The province, in cooperation with PEI Trail Riders, is introducing a pilot project to allow equestrian riders on rural portions of the Confederation Trail.
The Equestrian Pilot will run for 90 days, August 15 to November 15, 2021. Equestrian riders will be able to access only selected portions of the Confederation Trail (maps attached); the sections of trail that have been chosen have a low volume of traffic and they are in rural areas of the province.
Safety is of the utmost importance. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has developed Guidelines for the Project, which outline the safety precautions and restrictions which are being put in place. These Guidelines include perimeters such as: equestrians will not be permitted to gallop or cantor their horses, helmets will be mandatory, equestrians will only be allowed on trials during daylight hours, untrained horses or inexperienced riders will not be allowed on the trail, trails will be closed to equestrians after extreme weather events to ensure the quality of the trail system, and riders will be required to dismount and remove manure from trail or use a manure catcher bag.
Full pilot Guidelines are available online.
The Pilot will provide an opportunity to evaluate the integration of horses on the trail and their impact to trail maintenance. Staff and volunteers will regularly monitor and report on the section of the trail where the pilot will be taking place. Public feedback will be essential to evaluating the pilot. There will be survey links at each section of the trail encouraging people to share their experience during the pilot. The public is also encouraged to share their feedback by emailing DTIpilot@gov.pe.ca.
Public education on this initiative is planned for the coming weeks.
Get more information on the Equestrian Pilot.
Backgrounder
The three sections of the trail that have been chosen for the 90-day pilot have a low volume of traffic and are in rural areas of the province, they include:
Equestrian Pilot West
Beginning at the Charles F. Willis Memorial Racetrack and ending at the Murray Road in Piusville. Trailhead parking is located at the Charles F. Willis Memorial Racetrack on Gaspe Road, O’Leary, adjacent to the Trail.
Distance: 12 km one-way.
Equestrian Pilot Central
Beginning at Anderson Rd, and ending at Freetown Road.
Trailhead parking available at: McCardles Seed Storage, on the SE corner of the intersection of the Trail and Anderson Road.
Distance: 11 km one-way.
Equestrian Pilot East
Beginning at Georgetown Road, and ending at Highway 23.
Trailhead parking at the designated Confederation Trail parking lot on the south side of Georgetown Road, adjacent to the trail.
Distance: 14 km one-way.
Media Contact:
Shyra Craig
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
smcraig@gov.pe.ca
902-213-0047