Kentucky Native Offers Colorado Horse Trail Guide

(CBS4) - Sherry Snead comes by her love of horses naturally. She grew up in Lexington, Ky., the horse capitol of the country.

Since moving to Colorado she and husband Scott have headed out to explore our state's horse trails and learn more about horses impact on the state's economy.

"It actually contributes about $1.6 billion to the economy here," Sherry Snead said. "That's everything from the recreational trail rider to breeding and training facilities, things like the (National Western) Stock Show, feed and tack stores."

But it is the recreational rider Snead is targeting. She has written a book, "Saddle Up Colorado," a travel guide for horse riders across the state.

"When we first started researching the book, we identified over 600 trails in Colorado for equestrians," Snead said.

Colorado's varied landscape makes it a draw for equestrians of all levels.

"You can do everything from city, county, state parks ... that are close to the metro area to sandy, deserty areas like the Sand Dunes (National Park)," Snead said. "Of course, you have all the wonderful mountains around Colorado to escape to in the summertime."

But there are places Snead avoids when she's on horseback, such as the 14ers. She said their terrain is simply too fragile.

Snead's book "Saddle Up Colorado" is available in local bookstores as well as feed and tack stores.