You must check Trail Status page to determine whether the FETA and FENCE system is open or closed. The ONLY purpose of this page is to advise you of any special notices of a particular trail to help you plan your ride. You should NOT try to determine whether the system as a whole is open or closed from this page.
We are all anxious to ride when we can and where we want, but these trails are a privilege, not a right. Everyone is required to respect the landowner's conditions of use, including temporary closings which are for your safety. No exceptions. We have better things to do than track down landowner complaints of trespassers and deal with rules violations, and riding on closed trails is a serious violation of your FETA membership agreement. So we would really appreciate your cooperation. Riding off the trail is a violation of your membership, and transfers all liability coverage from FETA to you, the rider. If you ride off the trail to go around an obstruction, or to ride in an open meadow, the owner can sue you for any damages and can individually ban you from riding their trails. In all liklihood, FETA will review your membership and possibly ban you from all the trail system. Be aware that you have no 'right' to ride the trails, they are privately owned.
TRAIL OBSTRUCTIONS. As pointed out in the paragraph above, riding off the trail is a violation, and you will be reported promptly to have your membership in FETA reviewed. Obstructions and other trail items can be reported by emailing the FETA Trailmaster , calling or texting 828-275-2873 to leave a report, or accessing the "Report a trail problem page" on the left menu of the FETA website.
FENCE vs FETA. When the FETA system is closed, the FENCE trails are closed too, even to riders attending an event at FENCE.
Hunter/Jumper at FENCE. When there is a Hunter/Jumper event at FENCE, the gate between FENCE and FETA on Mahler's Meadow trail will be closed and locked and will not be unlocked for any reason. Plan on going alternate routes.
| UNDERPASS TRAIL IS CLOSED Underpass will be closed to ALL RIDERS until the Landowner finishes working in the area. Anticipate it being closed for a few weeks. |
| PRETTY BOTTOM Please refrain from taking Pretty Bottom across the Wassong driveway until that portion can be relocated away from the Lubin property. Mr. Lubin does not want riders disturbing his horse at this time. We have plans to permanently reroute that portion of trail in the near future to assure riders do not unintentionally cross his property. |
| McIntyre's Crossing gates can now be left open at all times. |
| Hayloft Trail is CLOSED. We hope to reroute it to access Hays Hollow in the near future. |
| Open Field riding. You must stay on the marked trails at all times. DO NOT ride in open fields except for Sheila's Playground. |
| Blockhouse reroute. The trail has been rerouted to circumvent going through the barn and open pasture. Riders coming from Thoroughbred should turn left at the house instead of continuing straight to the barn. From there, follow the trail down to the pasture with the arena, turning sharply right and staying to the edge of the open pasture. At the bottom, there are two gates, both of which should be open during the day. Pass through the gates and continue on to Bay Meadown Trail to the left. Coming from Bay Meadow, you would reverse the directions of course. At no time, should riders ride in the field, and at no time are you allowed to ride in the arena. |
| Little Mountain Trails Now Open. The trails in the undeveloped section of Little Mountain that have been closed for the past year for logging/thinning are now reopen. Please note that the Lake Sandy Plains Road entrance will remain closed until further notice, due to recurring erosion problems. |
Last Updated July 29, 2011
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Trails Association, Columbus, NC
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