails. To inexperienced, these hoof prints might appear benign, but be assured they are very detrimental to the trails. They promote erosion by creating uneven trail surface, which can collect water. Then, with time, the cycling traffic exaggerates the initially tiny puddles, which from that point will only grow in size. The repair of such problem spots is incredibly tedious and labour intensive; very demoralizing for the volunteers that maintain the trails.

The cyclist and hikers can help us fight this problem by keeping an eye on trespassing horseback riders. If you see a trespass in progress, the following can be done:

- Talk to them and explain that they are trespassing and that they will be reported to the authorities

- Write down their horse trailer license plate if possible

- Call the police

- Any other information that will help the police identify the riders (cell phone pictures, etc) may be useful

- Email all the details including the date and time of the incident to: trails@waterloocyclingclub.ca