Historic Shaker Village Site of Equestrian Trails Conservation Workshop

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Lexington, KY, June 13, 2012 – The historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg, Kentucky will be the site of a trails conservation workshop associated with the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference (SETC).  SETC is a two-day conference established thirteen years ago, and will be held in Lexington, Kentucky on July 13-14, 2012. The Shaker Village workshop will be held on July 12, 2012 as an optional pre-conference offering.

Shaker Village is a National Historic Landmark on 3000 acres of rolling Central Kentucky farmland, located about 25 miles southwest of Lexington. The Village is managed as a private nonprofit.

While horses have been ridden on trails there for years, recently some unique partnerships established with the local Back Country Horsemen groups, as well as fox-hunting and driving organizations.  These partnerships have resulted in not only more trail mileage, but an appreciation by the Village management of the value of equestrian tourism, the enhancement of the historic atmosphere when horses are present, and the benefits of trail planning and maintenance when working closely with local horsemen.

Edith Conyers, President of the statewide Kentucky Back Country Horsemen, noted, “Our goal for all trails in Kentucky is to develop strong working relationships with land owners and managers, to appreciate and assist with their objectives and concerns.  The Shaker Village partnership is an excellent model for what can happen when equestrian trail riders partner with land management to benefit both the groups and the land resource we all use.”

Hosted by the Kentucky Horse Council, SETC is unique among trail conferences in its focus on conservation education.  Advocates who support this conference believe that horse trails will be sustained into the future only if horsemen understand and protect the natural resource upon which they ride.

Registration and a detailed agenda for the SETC conference can be found at www.southeasternequestriantrails.com. Additional optional activities on July 12th include a Horses & History tour to showcase some of Lexington’s renowned equine farms and facilities.

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY HORSE COUNCIL – The Kentucky Horse Council is a non-profit organization dedicated, through education and leadership, to the protection and development of the Kentucky equine community. The Kentucky Horse Council provides educational programs and information, personal liability insurance, trail riding advocacy, horse show support, and an annual statewide equine industry directory. The specialty Kentucky Horse Council license plate, featuring a foal lying in the grass, provides the primary source of revenue for KHC programs.

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