FORT WAYNE – Ground was broken the afternoon of June 29 off Paulding Road in southeast Fort Wayne that will provide a place for local equestrians and serve as a destination for riders from across the region.

The project includes 10 miles of trails that will be open to riders later this fall.

Allen County Commissioner Rich Beck, a horseman himself who has been championing the project since its inception, said, “it has been made possible by a public/private partnership between the commissioners, Three Rivers Horse Trails and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.”

Three Rivers Horse Trails board president Lynn Sroufe pointed out that “there are very few safe places in the area for equestrians to ride. Some people ride the trails at Salamonie Reservoir, and some go as far as Southern Indiana.

This will give them a local place to ride and bring in riders from around Northeast Indiana, Western Ohio and Southern Michigan to Fort Wayne. She added that Allen County has the second largest horse population in the state.”

Kristen Guthrie, vice president of marketing and communications for Visit Fort Wayne, told the small group in attendance that “this provides a great opportunity to promote the city of Fort Wayne to outsiders and for us to build an identity as a destination city. It should also bring additional money into the city,” she added.

Most of the trails have already been completed by project contractor Krafft Water Solutions (KWS). Ben Krafft of KWS said the trails are 10 feet wide and where they go under trees the canopy has been cut to allow for a 10-foot clearance. A total of 30 obstacles will be installed along the trails for riders and their mounts to negotiate.

His firm will begin now to develop the trailhead, which will include a gravel parking area for up to 50 trucks with horse trailers and a unique ADA-accessible ramp for riders with handicaps. A water well with a hand pump will be installed. In addition, permanent restrooms will be constructed. Until those are completed, portable facilities will be available.

The 300-acre property on the north side of Paulding Road, which is owned by the Allen County Commissioners, is just a few hundred feet east of the Allen County Sheriff Department’s K-9 training facility and can be accessed by a gravel road six-tenths of a mile west of Adams Center Road.

The sheriff department’s shooting range is located at the far west edge of the property.