As the oldest horse-centred organization in the area, Powell River Trailriders Club grew from humble beginnings. When the group was founded in 1965 to promote horseback riding in the community, it could only boast a handful of participants. Today, the club has 68 members of all ages, from all walks of life.
“We provide a place for [people] to connect with other horse people,” explained current president Heather Dickson. “It’s a huge asset to the riding community and Powell River as a whole.”
Besides connecting those of like interests, the main goal of the club is to educate about the safe care, handling and riding of horses.
Horsemanship, explained past president Bev Dunn, is not as easy as many people think. “When I first started...I thought a kick just meant go and you were done,” she said. In reality, horses respond to the slightest touch. “When I look a certain way, the horse can respond to the slight movement in my hips.”
“A lot of people think they can just walk in and do it, but with horse handling, those with more experience can help those who are just beginning,” added Dickson. “That’s the whole idea, just working as a group to promote good horsemanship in our community.”
True to its goals, the club has played an essential part in the development of the 4H Club, the Pony Club and Powell River Therapeutic Riding Association (PRTRA), even going as far as allowing PRTRA the use of a third of their land grant.
The club hosts clinics taught by riders from around British Columbia and even from as far away as Wyoming. “Everyone is working on something more, something new,” said Dunn, “so we have riding instructors that will come in to help you communicate better with your horse.”
Three or four horse shows a year are also held on club grounds. Shows involve everything from dressage, a series of predetermined movements performed by horse and rider, to games, timed competitive events such as weaving around barrels or poles.
Obviously, trail riding also plays a large part in the club’s activities. Due to the increasing popularity of quadding and dirt-biking, the club has become an advocate for multi-use trails. “We’re in a transition period,” said Dickson. Because horses can be frightened by an object unidentifiable as human coming toward them, “trail users just need to be aware of us and know that we’re out there.”
For more predictable rides, club grounds are home to a cross-country jump course consisting of a forest trail with dips and jumps constructed throughout. The grounds, which were obtained through a joint government land grant to the Trailriders and Powell River Agricultural Society, also include a large arena, an announcer’s booth and a driving track for horse buggies. A clubhouse provides a place for members to gather while a storage shed houses jumps that can be up to a metre high.
Facilities are kept up by volunteers and repaired through funding, donations and grants. One of the most recent improvement projects was replacing the roof on the clubhouse, which used to be an old mill bunker. “We did lots of fundraising,” said Dunn, “but we could only afford half, so we did the front half one year and the back half the next.”
Another new initiative for the club is promoting youth and riding. “We try and get young people into the club,” said Dickson, “but you can only do it one member at a time.”
One possible obstacle may be the investment a horse requires. “We’re in such a throwaway society nowadays, and a horse is a huge commitment,” said Dunn, “a good commitment, but a huge commitment.”
Though the cost of owning a horse in Powell River has risen in recent years, some aspects have improved. More people in the community now own trailers, giving horses more mobility, said Dunn. Before trailers were common it would take riders up to four hours to ride to the ring for shows.
For nearly half a century, the club has always provided a welcoming place. “When people are looking for a rural lifestyle that includes horses, this community is perfect for that and we support people who come here,” said Dickson.
The Trailriders’ grounds are open to all members. Yearly membership costs between $30 for early birds and $50 for regular registration and requires equine insurance from Horse Council BC. For more information readers can contact Dickson at 604.485.4996 or Dunn at 604.487.9182.
