Equestrian Committee

About the Equestrian Committee

History

The Equestrian Committee was formed in late 2005 and the committee appointments were assigned in early 2006. The creation of the committee stemmed from the Cattaraugus County guidebook series titled "Smart Development for Quality Communities" from the Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism. The specific guidebooks from the series, that drew the public interest, were guidebooks volume 4: "A New Vision for Outdoor Recreation Trails in Cattaraugus County, New York" and volume 8: "Growing the Equestrian Economy in Cattaraugus County, New York".

Mission Statement:

Encourage and promote all equestrian types and disciplines in the Enchanted Mountains region.

Goals / Purpose of Committee:

  1. Prepare a comprehensive equestrian development plan for future equestrian economic growth in Cattaraugus County. (Refer to Guidebook # 8)
  2. Grow equine stakeholders capital, and equine related businesses by: offering business outreach, technical assistance, business planning, and revolving loan funds.
  3. Promote all Equestrian types and disciplines to surrounding areas by offering quality facilities and quality experiences.
  4. Support efforts for riding trails, indoor and outdoor arenas, and mix-use trails.
  5. Promote equestrian advocacy issues including liability, economic impact, education, and outreach

Members

Please note that emails in the following table have been protected from email harvesting programs using ReCaptcha MailHide. To view the full email address click on the email address and then follow the directions in the dialog window. If you need to contact a member of the committee please contact the committee.

Name Title Organization Email
Lenny Brainard - - -
Terry Crisafulli - Massage & More Equine Therapy
Judy Dalton - Lou Eibl Corral jdal...@ischuavalley.net
Bonnie Hall - Little Valley Rider's Club bhw...@localnet.com
Jim Leising Board of Directors Bits 'N Spurs Trailriders (Club) -
Leah Leising Secretary of Catt/Chaut Chapter NYSHC New York State Horse Council llei...@netsync.net
James Little Owner Crosspatch jimd...@webtv.net
Sharon R. Nolan - - okay...@yahoo.com
Lori Northrup - Golden Stride Walker Ranch l...@goldenstride.com
Robert Pfohl Western Region Director, NYSHC New York State Horse Council jpfo...@aol.com
James A. Toner Sr. Landscape Architect Allegany State Park jame...@oprhp.state.ny.us
Mary Beth Trenchard - - tren...@juno.com
Veronica Weber - - alle...@msn.com
Annie Widger Owner and Committee Vice President Gentle Thunder Farm ann...@gentlethunderfarm.com
JoAnne O. Young Equestrian Program Consultant Houghton College joan...@houghton.edu
Thomas Livak Director Cattaraugus County Economic Development, Planning & Tourism tmli...@cattco.org

Re-appointed January 23, 2008
Term Expires December 31, 2008

Subcommittees:

Trails Committee:

Len Brainard, Steven Lord, Tony Orsini, Judy Dalton, Veronica Weber, Janet Pfohl, Jim Leising

  1. Gain right-of-way access to existing trails
  2. Grow network of trails one section at a time
  3. Connect trails from private lands to state lands
  4. Insurance issues on private lands, and increasing access to private lands
  5. Promote stewardship of land, leave trails as you find them
  6. Teach safety courses to children and adults
  7. Mandatory club membership (like snowmobile for liability issues)

Competition/Events/Education Committee:

Peggy Sue Pursell, Charlene Aronson, Sharon Nolan, Don Nolan

  1. Compile a list of equine facilities that can host competitions or events and promote said facilities to equine groups.
  2. Promote all countywide equestrian events, competitions, and businesses
  3. Conduct equine outreach through education, advocacy, and event promotion
  4. Work to remove liability barriers that are keeping event attendance low
  5. Development of Equestrian Center

Marketing/Tourism/Website/Brochure Committee:

Annie Widger, Becky Smith, Jim Toner

  1. Define target markets
  2. Advertise all businesses, events, competitions, and trails across multiple media outlets.
  3. Create an equine services directory.
  4. Release 'press releases' throughout the year on equine related activities

Advocacy Committee:

Bob Pfohl, Leah Leising, Annet Taapken

  1. Inherent risk/liability
  2. Advocate for equestrian education
  3. Keep legislature and other lawmakers aware of equine issues that prevent equine economic growth.
  4. Work with other equestrian groups to promote current issues.
  5. Sales tax on equine services, work to remove