Two-Day Trek Promotes Horse Trails Through Lewisboro

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. — To promote northern Westchester County horse trails, two area horse-riding enthusiasts took on a two-day adventure last weekend. They attempted to navigate the area’s extensive trail system by riding from the northern tip of North Salem to the southern tip of Bedford – a 20-mile trip that also took them through the heart of Lewisboro.

Klaus Selmeyer of Katonah and his friend Frank Bergman of Armonk, with their horses Riptide and Polaris, began the sojourn Saturday. Klaus is a frequent rider on the trails of North Salem, Lewisboro and Bedford.

“We are so lucky to live in an area of incredible natural beauty with such an extensive riding trail system” Selmeyer said. “It shouldn’t be taken for granted, and we need to continue to maintain and preserve this.”

Selmeyer, originally from Germany, has ridden all over the world. Now retired, he has a second career as a farrier. He is a supporter and volunteer for riding groups in North Salem, Lewisboro and Bedford.

Years of work by the Westchester Land Trust, Lewisboro Land Trust and North Salem Open Land Foundation combined with the donations of many land owners, means riders can take a contiguous route from Dingle Ridge to Route 172, just as they did 200 years ago.

Just after the rain cleared Saturday about 1 p.m., Selmeyer and Bergman left Dingle Ridge Road in North Salem. They arrived five hours later in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, where they made camp. The tired horses were given water and hay, and they settled in for the night in the horse paddocks. Many of Selmeyer’s friends from Bedford Riding Lanes, Lewisboro Horseman’s Association and North Salem Bridle Trails Association joined the riders for dinner around the campfire.

On Sunday, the two began the second leg of the journey, much to the delight of the many overnight campers in the reservation who watched the horses go by the tents.

Selmeyer, Bergman, Riptide and Polaris arrived in time for lunch at the Bedford Post restaurant a few hours later. Unfortunately, the horses seemed tired, so the final leg of the trip to Route 172 in Bedford was postponed.

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