MSN Freizeitreiten – Buitenrijden

The
project ‘Horse-riding in Maas-Swalm-Nette Border Park’ makes
horse-riding attractive and safe. The area is attractive to riders due
to its beautiful landscape and quiet, unpaved paths. The project
realises important facilities, such as uniform signposting a network of
almost 900 km of riding trails, parking lots and locations where you can
arrive with horse and eat and drink or stay overnight. In addition, the
project hopes to make it make it easier to cross the border with your
horse. Through proper signposting hotspots and unsafe traffic situations
will be avoided.
The signposting uses a system of numbered junctions. Every junction is
given a number, the routes between the junctions are signposted with
arrows. This creates a network of almost 900 km riding tracks. The signs
always precede the directional change, so that the rider has time to
steer the horse in the right direction. With an online route planner,
the rider can plan the route.
Entrepreneurs in the area can use the ‘horses welcome’ label to show
that they can welcome riders hospitably. This label has a number of
regulations, giving the rider confidence that horse and rider are safe.
These entrepreneurs can also be found on the route planner. Thus small
and medium-sized businesses also benefit from riders in the area. We aim
for 10-20 new businesses with ‘horses welcome’ label.
The European Animal Health Law requires horses to have a health
certificate to be allowed to cross the border. In this project we aim to
reach a bilateral exemption agreement between the Netherlands and
Germany. To this end, we are organising meetings between equestrian
associations and the government. We will also make border crossing
easier by connecting riding trails on the German and Dutch side of the
border.
Preparations will take place in 2024, signposting and other facilities
will be realised in 2025. The project will be implemented by 6 project
partners: Cross border nature park Maas-Swalm-Nette (lead partner),
Routebureau Noord- en Midden-Limburg, Tourismus GmbH Mittlerer
Niederrhein, Limburg Marketing, Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische
Sportbond and Limburg Paardensport. In addition all 15 municipalities (D
and NL) in Grenspark MSN, the Kreise Kleve, Viersen and Heinsberg and
various equestrian organisations are involved. The maintenance of the
signposting after finalisation of the project is ensured by Routebureau
Noord- en Midden-Limburg, German and Dutch municipalities and German
Kreise. Communication is in the hands of the regional marketing
organisations.