Rick Richardson, president of the Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance (SFEA), announced that the long-awaited extensions of new trails are now open for horses on the Wolf River Greenway. The trails can be accessed off Collierville-Arlington Road just north of Collierville, TN. Wesley Mueller of SFEA said, “Members have done a lot of work adding new trails and signage; now they need to be ridden! Some of the new trails go through fields and have been treated to keep the weeds down, but horses hooves would help even more.” He added “These trails also go through woods and dirt roads. Now you don't have to ride on the gravel anymore (except occasionally to cross the road) if you don't want to. The new trail starts right out of the back of the parking area, so don't miss it. A trail map is not quite ready, but will be soon”
1. Main Trail: The main trail (red dot) exits the parking area and goes all the way to the Bethany Road gate at the far west end of the County property. Signs with a red dot indicate they are part of the Main Trail. Many other trails marked with arrow-signs (no red dot) branch off from the Main Trail.
2. Recommended Route: Take the Red Dot trail all the way to the Bethany gate (west end of the riding property). At that point, you should see a trail sign to the left which is the start of the “Field Trail”. (If you like, for a nice overview of the Wolf River, continue west through a small ditch on the left of the gate to Bethany Road (dirt road). Turn left and ride a short way south along the road for a scenic overview of the Wolf River.) Then, return to pick up the Field Trail.
3. Take the Field Trail which starts out south and gradually turns around to the east. It winds along near the woods through several fields. Watch for pink flags that indicate creek cut-throughs (to another field) and also flags where other trails go in the woods where it’s cooler.
4. When you finally emerge at a gravel road turn left and continue on the gravel road north then east keeping right up a small hill towards where you came in. You should see a trail sign you passed earlier on the way in.
On your way back, watch for trail signs mainly off to your right for other trail options. As you return back the way you came, you may want to take the Haunted House Loop which would deliver you back on the original trail you came in on (turn left to return to parking area).
SFEA is starting an email list of trail enthusiasts to keep interested equestrians informed about trail updates. SFEA would also like feedback of riders’ experiences on these trails. To sign up, contact Wesley Mueller at wesley.mueller@att.net.Directions and trail descriptions can be downloaded at The Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance website: http://www.sfeaonline.org.
RIDING DIRECTIONS –RECOMMENDED ROUTE1. Main Trail: The main trail (red dot) exits the parking area and goes all the way to the Bethany Road gate at the far west end of the County property. Signs with a red dot indicate they are part of the Main Trail. Many other trails marked with arrow-signs (no red dot) branch off from the Main Trail.
2. Recommended Route: Take the Red Dot trail all the way to the Bethany gate (west end of the riding property). At that point, you should see a trail sign to the left which is the start of the “Field Trail”. (If you like, for a nice overview of the Wolf River, continue west through a small ditch on the left of the gate to Bethany Road (dirt road). Turn left and ride a short way south along the road for a scenic overview of the Wolf River.) Then, return to pick up the Field Trail.
3. Take the Field Trail which starts out south and gradually turns around to the east. It winds along near the woods through several fields. Watch for pink flags that indicate creek cut-throughs (to another field) and also flags where other trails go in the woods where it’s cooler.
4. When you finally emerge at a gravel road turn left and continue on the gravel road north then east keeping right up a small hill towards where you came in. You should see a trail sign you passed earlier on the way in.
On your way back, watch for trail signs mainly off to your right for other trail options. As you return back the way you came, you may want to take the Haunted House Loop which would deliver you back on the original trail you came in on (turn left to return to parking area).
