Dear Members,

Looking back in retrospect as we go into 2008, we have had another successful year. Our club has grown to over 100 individual and family memberships totaling over 200 members and the potential for larger growth is boundless. We have certainly come a long way from our beginnings 20 or so years ago when the Keller Horse Owners Association was founded by Nina Chambers, Joyce Ehrlich and myself. We three were drawn together by our love for horses and the concern we shared over the rapid loss of our rural lifestyle and encroaching urban sprawl. At this point in time, the City of Keller was starting to develop a linear park system master plan which omitted equestrian trails. We began a campaign of petition drives and newspaper ads combined with attendance at City Council meetings, Park Board meetings and participation on City Committees that has led us to where we are today.

From all this activity began the Keller Horse Owners Association. Our first meeting was held at Doug and Vivian Newton’s Rocky Top Ranch and drew about eleven members. From there and with these few strong and committed members our club grew and became very active in our community towards the goal of acquiring equestrian trails in our linear park system and throughout our city and surrounding areas. As president I was privileged to network with other riding clubs, attend Corps of Engineer meetings, North Texas Council of Government meetings, serve on the Board of the Texas Trails Network and also on the Keller committee to develop the Multi-Use Arena Master Plan. Some of our association members served on the citizen’s committee that worked to change the restrictive and punitive livestock ordinances of our city to our benefit.

Through the efforts of a few and the support of many, we now have approximately four and a half miles of bridle paths within our park system and the first phase of a multi-use arena at the Keller Sports Park, hopefully and with our members support, a great future.

It has been difficult to compress almost twenty years of activism on behalf of our horses into these few short paragraphs and I would love to fill in the gaps if you should ask about them any time. Our club’s mission from the beginning has been the acquisition of equestrian trails, the keeping of horses in our community and more recently the success of our City arena and I feel we are accomplishing these goals.

We have wonderful individuals in our club that support and work for the growth and betterment of the KHOA. We can and will reach greater expectations in the coming year with their help.
 

Thanks & Happy Trails!
Sara Legvold