For years equestrians have struggled with a difficult, but important, trails system link along Woodside’s Manuella Avenue. Happily, through the joint efforts of the Town of Woodside, Fleishacker property owners, and the Mounted Patrol Foundation, that challenging, even frightening pathway has been replaced by the new Green Gables Trail. This newly completed Woodside Trails Committee project moved the old trail off the roadway, up onto an easement generously donated by Fleishacker’s owners. The new, elevated pathway boasts excellent footing and drainage, while being moved to a safe distance from street traffic.

This project, however, did not come cheaply. Even with some creative use of California Conservation Corps labor, the Trail’s price tag amounted to over $36,000. Fortunately, this is where the Mounted Patrol Foundation stepped in. The Foundation is the charitable arm of the Mounted Patrol riding club whose charter specifies support for worthy community activities, often with an equestrian bent. In the end, the Patrol Foundation has provided nearly $18,000 toward the Trail’s construction. As noted by Fentress Hall, chairman of the Woodside Trails Committee, the project’s completion represents an important investment in the future.