Equestrian Facility

[rte66man]

http://www.okc.gov/trails/documents/...rTrail_Map.pdf

Not this trail. The one that is supposed to run down I-44 from HEFNER to the river.

[shawnw]

dupe

[shawnw]

This is the trail. Your original message said under I-40. Lake Hefner Trail connects to Lake Overholster Trail. Lake O Trail connects to this one. This one goes under I-40 to the Oklahoma River Trail.

All those maps are here: http://www.okc.gov/trails/


(p.s. it doesn't follow I-44 and never has or was supposed to)

[rte66man]

This is the trail. Your original message said under I-40. Lake Hefner Trail connects to Lake Overholster Trail. Lake O Trail connects to this one. This one goes under I-40 to the Oklahoma River Trail.

All those maps are here: http://www.okc.gov/trails/

(p.s. it doesn't follow I-44 and never has or was supposed to)

Then please explain this:

https://www.okc.gov/trails/trails_plan.pdf

"Oklahoma City Trails Master Plan
Chapter 4
Page 119

J. West I-44 Trail
The West I-44 Trail represents the western section of the inner loop of the trail system and links Lake Hefner to the North Canadian River. This corridor will utilize wide right-of-way along a frontage road to the west of I-44. It could directly link many residential areas to parks, shopping areas and medical facilities. Some destinations along this corridor include Will Rogers Park, St. Clair Park, State Fairgrounds, OSU in OKC, Police and Fire Training Centers, Portland Plaza, Coronado Square Shopping Center, Baptist Medical Center, Deaconess Hospital and Madison School. This linkage is a remnant of Grand Boulevard.

I did say under I-40 and I meant under I-40. You don't have to be so arrogant.

[shawnw]

No intention of being arrogant, just explaining how the trail actually goes today. Apologies for offending. That trails master plan is quite old if I recall (at least 10 years?). That means I'm probably incorrect in saying "it doesn't follow I-44 and never has or was supposed to". However, I've been following it all this time and always remember it being planned for Lake H to Lake O to River, so I'm not sure what they had in mind with the I-44 part. I have difficulty envisioning the feasibility of their proposal really (not that it wouldn't be cool).

[RodH]

There is an I-44 trail that is planned to go from Lake Hefner to the Oklahoma River. I believe that it will go down the west side of I-44 to 16th and then cross over to the east side. It will then go south to State Fair Park and eventually to May Avenue. It crosses under I-40 on the east side of the May Avenue underpass where it connects to the river trail. If I remember correctly it was approved last summer by the committee and council. Check the meeting agendas from July-August 2014. You should be able to find the plans there.

[Laramie]

Great idea to add more to the south banks of the Oklahoma River which should include the completion of the AICCM should the city make good on the state's offer. City will need to propose more access roads to this area because the potential will be great.

As far as the horse droppings; you hire a crew to clean the area or a horse Zamboni to cover those tracks--should make good fertilizer for some company that may want to dispose of horse manure or contract with the city for those prized droppings .

[ljbab728]

http://www.okc.gov/maps3/projects/trails.html

Project budget: $39.5 million
##Construction: West River Trail completed in 2015; Interstate 44 Trail projected completion in 2016; third trail projected completion in 2017.
##Locations: Map coming soon.

[shawnw]

Dang, $40M. That's why I couldn't imagine them doing it, seemed like it'd be expensive. And yep!

[dcsooner]

I foresee a less than desirable odor of horse manure finding its way to downtown. Not a fan of this proposal at that location

[Snowman]

I know ODOT is doing some bridge reconstruction in the next 5 years or so at the Amarillo Junction. Would be nice to see some coordination of effort to work an equestrian trail into the mix.

Also, how is the new trail from Lake Hefner to the River getting across I-40?

If they do similar to the 44 crossing north of 40, probably merge with May Ave for a block or two till they are past it. Unless it jogs far east a different city street with an existing way through is a better choice, Agnew is at grade as well, Penn is a little less preferable since you would have to bike up/down the bridge and has more traffic there than the other two.

[David]

I foresee a less than desirable odor of horse manure finding its way to downtown. Not a fan of this proposal at that location

This is a silly complaint given the horse drawn carriages that already operate in Bricktown.

[Snowman]

I foresee a less than desirable odor of horse manure finding its way to downtown. Not a fan of this proposal at that location

Compared to the nearby stockyards, any odor from this facility or trail is a drop in the bucket

[oklip955]

There are some of us horse people out there that would love to have more places to ride. Right now the places or trails to ride in the metro area are limited. The roads out by me are now way too busy to consider riding by them. Just a note, back in the 80's when horse keeping was much more popular then now, I used to live a few blocks off of downtown Edmond and was able at the time to do a bit of riding around town on horse back via the alley ways. Not do able now. Ok, so what to do you do if you want another form of transportation that does not include a motor and you don't like riding a bike?

[Zuplar]

I may be the only person on here with this opinion but I dislike it. Really wish they'd reconsider. Already have quite a bit for horses. I'd rather see them turn it into 4 wheeler or dirt bike trails similar to what used to be along the river back in the day. I used to go out every Saturday for several years to ride along the North Canadian. There isn't much local around OKC anymore without driving. Draper is more for dirt bikes only and I feel like lots of people around here have 4wheelers or side by sides.

[mkjeeves]

We had this already with the String of Pearls back in the 80s. That didn't last long. Because of that, I'm worried about the viability of this project too.

My thoughts too. It was located where Dell is now. I don't remember ever seeing anyone use it and didn't remember the hoopla in the news at the time about building it, or whatever did get built. All I remember for sure is some barns and a parking lot that buckled severely from the unstable old dump grounds below that weren't prepared properly for building on.

Construction of the first major equestrian development in the Southwest is scheduled to begin next year, following Tue sday's Oklahoma City Council approval of an Equestrian Pearl lease, said Stan Gralla, president of the Equestrian Pearl Development Co. of Oklahoma.

The target date for completion of the Equestrian Pearl is 1988, said Gralla, who also owns Gralla and Associates, an Oklahoma City-based architectural firm which will design the facility.

The terms call for Equestrian Pearl Development to lease 161 acres of usable land in a 270-acre area for $5 an acre per year or 5 percent of the annual adjusted gross receipts through Oct. 31, 2016, with options for renewal terms of 25, 25 and 24 years.

The $30 million Equestrian Pearl will include a $20 million family oriented horse park, office and recreation development plus a $10 million hotel and convention center along the N. Canadian River.

https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P...egin-next-year

Edit to add a following story:

The Equestrian Pearl Development Co., a private group which had signed a lease in 1985 to develop the Equestrian Pearl in the String of Pearls project, terminated its lease Tuesday with the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority at the consent of the authority.

Joe Claro, vice-president and attorney for the development company, said the group decided to withdraw from the project because it appeared the project could not be done through investment on a local scale, due to the current state of the local economy, and that withdrawing would enable the city trust to interact more freely with potential developers.

https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P...se-withdrawing

I wonder if there are any successful similar facilities in other urban areas? I still see an occasional horse and rider heading down 16th towards Lake Overholser. There were stables on NW 16th St just east of Rockwell. I don't know if they are still in operation or not.

[Snowman]

...

The Equestrian Pearl Development Co., a private group which had signed a lease in 1985 to develop the Equestrian Pearl in the String of Pearls project, terminated its lease Tuesday with the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority at the consent of the authority.

Joe Claro, vice-president and attorney for the development company, said the group decided to withdraw from the project because it appeared the project could not be done through investment on a local scale, due to the current state of the local economy, and that withdrawing would enable the city trust to interact more freely with potential developers.

...

How much development did they actually do with this? The String of Pearls project was a bit before my time but from what I had heard it was not exactly considered a success.

[ljbab728]

Compared to the nearby stockyards, any odor from this facility or trail is a drop in the bucket

You're exactly right. I grew up on a farm with multitudes of animals that produced manure. I rarely ever noticed any smell at all unless I got close to it. It's just not an issue.

[mkjeeves]

How much development did they actually do with this? The String of Pearls project was a bit before my time but from what I had heard it was not exactly considered a success.

It wasn't. Here's an overview of the grand plan: String of Pearls Follow Pioneers | News OK

That article is dated November of '82. Penn Square failed just a few months before that. It was the beginning of that bust cycle.

They did get parts of it built I know of and I'm sure some I don't know about. Trails south of Overholser Dam were built. There may still be a string of pearls sign there by the parking area. The riding stable I mentioned where Dell is now and there was some sort of riding trail system where you could ride under the interstate along the river. Nothing like what is described in the news stories. The other side of interstate east had a meandering paved track. I'm not 100% sure it was intended for go-carts but that's what it was used for. I used it myself a number of times. None of it that was maintained very well, was promoted for very long, soon closed and/or taken out.

[BBatesokc]

I went to the String of Pearls (once). It was pretty low budget and actually fairly depressing. I'm also not a big fan of 'trail rides' that are usually a bunch of wore out horses that have the trail memorized and you are simply along for the very slow ride.

I've ridden out at Lake Draper - basically the same thing IMO - only better scenery.

The best place I've ever ridden was back in the day when Horse Thief Canyon had riding stables near Welston. The place had a bit of (exaggerated) western history and you were in the 'wilderness' and didn't have to stick to a trail the entire time. Really loved that place.

[mkjeeves]

I went to the String of Pearls (once). It was pretty low budget and actually fairly depressing. I'm also not a big fan of 'trail rides' that are usually a bunch of wore out horses that have the trail memorized and you are simply along for the very slow ride.

I've ridden out at Lake Draper - basically the same thing IMO - only better scenery.

The best place I've ever ridden was back in the day when Horse Thief Canyon had riding stables near Welston. The place had a bit of (exaggerated) western history and you were in the 'wilderness' and didn't have to stick to a trail the entire time. Really loved that place.

I've been there. I've ridden horses at Sequoia State Park a long time ago. There's a number of good trail riding and equestrian campgrounds around the area. Cedar Lake comes to mind first. It's a beautiful area with lots of trails. I can't really see riding along the river in OKC as being all that desirable, especially as a destination. However, I've kayaked the Oklahoma River and while it's not much to look at, what it does have going for it is it's in OKC. No driving involved, and that's worth something.

[Snowman]

I've been there. I've ridden horses at Sequoia State Park a long time ago. There's a number of good trail riding and equestrian campgrounds around the area. Cedar Lake comes to mind first. It's a beautiful area with lots of trails. I can't really see riding along the river in OKC as being all that desirable, especially as a destination. However, I've kayaked the Oklahoma River and while it's not much to look at, what it does have going for it is it's in OKC. No driving involved, and that's worth something.

While I may be wrong, I was thinking some of the earlier discussion about the trail considered connecting to the fairgrounds giving another option to do for people who had brought horses to events there.

[mkjeeves]

There was and it makes sense there would be some overlap with that crowd and users of this facility, if they do end up with a separate facility. (I'm not a horse person and wouldn't know. I do know enough to know there's a wide range of what makes up horse people and the things they do.) It is a shame with the fairgrounds so close there's not a physical connection between the two where they could use those facilities at the fairgrounds or ride horses between the two, from the fair grounds to Stockyard City and back. As it is, they would probably have to cut across the OSU Portland campus and put a designated horse lane down Portland from Reno to the river. (Pipe dream.)

I notice the Sheriff department is one of the parties in this planning. I wonder where they keep their horses now? I wonder how much of the facility they hope to command or if they just want to use the trails? Coincidentally, or not, the OKC Police Equine and Canine Facility in on the north side of the river at Portland. It's outlined in green in this photo below. The largest building houses offices, kennel, stable, vet treatment area, indoor riding arena. The next largest building is a hay barn. The east half looks like it hasn't been maintained as well but is divided pasture with a couple of loafing sheds and has (or did have) watering stations. That was all built before the trails were.

The map above showing which part of the south side of the river might be used for a new facility, shows that new riding trail extending from the new facility east to about a half mile west past this facility. A short trip on Portland across the river and those would be connected. Farther up Portland, under interstate at Black Gold Drive and you're at the Fairgrounds.

I bet those few trail bridges like the one north of Dell will end up being shared bridges, horses, people and bikes.

[mkjeeves]

The trail and footbridge below Lake Overholser built as part of the String of Pearls I mentioned upthread has a sign up at the entrance of the trail saying "Trail and bridge are permanently closed."

[warreng88]

Saddle up: OKC Council approves equestrian trail near river

By: Christie Tapp June 15, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday approved the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority’s proposal for developing an equestrian trail.

“We hope this will provide a space for the equestrian community where they can ride their horses in a safe and scenic environment,” said Jennifer McClintock, public information officer for the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department.

The initial phase is expected to open in August with a marked trail called the urban trail starting near Stockyard City and running east toward the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. McClintock said the trail would be separate from the existing paved trail.

The second phase will include a suburban trail that will go west and will end near Crystal Lake.

Rhonda Hooper, CEO and president of Jordan Advertising, said she is working with the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority to develop this trail because of her passion for horses.

“The concept is Oklahoma City is authentic in Western heritage, and a lot of tourists expect that when they come to visit,” Hooper said. “We’re trying to bring the best of the old with the new.”

Hooper said there will eventually be a place where visitors can rent horses, but everything is still in the planning stages.

“We’re giving people a place where they can get art and clothing but also that cultural experience with riding a horse,” Hooper said.

The trail will be located south of the Oklahoma River at River Park, between Pennsylvania and Agnew avenues. The plan also includes hitching posts and a parking lot for trailers.

Hooper said this will be a private and public collaboration. McClintock said the Park and Recreation Department is giving $7,500 from the general fund toward the project.

Hooper said the total costs and funding sources have not been decided.