Equestrian park ready for riders in the fall

A horse-riding facility near Redmond will be the latest addition for equestrian enthusiasts, the third new Eastside development for riders this year.

The King County Council this week renamed Trilogy Park after longtime equestrian activist and enthusiast Kathryn Taylor. The park is expected to open in the fall.

"This is really the first park that from the beginning was dedicated and planned to be an equestrian park," said King County parks program manager Sharon Claussen.

The construction of the park facilities is nearly complete and they will be open to the public in October, Claussen said.

Some of the park's amenities include a gravel parking lot designed for horse-trailer accessibility, a holding pen and a riding arena. There are also plans for a trail at the park that will connect to the nearby Tolt Pipeline Trail. There will be no cost to the public to use the arena or its trail.

In February, the King County Parks and Recreation Division secured a parcel of land for equestrian use near Woodinville and the state received a land gift expanding the Bridle Trails State Park that straddles Bellevue and Kirkland.

Horseback rider Lori Watts, 52, of Fall City, said that having such a park will "have a big impact on me."

Many of the parks in the area charge and can at times get congested with groups, said Watts, who is a member of the Raging River Riders. Groups have had to work together to share the space at the Fall City arena.

Too often, she said, many riders are not able to afford the $10 per hour that some places charge, and therefore can't work with their horses regularly enough to prepare them for riding trails.

"Having an arena gives you a safe environment," Watts said.

"The equestrian folks are just thrilled. It's been a long time coming," Claussen said.

The total cost of the project is about $175,000, she said. Some of the money will come from an endowment for maintenance from the Quadrant Group in exchange for past use of the site as a transfer point for dirt removed during the company's nearby construction. The county has agreed to finance the rest.

There are signs, fences and traffic cones that keep the public from using the park until it is ready.

The lot will be able to hold a dozen horse trailers, the round pen is 60 feet in diameter and the metal-fenced arena is 100 feet by 200 feet, said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Doug Williams.

"We're on a fairly fast track to get this accomplished," he said.

The park is planned for recreational use. Williams said he is unsure if future plans will include an arena for competition.

King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, in whose district includes the park, said she was asked by some in the Redmond equestrian community to sponsor an ordinance to rename the park for Taylor. The ordinance was passed Monday.

"She was a huge advocate for equestrian issues," Lambert said of Taylor.

"She was an advocate at the local and state level."

Lambert added, "She was energized by life. The park is a place to have fun, and I thought that was appropriate."

The park will have 26 acres of space for equestrians to explore, Lambert said.

One of Taylor's biggest concerns was preserving land that was equestrian-friendly in the rapidly developing eastern area of the Puget Sound region.

In 1988, Taylor formed the King County Executive Horse Council. She served until her death at age 55 in 2002 from lupus complications.

Nancy Kelsey: 206-464-8305 or nkelsey@seattletimes.com