Equine Canada’s Recreational Trail Riders Gain National Voice

Equine Canada is pleased to announce Jack de Wit has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Trails Federation, enhancing and strengthening Equine Canada’s voice for recreational trail riders across the country.

Mr. de Wit, who is an Equine Canada (EC) Board Member and Chair of the EC Recreation Council, has held Observer Status with the Canadian Trails Federation (CTF) for two years. He was elected at a special meeting of the Canada Trails Federation, leading up to the first-ever National Trail Leadership Round Table recently held by The Trans Canada Trail.

“It is a great honour to be the first-elected Director from Equine Canada to the Canadian Trails Federation,” states Mr. de Wit, who has been a volunteer with Equine Canada since 2002 and a leader in advocating equestrian trail development in Ontario for over a decade.

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“My new role means Equine Canada’s recreational trail riders will now have greater input into the decision-making process for equestrian trails across Canada,” reports Mr. de Wit.

“We are extremely proud of the work that Jack has done for recreational and trail riders across Canada. This is another example of his commitment to the Equine Canada Recreation Division,” stated Michael Gallagher, President of Equine Canada. “Equine Canada’s new membership fee has now finally put us in a position to be able to fund over $100,000 worth of recreational and trail projects in 2011 across Canada and Jack will play a key role in those new projects.”

“It has been my pleasure to work with Jack for nearly five years,” stated Patrick Connor, Vice-President of Canadian Trails Federation. “Through his support of our work in Ontario, national horse and national trails have been well served, as Jack got the National Trails Coalition off the ground. I look forward to his involvement on the CTF Board. Now we can really roll-up our sleeves and get to work.”

Equine Canada was also proud to have Mr. de Wit represent its recreational trail riders at the National Trail Leadership Round Table in November. The session brought trail users, builders and stakeholders together to discuss the future of trails and to launch a national discussion for the development of a strategic vision for trails in Canada.

This initial collaboration will move the trail sector towards the eventual development of a national trails strategy, which will ensure that sustainable trails remain a priority for governments and communities in the future. Equine Canada was proud to have been invited to the table and appreciative of the $300 bursary grant by Trans Canadian to offset the cost of its participation.