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Allen County partnership announces new horse trail in southeast

Members of the partnership ride their horses up to where the planned trail will be on Paulding Road in Southeast Allen County on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
ELLA ABBOTT
/
WBOI
Members of the partnership ride their horses up to where the planned trail will be on Paulding Road in Southeast Allen County on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

A joint partnership and grant funds are bringing horse riding trails to southeast Allen County.

The public/private partnership is between the Allen County Commissioners, Three Rivers Horse Trails and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Using the grant funds, a 3-acre trailhead with parking for trucks and horse trailers and convenience facilities will be constructed at the 5400 block of Paulding Road.

Three Rivers Horse Trails President Lynn Sroufe said if people want to ride their horses currently, in Allen County, there aren’t many options for safe trails. She said she does endurance riding herself.

A map of the proposed horse trail.
ELLA ABBOTT
/
WBOI
A map of the proposed horse trail.

“I’ve gotta ride along the edge of the road," Sroufe said. "And, if you’ve ever ridden a bike on the road or walked on the road, you know, people don’t want to do that. And you don’t want to ride on concrete or asphalt either.”

Sroufe said this will give people somewhere nearby and safe to ride on a designated trail.

The trail will also feature handicapped accessible mounting, so it can be used for therapeutic riding by the therapy barns in the area.

The grant funds come from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in the amount of $250,000, with matching funds of $62,500 from Allen County.

The site will encompass approximately 200 acres, with 5 miles of horse trails and equestrian obstacles for training.

Ella Abbott is a multimedia reporter for 89.1 WBOI. She is a strong believer in the ways audio storytelling can engage an audience and create a sensory experience.
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