Your contribution makes a difference!
All OATREC trail maintenance and development is fully reliant on annual membership and day pass revenues. Scroll down to read more about how your funds have helped shape the Larose Forest today.
OATREC works closely with the United Counties of Prescott-Russell to maintain the OATREC equestrian trail network. While most heavy maintenance is handled by the County, OATREC is responsible for some ongoing maintenance, which can require external contractors with specialized machinery and always includes a significant manual effort on the part of OATREC volunteers.
In recent years, extreme weather events have become more common, increasing the amount of maintenance required to keep trails safe for horses. This was particularly evident after the Derecho of 2022, and following a series of Spring windstorms in 2023, when OATREC hired certified arborists, supported by OATREC volunteers, to safely use specialized machinery and chainsaws to clear extensive heavy debris.
All OATREC trail maintenance and development is fully reliant on annual membership and day pass revenues. Scroll down to read more about how your funds have helped shape the Larose Forest today.
OATREC works closely with the United Counties of Prescott-Russell to maintain the OATREC equestrian trail network. While most heavy maintenance is handled by the County, OATREC is responsible for some ongoing maintenance, which can require external contractors with specialized machinery and always includes a significant manual effort on the part of OATREC volunteers.
In recent years, extreme weather events have become more common, increasing the amount of maintenance required to keep trails safe for horses. This was particularly evident after the Derecho of 2022, and following a series of Spring windstorms in 2023, when OATREC hired certified arborists, supported by OATREC volunteers, to safely use specialized machinery and chainsaws to clear extensive heavy debris.
The Lost Connector Development Project (2016)
Coordinated and funded by OATREC with the support of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell
In 2015, OATREC (known at the time as CEREC) sat down with the UCPR to discuss an unprecedented and ambitious new equestrian trail development project in the Larose Forest.
Local riders knew that if you wanted some variety beyond the existing 9.5 km blue equestrian trail, you could use other existing ATV and mush trails to get from one end of the forest to the other. However, to pass between Concession 8 and 9, you had to make a detour onto gravel for a full 3km, slowly walking on sharp, angular gravel under full sun. Seeing a potential solution on satellite imagery, intrepid local riders spent countless hours scouting through thick brush, wading through untouched marsh, and braving extraordinary hordes of mosquitoes to mark and map a proposed new trail segment in the Larose Forest – The Lost Connector.
Local riders knew that if you wanted some variety beyond the existing 9.5 km blue equestrian trail, you could use other existing ATV and mush trails to get from one end of the forest to the other. However, to pass between Concession 8 and 9, you had to make a detour onto gravel for a full 3km, slowly walking on sharp, angular gravel under full sun. Seeing a potential solution on satellite imagery, intrepid local riders spent countless hours scouting through thick brush, wading through untouched marsh, and braving extraordinary hordes of mosquitoes to mark and map a proposed new trail segment in the Larose Forest – The Lost Connector.
Prior to OATREC's Lost Connector project in 2016 (shown in purple), the only designated equestrian trail in Larose Forest was the 9.5 km long blue equestrian trail. Without the Lost Connector, the orange equestrian trail would not be possible unless riders detoured and travelled over 3km of gravel between Concessions 8 and 9 (shown as grey dotted lines). Following the project's completion, OATREC worked with UCPR to officially designate the second (orange) equestrian trail, installing signage and updating bilingual maps.
In 2016, OATREC committed funds and broke ground on the Lost Connector. Over several months, the OATREC Executive Committee and volunteers spent numerous days supporting local contractors using heavy machinery and chainsaws, and many more hours manually ripping out saplings and roots, removing fallen trees and dangerous branches, and making the trail safe for horses. The result is a solid 1.3 km single-track trail winding through maples and pines, strategically connecting Concessions 8 and 9, which to this day remains beloved as the only single-track trail segment in the Larose Forest equestrian trail network.
