WINSLOW, Ark — Arkansas horse owners who like to trail ride, have a long lineage of dedication to this past time.
There are many groups dedicated to it and many enjoy the rugged terrain of Devil's Den State Park, located just west of Winslow.
Within the state park, there is a camping site dedicated to horses and their owners that offers horse trails.
Many people who belong to these different horse groups say while they like to visit the camp, they've noticed the maintenance has been neglected.
5NEWS reached out to Arkansas Parks Department to ask about the issue and if it has a solution planned.
“I have been riding here since I was 8 years old. I am now 45," said Cynthia Edmunson, a board member of Northwest Arkansas Cavalcade. Her family visits the camp often, along with hundreds of others who meet at the camp to take off on a trail ride.
Edmunson says she hopes this issue can be fixed for generations to come.
“When you bring other generations into this, it helps children gain self-confidence. It helps them communicate with other adults. It helps them learn responsibilities because they are responsible for their horse that is here. There are lots of wonderful life lessons that can come from this. Our hope is that we can create a great facility that can support this into future generations rather than being lost in our generation.” said Edmunson.
Groups like the members of Northwest Arkansas Cavalcade said the horse camp is in need of serious repairs.
Here is a list of issues the members point out:
- Camping spots are tight and often too close together to park horse trailers.
- There's not much room to put a horse on a tie.
- Rugged terrain and vegetation get in the way of an ideal situation for their horses.
- Roads within the campground are washed out, making it hard to get horse trailers safely into a parking/camping spot.
“If you drop your tires off in here, then you are going to tear your bumpers off,” Edmunson said of the erosion at the campsite.
Edmunson recently captured a video while riding the horse trails at Devil's Den. It shows overgrown areas on the horse trails and often washed-out or unmaintained trails.
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The pictures she captured also show biking trails in the same area that seem to be well-maintained.
Groups like those in Northwest Arkansas Cavalcade said they've approached park rangers and park superintendents about the concerns.
“They've been honest with me about their capabilities and what they can do. They pass things on. They forward my emails to Little Rock,” said Helen Hicks, vice president of Northwest Arkansas Cavalcade.
Although a group pavilion is currently under construction at the site, riders say it's been years since anything has been done.
Shea Lewis, the director of Arkansas State Parks, says the manager of operations recently visited the site to look at improvements.
“The idea or concept is to get the pavilion finished. Let that construction take place. Once that construction is complete, then start addressing some of these other issues in the campground,” Lewis said.
Lewis says planned improvements include renovating the bathhouse and installing heating and cooling, updating picnic tables, adding fire rings and adding hitching posts to tie horses and gravel repairs to campsites.
Though funding has not been designated for these projects, Lewis said it would come from maintenance and operations budgets at the park level.
There is currently no timeline for the project, group members said they hope it's soon and they'll keep an eye on the progress.
"We highly recommend that you get equine enthusiasts and horse people involved in the planning because the things that might seem obvious to an engineer or architect or planner, is not convenient and feasible for somebody actually handling a horse or maintain a horse in good health and safety," Edmunson said.
Lewis offered several ways people can reach out to voice any concerns or ideas.
"One thing I would say is that we are always looking at ways to improve our guest experiences within Arkansas State Parks. Anytime visitors or guests have a comment they can report those to the park's superintendent. They can provide that through the visitor center or if they want to reach out to our central office or reach out to me directly. I have spoken with several volunteers with the equestrian groups, and they are important to us. and we are excited about making these improvements."
Funding for these projects ultimately comes from taxpayers through a one-eighth of one cent conservation sales tax.
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