Clare Tone

Lory State Park is a great destination for trail riding, jumping or hiking. Plan a visit and have some fun! Plus…mark your calendars, the grand reopening and official dedication of the course is now scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2015! I hope you will make plans to attend and ride with your equine friends! LindaP By Mick Syzek, Volunteer Coordinator In January of 2014, the Friends of Lory State Park with Lory Park staff and volunteers began to rebuild the more than 50 wooden equestrian jumps in the South Valley Loop area of the Park that were destroyed by the Galena Fire of March 15, 2013. Equestrians are already taking advantage of the new jumps! The Foundation for Colorado State Parks bestowed grant funds of $8,000 towards the reconstruction efforts. This allowed the Park to hire James Atkinson out of San Diego, a course designer and equestrian jumps builder with international experience, to help us construct portable replacement jumps according to specifications from the United States Eventing Association (USEA). Lory State Park was able to purchase finished and raw log lumber material from insurance monies received as a result of the fire. James and NOCO local Dan Michaels led several workshops throughout the year, culminating in placing the last of 24 finished jumps onto the field course in late August 2014. Volunteers organized and scheduled by the Friends of Lory State Park devoted many afternoons and weekends to construct, assemble, stain the jumps, help place them in the field, and weed-whack the approaches to the jumps. Key Volunteer Glen Akins kept track of […]