We at the TROT family are sad to announce former Trot President and Board Member Ron McNab has passed away. We wish him and those that loved him the deepest of our sorrow and hope his memory brings them joy in this time of loss.

Beginning on April 15, 2024, the east side access gate to Piney Run Park will be closed to vehicular traffic until further notice.  This will allow this area of the park to environmentally recover given its heavy use in recent years.  This access gate will continue to provide equestrian parking, since it is not permitted at the main park entrance.  The main park entrance located at 30 Martz Road is available for regular vehicular traffic…

We are still looking for volunteers for trail work days, event coordination, action committee, county representatives, technology support, design and image support, ride leaders, etc. Contact trotactivity@yahoo.com if interested.

MoCo Parks is building a new trial along Clarksburg Road in Little Bennett. It will connect the town to the main riding area. Our mountain biking friends could use some help doing finish work on this machine built trail smoothing and cutting out roots. If Interested, please sign up at Golden Volunteer at https://x.gldn.io/e/5loslr5YOLb

On Saturday, July 27th TROT members, Courtney Frye and Sandra Bourdeaux, joined forces with Iron Bridge Hunt Club members, Ann Moxley and Hanna Wharton, to reopen a beautiful ambling trail around the main pond in Patuxent River State Park. Read more about it in our next newsletter. We could use as much help as possible clearing trails here (Trails off Annapolis Rock parking area) since this is a designated wilderness area of DNR. If you…

What are they looking for? 1. Rebuilding or rehabilitation services for the equestrian property that includes a currently unsafe barn. The property has outdoor riding rings, paddocks and riding trails. 2. A manager/ management services so they can understand the market for these services. Does this request sound a little off? It might be because WSSC is in the business of water management in the area and just happen to own a horse farm and…

On June 9th, the MOHSS in Howard County, has chosen TROT as their charity recipient. Thank you so much to Kayla Dustin for choosing us! Please go out and support this show. It will be at Schooley Mill Park at 8 AM. https://mohssinfo.com/show-dates

TROT has again donated $100 for the portable toilet at Morgan Run NEA Ben Rose Lane. Carolyn A. Garber, Secretary of Carroll County Equestrian Council, thanks us for our continued financial support. Please remember, in order to keep the trails open and accessible, the Carroll County Equestrian Council has scheduled monthly trail work days, as approved by Patapsco Valley State Park management.  The dates appear on the website (www.carrollcountyequestriancouncil.org) and Facebook (Carroll County Equestrian Council…

Announcing TROT’s new Secretary! Trail Riders of Today (TROT) member, Sandra Bourdeaux, upon learning that the position was open, offered to step in and fill the role. At the April meeting, Sandra volunteered to create and run TROT’s new Mailchimp account to provide expe-dient email outreach for the membership. While discussing the details of that project, TROT President Car-olann Tackenberg Sharpe, mentioned that the Secretary role was open. Sandra immediately offered to help. “I used…

April 30, 2024 Dear Potomac Horse Center Community, It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing the permanent closing of Potomac Horse Center (PHC),effective Monday, July 22, 2024. PHC is planning for lessons to continue uninterrupted through June16th, which is the last day of our Late Spring session. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold camp. Should PHC need to adjust this timeline we will let you know. Since 2017, PHC has tried to…

Check out the new Horse Trails of America Website. www.horsetrailsofamerica.com Please add your favorite trails. (There is a free membership available.) Let us know what you think.

The historic Potomac Horse Center (PHC, opened in the 1950s by Frederick G. Harding) is part of the public/private partnerships of open space and facilities owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The leasee is the current owner of the business known as the Potomac Horse Center, which first executed its lease in 1993 on already 30-year-old infrastructure.  With help from the community, the leasee has already privately raised and invested $300,000…

Firstly, thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. We really appreciate it and you chose some fabulous new board members. Please help me welcome:  Meaghan McDermott from Howard County. She has a beautiful Morgan mare named P.K. and rides a lot at Patapsco. She has legal experience and would like to support equestrian trails and more regular group rides.  Suzannah Kolbeck from Baltimore City. She has a lovely quarter horse gelding named…

Thanks to a Maryland Horse Industry Board Grant and Trail Riders of Today additional financing, we were able to complete installing a 2 new mounting block and 2 new hitching post in Patapsco State Park. Thanks enormously to Kahler Fence and to Four Dogs Construction for their contributions in this endeavor. You can find these in the McKeldin (close proximity to horse trailer parking) and Avalon (newar shelter 104) areas near the bathrooms. Convenient right?…

Water is a major factor – if not THE most significant factor – that causes trail erosion. This damage can be compounded by temperatures fluctuating above and below freezing in what is known as a “freeze-thaw cycle.” This happens as moisture in the dirt freezes and expands, creating a porous texture, rather than the firmly-compacted, solid surface riders and hikers expect of Patapsco’s well-maintained trails. Freeze-thaw cycles on their own can cause compacted trails to…