Rio Rancho debates banning horses in the Bosque

A debate is afoot in Rio Rancho over whether horses should be allowed in the city's section of the Bosque. Riders have always had full access, but some people want to take that privilege away. Mike Jackovish has lived near Rio Rancho's Bosque for close to six years. After an increase in four-legged traffic, he wants the horses to take a hike. "We would like to have horses, just prohibited from the Bosque," Jackovish said. One concern from residents is that the horses make their own pathways through the Bosque, instead of staying on trails that already exist. Another concern, Jackovish said, is the holes the horses' hooves leave behind. But those horses also leave something else behind. "They drop manure all over the place," Jackovish said. "If the horses are allowed on our trail they should be wearing diapers." But others, like Terry Brown, disagree with Jackovish. "People have been riding there for hundreds of years," Brown said. Brown routinely rides the Rio Rancho stretch of the Bosque. "I can't even imagine having to stop riding there and go back," Brown said. Brown, and more than two dozen other equestrians packed a Rio Rancho meeting of the city's Parks and Rec Commission. For half an hour, they urged leaders to take their time before making a decision...more