We are excited to announce that recently TROT has been awarded a Maryland Horse Industry Board Grant to improve equestrian trails. The focus of the grant is to improve bridge traction at one of the favorite equestrian trail systems in Montgomery County, Little Bennet, by adding a non-slip surface to improve horse and rider confidence in the crossings. Little Bennett Regional Parks is unique in that it offers one of the few horse trailer camping…
MD General Assembly in Session – Jan-April
TROT is reviewing the following legislation. Horse or Trail Related State Wide: Right to Ride – SB 345/HB 116 State Wide: Great Maryland Outdoors Act – SB 541Maryland the Beautiful Act- trust for buying property for conservation purposes – SB 791/ HB 1031Horse Riding- Helmet Requirements for minors law – HB713Fair Hill Improvement Fund – 1.8 million to the special event area – HB 658/SB 538DNR tenants must maintain a border to allow access to…
Maryland Hunting Schedule 2021-2022
Check out the hunting seasons and dates in your county before your ride. https://dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide/Documents/Hunting_Seasons_Calendar.pdf
Choose TROT on Amazon Smile
If you use Amazon as much as many of us do, you can add TROT on Amazon Smile. When you purchase goods through Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to your favorite charitable organization, at no cost to you. Visit https://smile.amazon.com/ to make TROT your official charity today.
TROT ANNUAL GATHERING: PICNIC AT THE PARK (Rain or Shine) RSVP NOW Published on
Sunday August 8th, 2021 12 noon to 3pm – RSVP at trotactivity@yahoo.com by August 1st Patapsco Valley State Park, McKeldin Area (GPS Coordinates 39.35982-7689112) 11676 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104 McKeldin Pavilion #501 Due to the pandemic TROT was unable to hold its annual dinner but now is the perfect time to have a picnic ! Come and gather to see old riding buddies and meet new ones. A lot has happened in the last year,…
Letter from the Interim President
Dear Members of TROT, I am not going to dwell on the unexpected and unforeseeable events of 2020, both globally and internally. I took the position of Interim President because TROT was an organization that embraced my ideas and consistently appreciated my efforts. Whenever an idea came up on how we can best benefit our membership, the executives gave me the freedom to make it happen. This is what I found most remarkable about this…
Updates on COVID-19 from the Maryland Horse Council
Updates on COVID-19 from the Maryland Horse Council Hello TROT members, The Board and I hope you all are staying healthy in the times of COVID-19. I wanted to share the latest update from the Maryland Horse Council (MHC) with you. MHC is staying up to date with everything COVID-19 and sharing how the developments are affecting equestrians. We hope that this information is helpful for you! To download the full message from MHC, please…
Sponsorship information for the Annual Dinner
Trail Riders of Today 2020 Annual Meeting and Dinner February 15th, 2020 | Mount Airy, MD Celebrating 40 Years Originally founded in 1980 by a group of 22 Maryland riders seeking to save a single trail, Trail Riders Of Today (TROT) expanded into a 501(c)3 organization focusing on preservation and creation of sustainable equestrian trails throughout Maryland. TROT partners with local organizations, state government agencies, land developers, and the public at large to maintain, obtain,…
Message from the TROT President
Extreme Mountain Trail Clinic
TROT Presents Mountain Obstacle Course Double C Farm, LLC is Maryland’s first IMTCA certified course. This will be an instructor-led event with a maximum of 8 riders per session. Riding the obstacle course helps a horse and rider: Build a deeper partnership. Cultivate trust, respect, and confidence. Increase flexibility and agility. Develop better communication skills. And it’s FUN! The obstacles include Balance Beams, Rocks, Cross Bucks, Pond, Bridges, Teeter Totter, Texas Two Step, Cake Box,…
Get Ready to Ride!
So you want to go trail riding…. Good! I encourage you to. I happen to think it is one of the most fun things to do in the world. But, a little bit of planning and thought, will make the experience more fun and safe for you, and more importantly, your horse. Before you go.. Know where you are going. That seems simple, right? Map Quest, directions off the site, or plotting on a road…
Trail Etiquette for Equestrians
Trail Etiquette for Equestrians* Make sure your horse has the temperament and training for riding on congested public trails. Busy multi-use trails are not the proper place for schooling green horses. Advise other trail users of your horse’s temperament, e.g. a horse with a tendency to kick should always wear a red ribbon in the tail or a stallion should wear a yellow ribbon. Assume that not everyone will know what these ribbons mean, so…
Blue Mash Nature Trail
Website Map: Blue Mash Trail Location: 20400 Zion Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20882 Trail Length: 4 miles Trail Surface(s): Natural Trail Description: The shared use trails are primarily located in the large field areas on the western side of the landfill and in the forested land to the north of the landfill. Approximately 2.75 miles of trail is available for equestrian and cyclist use. Most of this will be part of a much larger planned greenway…
Sunday Hunting in Cecil County – Updates!
YEAR-ROUND SUNDAY HUNTING IN CECIL COUNTY ON PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LAND! A bill that would allow virtually year-round Sunday hunting of almost every species of game mammal and game bird on both private and public land has passed the House and moved over to the Senate. This bill (HB242), if it passes the Senate and is signed by the Governor, will become law. THIS MEANS IT IS VERY CLOSE TO PASSAGE, as the Senate is…
You, Your Horses, and Sunday Hunting!
YEAR-ROUND SUNDAY HUNTING IN ST. MARY’S COUNTY! A bill that would allow virtually year-round Sunday hunting of almost every species of game mammal and game bird has passed the Senate and moved over to the House. This bill (SB390), if it passes the House and is signed by the Governor, will become law. THIS MEANS IT IS VERY CLOSE TO PASSAGE, as the House is likely to approve it UNLESS THEY HEAR FROM YOU! If this…