Horse Riding in The Dial Range
Coast to Cradle Wild Country
Horse riding is currently permitted (Ref. Dial Range Recreation Management Plan)
-On open roads and vehicle tracks in the Regional Reserves and Nature Recreation Area.
-On the vehicle track south of Mount Lorymer, if private property access is granted.
-Prohibited in State Reserves (ie: Ferndene and Mount Montgomery)
The current opportunities for both horse and rider to safely enjoy the Dial Range are limited. Over time, with an increase in traffic (4WD’s, cars, motorbikes, trucks and heavy machinery), this access has generally become too dangerous for your average horse rider and, in many places, unsuitable for nervous riders, those lacking confidence and horses or ponies who are growing accustomed to new areas, sights and sounds.
Much of the current allowed space for horse riding is multiple use. The roads are either too degraded or too steep to be safely negotiated. The shared roads with mountain bikes, motor bikes and vehicles is clearly unsafe being that horses are flight animals and easily spooked. Many other road users lack the knowledge or understand the potential fatal ramifications of their actions with a lack of responsibility in using a shared space with horses and riders. (As has been thoroughly documented by local horse people from the area in recent times.)
Currently, there is limited safe opportunity for horse riders in some areas of the North West Coast and more specifically, we lack safe and appropriate spaces locally to Penguin, even though many of us live in or around the Dial Range.
Future State
An ideal Management Plan for the Dial Range would protect and enhance the natural and cultural assets of the Range, while identifying new infrastructure and unique experiences to offer the community and to all users, with a range of abilities.
We would pave the way for more educational experiences to cater for people with all abilities, while empowering the youth of the North West Coast to engage with their local environment now and into the future.
By providing more nature-based tourism experiences through the Dial, we are enabling more opportunities for the community to get outdoors, get active, get into nature and connect with friends and family in our beautiful region.
Where appropriate, the diverse landscape of the Dial Range should offer the opportunity for exploration and adventure for horse riders with designated horse riding “only” trails, while specifically keeping the safety of horses and their riders at the forefront. In balancing the environmental, cultural and social aspects of the Dial Range with the needs of all users, we could overcome the complexities and enhance the region's tourism industry as well.
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Do you want to have your say about the future of the Coast to Cradle Wild Country? Fill out the community survey here: https://kuno.earth/articles/community-survey-coast-to-cradle
Horse riding is currently permitted (Ref. Dial Range Recreation Management Plan)
-On open roads and vehicle tracks in the Regional Reserves and Nature Recreation Area.
-On the vehicle track south of Mount Lorymer, if private property access is granted.
-Prohibited in State Reserves (ie: Ferndene and Mount Montgomery)
The current opportunities for both horse and rider to safely enjoy the Dial Range are limited. Over time, with an increase in traffic (4WD’s, cars, motorbikes, trucks and heavy machinery), this access has generally become too dangerous for your average horse rider and, in many places, unsuitable for nervous riders, those lacking confidence and horses or ponies who are growing accustomed to new areas, sights and sounds.
Much of the current allowed space for horse riding is multiple use. The roads are either too degraded or too steep to be safely negotiated. The shared roads with mountain bikes, motor bikes and vehicles is clearly unsafe being that horses are flight animals and easily spooked. Many other road users lack the knowledge or understand the potential fatal ramifications of their actions with a lack of responsibility in using a shared space with horses and riders. (As has been thoroughly documented by local horse people from the area in recent times.)
Currently, there is limited safe opportunity for horse riders in some areas of the North West Coast and more specifically, we lack safe and appropriate spaces locally to Penguin, even though many of us live in or around the Dial Range.
Future State
An ideal Management Plan for the Dial Range would protect and enhance the natural and cultural assets of the Range, while identifying new infrastructure and unique experiences to offer the community and to all users, with a range of abilities.
We would pave the way for more educational experiences to cater for people with all abilities, while empowering the youth of the North West Coast to engage with their local environment now and into the future.
By providing more nature-based tourism experiences through the Dial, we are enabling more opportunities for the community to get outdoors, get active, get into nature and connect with friends and family in our beautiful region.
Where appropriate, the diverse landscape of the Dial Range should offer the opportunity for exploration and adventure for horse riders with designated horse riding “only” trails, while specifically keeping the safety of horses and their riders at the forefront. In balancing the environmental, cultural and social aspects of the Dial Range with the needs of all users, we could overcome the complexities and enhance the region's tourism industry as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to have your say about the future of the Coast to Cradle Wild Country? Fill out the community survey here: https://kuno.earth/articles/community-survey-coast-to-cradle
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