
Our mission includes:
• Keeping access open to equestrian
use
• The creation of new and connecting
trails
• Promoting responsible use of trails
• Preserving, clearing, rebuilding and
maintaining trails.
• Educating our members on trail
etiquette and safety for all trail
users
• Facilitating communication,
cooperation and goodwill between
trail users and landowners
• Advocating for horse owners and
riders
Pomfret Horse & Trail Association is proud to have supported the following organizations in 2019:
Connecticut Horse Council
Wyndham Land Trust
New England Forestry Foundation
Connecticut Audubon Center at
Pomfret
The Last Green Valley
New England Horse & Trail
Association
Pomfret Recreation Department
Pomfret Horse and Trail Association, Inc. (PHTA) is a nonprofit volunteer organization formed in 2007 to preserve, protect, and maintain open space and the century-old system of riding and hiking trails in Pomfret, Connecticut. We work closely with landowners, local land trusts, and the town to maintain access and expand trail networks. PHTA promotes responsible horseback riding practices and minimal impact trail use, holds educational clinics, and supports local land trusts and other non-profit organizations. Our goal is to preserve our rural heritage through community minded trail use, horse keeping, and riding.
PRESERVING OPEN SPACE
Open land is the jewel of our town and we, as riders, have come to treasure it because we have seen it as few others have. We have the rare opportunity of saving the character of Pomfret before it's too late.
The Pomfret Horse & Trail Association's goals are threefold: to establish a presence in the community and work with the various town boards in helping to preserve, promote, and acquire open space; to create a sense of community among equestrians and townspeople; and to work toward the preservation and enhancement of our farming heritage.
RESPONSIBILITY
The Connecticut Horse Council recommends that horses "leave no trace." That is our goal as well. Pomfret has been very horse-friendly and we as horse people want to be good neighbors. By being responsible riders, we hope that landowners will continue their generosity in allowing access to their land.
Because we traverse private property, town land and public roads on our horses, PHTA has developed trail use guide-lines that include, among others, no dogs, no smoking, riding on the edge of fields, and observing the privacy of landowners when passing close to their homes. Members can be recognized by the PHTA medallions attached to their saddles or bridles. PHTA also carries a liability insurance policy.
