Horse column had inaccuracies

Grover & Rozelle Amick
Published: March 24, 2008

The "Virginia is for horse lovers" column by David and Anita Hasbury-Snogles in Wednesday's paper contained several inaccuracies.

First, the proposal failed to win approval because it was not coordinated with the people who would be affected. Second, the trail's proponents did not heavily outweigh those against the proposal. Third, many of those who favored the proposal were not from the local area.

Stating that the horses are not afforded courtesy while on the road is blatantly wrong. I have never seen nor heard of any of the actions asserted by the authors.

Also, the roads in question are not in a condition to support heritage horse rides/caravans. The gravel roads cited in many places are narrow, with no shoulders, bordered by deep and full drainage ditches and tall embankments on both sides.

With high-speed timber trucks, school busses, delivery trucks and dump trucks, there is not sufficient room for everyone to pass safely. To remedy the situation, road construction and easements would be necessary, and that was not addressed.

As residents along one of the gravel roads, we would favor paving the roads rather than keeping the gravel roads just to accommodate horse enthusiasts.

Credit the Planning Commission for recognizing the county's responsibility and voting down the proposal.