Trail Symposium Features Conservation, Proper Use of Trails

Presentations at the Horse Expo Trail Symposium are structured to educate horse people about the use and expansion of multi-use trails. Created to inform horse owners of the on-going and pressing issues facing the preservation of trails, the Symposium offers a forum to share ideas and effective actions needed to keep our trails open and used properly. Environmental and political issues will also be addressed, as well as horse safety, proper packing techniques, and campfire cooking.
The Symposium will be orchestrated by announcer and horseman Wayne Williams.
This year’s line-up includes:

MANAGING BACK COUNTRY EMERGENCIES / Dan Marus
This presentation focuses on how to deal with an emergency situation in the back country. Topics will include: How to plan your trip; what supplies to take; how to stabilize and evaluate a situation; how to make a rescue plan; where and how to get help.
Dan Marus has been a member of Back Country Horsemen of California since 1996 and has been packing with mules for 17 years. He is trained as an Emergency Room RN and was director for paramedic and disaster services. He is currently a Fire Engineer, member of Technical Rescue Team, and was a member of National Ski Patrol for 16 years.

HORSE KEEPING FOR CLEAN WATER / Michael Murphy
This seminar offers tips on dealing with mud, manure and erosion on horse ranches and stables. Discussions include ways to deal with clean water issues and how to keep creeks and water ways clean and your horses healthy. The presenter encourages people to bring their problems to the presentation.
Michael Murphy has a degree in Environmental Planning. He has completed a study of 50 horse ranches for Marin County Storm Water Pollution Prevention. He is the regional coordinator for the Council of Bay Area Resource Conservation District’s Equine Project, Founding President of Sonoma County Horse Council, National Director of Back Country Horsemen, and a member of Sonoma and Marin Animal Resource Management Committee. Michael is the owner and operator of a boarding facility with 60 horses.

SHRINKING WILDERNESS TRAIL OPPORTUNITIES / Bruce De Mott
As many horse people have experienced, trails are being closed to equestrian use, and keeping existing trails open and maintained continues to be a challenge. This presentation will cover topics such as: Status of trails; What did congress say?; What is the Forest Service’s emphasis on wilderness?; Where is it all going?; What can we do?; Who’s doing what?
Bruce De Mott is a land surveyor licensed with the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, He has spent years in wilderness research, has developed Forest Service manuals, and has a vast history with legislation.

DUTCH OVEN COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS / Julie Hahn
Julie Hahn and friends will be conducting on-going demonstrations of Dutch oven cooking. Recipes include everything from easy to extravagant and elegant! Stop by and check the menu for taste tests and how-to!

PACKINGSTRINGS AND STOCK IN THE FOREST SERVICE / Ken Graves
From its beginning in 1907, the U.S. Forest Service used stock and pack stock to manage America’s back country. In those days, most of the lands managed by the Forest Service were back country; there were few roads, and most of those led to towns. Everywhere else was supplied by a trail system, and all supplies to ranches, homesteads and government agencies had to be packed in by mule and horse. Supplies could be as simple as food, or as complex as materials needed to build powerline towers or bridges.
Today, inside America’s Wilderness Areas horses and mules are still the best way to get gear and supplies to projects. In 1910 there were strings of horses and mules on every district in the Forest Service, but now there are only a few left. The packers of today are trying to hold on to that history and knowledge by passing it on.
At the Expo, U.S. Forest Service packer Ken Graves from the Shasta Trinity Forest will demonstrate and discuss the history and methods of packing. Diamond hitches, lumber packing, fire packing and handling stock in the back country will be discussed.

HORSE CAMPING AND WEED SEED FREE HAY / Bonnie Davis
An avid trail rider and horsecamper for more than 40 years, Bonnie Davis’s knowledge of trails and open space is utilized in her articles and lectures, and she is often consulted by various agencies to help develop and maintain trails and horse camps. Utilizing her experience and down-to-earth expertise, her presentations on horse camping have been presented to associations and groups in many states.

TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE / John and Deb Fox
With the number of horses on the roads and trails increasing every year, there has been an increase in the number of emergency incidents involving large animals. Large animal rescue incidents can be resolved with technical skills applied with an understanding of horse behavior and characteristics.
The Large Animal Rescue Company, led by John and Deb Fox, offers an 8-hour course that teaches the students rescue concepts, scene management, operations, and equipment. It covers trailer-incidents, trail-incidents and stable-incidents. Rescuer safety is emphasized throughout the class, and students will be taught the safety and danger zones around the animals. Large animals are dynamic and unpredictable. In stressful situations they act and react differently. Rescuers need to be prepared for these unpredictable reactions. The equipment and systems used need to be adaptable to these changes.