The next meeting of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association will be on Tuesday, November 15, at the Newtown Meeting House.

Diane Ciano of the Connecticut Horse Council will discuss the Connecticut Horse Patrol and its relation to the NBLA.

The Horse Patrol is a volunteer program of the Department of Environmental Protection and the State Forest and Park Service Equestrian Program.

The establishment of the Patrol Unit comes at a time when state budget cuts have caused layoffs, staff and supervisor reductions. The situation is forcing the closure of many state parks and forests due to lack of state funding.

Any organization that rides on state DEP land has an opportunity to give back for riding privileges on public lands and to ensure that all can continue and expand riding areas.

All volunteers will go through a 40-hour training program to learn the rules and regulations of the state park or state forest trails that they are assigned to patrol and to study First Aid and CPR. The horse and rider must be in good physical condition and have adequate riding skills to pass the horse/rider assessment.

Volunteers must commit to eight hours per month and maintain patrol logs.

For more information, e-mail Diane Ciano trails@cthorsecouncil.org.