NEWS

January 8, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  John Thurow -- 863-532-9387;  jthurow@horsetraildirectory.com 

Five Star Campgrounds Named by Trail Riders

A total of 129 campgrounds earned Five-Star ratings in 2009.  Heart of Dixie Trail Ride in Troy, AL, was the 2009 “Five-Star” Award winner with the most Five-Star votes, according to John Thurow, trail boss of HorseTrailDirectory.com, a website created by and for trail riders. 

To earn the coveted award, a campground must receive the most Five-Star ratings from trail riders, who post their ratings on HorseTrailDirectory.com during the year.  “Heart of Dixie received five stars from 56 of the 64 trail riders who rated it in 2009,” Thurow said.

In second place with 44 Five-Star votes was Timber Ridge Horse Camp, adjacent to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, located between Jamestown and Oneida, TN.  Tied for third with 26 5-Star votes was True West Campground & Stables also adjacent to the Big South Fork and Circle E Guest Ranch, Winchester, TN.  In total, 129 campgrounds that host trail riders received at least one Five-Star rating from their visitors in 2009, according to the riders’ reviews at HorseTrailDirectory.com.  For a complete listing of Five-Star campgrounds and trails, visit http://www.horsetraildirectory.com/fivestars.asp.

“These are really impressive accomplishments,” said HorseTrailDirectory.com’s trail boss John Thurow.  “These campgrounds represent the top 15% percent of all locations in the database.  I think we can all appreciate the effort this takes.”

Thurow said that HorseTrailDirectory.com currently has over 800 trail and campground locations in its database.  They have been put there by people who have ridden at the trail locations or by campground owners.  Most of the locations are in North America but there are also listings in countries around the globe, including Argentina, Spain, Hungary, and Russia.  After visiting a location, riders can comment on their experiences by posting reviews.  In 2009 approximately 950 reviews were posted.  Two-thirds of all locations have at least one review.

Each listing is described in a brief narrative, accompanied by information about the location, such as number of trail miles, trail difficulty, number of campsites, and directions to the location.  More detail is often provided via links directly to related sites such as campground and national forest websites.  Trip planning is also helped by automatic links to local weather forecasts.

Thurow said that most people find out about new trails through word of mouth, and that getting first hand knowledge from friends is the best way to discover new adventures.  “The advantage of the Internet is that a person’s circle of friends is multiplied many times into a much larger community,” he said.  “At www.horsetraildirectory.com you have a growing Internet community of trail riders sharing their real world experiences about places they have ridden and camped with their horses.”