Manatee County considers ban on horseback surfing
Manatee County will study whether it should follow Pinellas County's lead and ban horses from Palma Sola Bay
“We don’t have a problem with regulation, but, of course, we don’t want the horses banned.”
Carmen Hanson, who owns Cponies, a horseback-riding business that operates tours in Palma Sola Bay on the north side of Manatee Avenue, said blaming the bay’s environmental problems on horses is misguided.
Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 7 to direct their attorney and staff to research and report about options to regulate horseback riding in sensitive waters.
In supporting the directive, commissioners pointed to seagrass loss and recent no-swim advisories in the bay.
In business for eight years, Hanson disputes that horses are responsible for the fecal matter in the water or that their presence leads to the advisories.
She said the horses aren’t treading on the seagrass beds, where it’s “soft and mucky.”