Milton equestrian committee details events, farm census and proposals to protect horse farms

Emily Slno, Milton's community outreach manager and city liaison, introduced an update from the Milton Equestrian Committee. Chairman Tony Rich and committee members described the group's 2023 activities and 2024 priorities, citing a return of community events, safety outreach and a farm census intended to quantify and protect the city's equestrian assets.

Rich said the committee was created by council resolution in 2016 to support Milton's farm and equestrian lifestyle. Committee leaders listed three priority areas for 2024: equestrian facilities and amenities, PR/marketing and community relations, and farm ownership protection and incentives. They highlighted several 2023 accomplishments: the Meet the Neighbors event, increased use of Birmingham Park, a new barn-safety program with the city's fire marshal, adopt-a-trail volunteerism and community outreach at the Crab Apple Fest.

Committee members presented results from a multi-step farm census and mapping exercise. Speakers described the approach as conservative and field-verified: the team began with a known list, supplemented it by driving the city, and verified imagery with recent satellite photos. The presentation contains multiple numeric references in the record: committee speakers referenced "over 200 active horse farms," a separate reference to "over a hundred active working horse farms," and a specific figure of "210 equestrian Farms" in different parts of the presentation; presenters said they erred on the conservative side and offered to review the map with council staff after the meeting.

Committee leaders said they are coordinating with Community Development on potential large-lot incentives and agricultural exemptions designed to make it easier for new farm owners to buy and operate larger parcels; they emphasized careful design to prevent unintended misuse of exemptions. The committee also described PR ideas (a barn-of-the-month feature, videos about fire safety and a planned road-awareness video for horse trailers) and ongoing work to improve Birmingham Park amenities and trail connectivity for equestrians.

No formal council action was taken on the committee's update at this meeting; staff and committee members said they will continue collaboration with relevant departments.