Trail Ride Along the Wolf At new trailhead off Collierville-Arlington Road, Collierville, TN By Tommy Brannon The Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance and The Wolf River Conservancy hosted a trail ride on June 12, 2010 at the new trailhead off Collierville-Arlington Road just north of Collierville, TN. Nineteen horses of all breeds and one mule participated in the trail ride on a hot summer morning. The trail, which was recently opened for horse, hiking, and bicycle use, had just a few weeks earlier been under water from unusually high flooding. The trail passed the high water test! A great deal of effort has been put into engineering and construction of a trail that will hold up under bad weather. Filter fabric underlies the trail, with crushed limestone spread on top of the trail. The entire trail is ditched on both sides. Low water crossings of poured concrete were constructed over the deep ditches, and a wood floored steel bridge spans another ditch. The tree limbs have been pruned well off the sides of the trail at a height that riders will appreciate. No tree limbs smacking you in the face! No one on the trail ride had any trouble with the ditch crossings or the bridge. The crushed rock, however, was very tough on those horses that were unshod or only shod in the front. Even some horses that were shod for the typical soil conditions in the Memphis area (Continued. on Page 3, TRAIL & ENDURANCE) (Continued from Page 1) showed signs of foot soreness on the trail. This is not a trail for unshod horses! No motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail, although it is wide enough to accommodate emergency and maintenance vehicles. Although it is hoped that no ambulance will ever be needed on the trail, the trail can accommodate one. On this particular day, the horseback riders did not encounter any hikers or bikers. The long-term plan is to have the trail follow the Wolf River all the way across Shelby County into Memphis. It is amazing how much wild land is so close to the towns, cities, and subdivisions!