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St-Lazare and its surrounding area are well known for having hundreds of stables and over 300 square miles of beautiful equestrian trails. Equestrian sport has been firmly established in the area for decades, and we now have one of the highest equine concentrations in Quebec, with more than 3,500 horses and ponies living here. It is therefore not surprising to find the Club Équestre Les Forestiers, founded in 1990 to maintain the equestrian trails in the St-Lazare area. The Club is the largest of the clubs belonging to Québec à Cheval, the provincial equestrian sport and tourism association (www.cheval.qc.ca). We recognize all equestrian disciplines, and our 890 members may be seen on the trails using English or western saddles, driving sleighs and buggies, or at local shows and other activities. In the past, the citizens of St-Lazare lived mainly in the village and on farms, leaving huge areas of wooded land and fields available for use by trail riders and hunt clubs. In more recent times, our area has undergone tremendous development, and houses, schools and businesses now occupy many places once crisscrossed by horse trails. Additional pressure has come from people who want seasonal trails for cross-country skiing and snowmobiles, or year-round trails for ATVs. Under these new conditions, we must respect the wishes of municipal governments and private landowners if we are to preserve our access to trails on their land. We cannot stop "progress," but we can join together to maintain the trails we love and replace some of those that have been lost. We are privileged to have the support of St-Lazare, a city that supports and encourages the equestrian community. By requiring developers to give the city 10% of their land for recreational use, St-Lazare ensures that equestrian trails will continue to be built. The Club Équestre, in conjunction with the city and more than 60 private landowners, continues to maintain one of the most beautiful trail networks in Quebec. If you use the equestrian trails, we invite you to join the Club Équestre Les Forestiers. According to the municipal by-law 637 (St-Lazare and St-Clet) on the usage of La Pinière's trails, only members of an accredited organization are allowed to pass on the authorized trails. Le Club Équestre Les Forestiers has been accredited as an organization for trail riders and has signed an agreement, which specifies that the Club must assure the respect of this by-law and, therefore, will allow access to the trails only to the riders who are members of the Club.
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