Last week I told you about the BLM's plan to ban horseshoe stakes in your campsite while in OHV areas. I even joked about their possible reasoning being they wanted to prevent people from impaling themselves on it.
In all fairness I'm sure the BLM has some reason for this redonculous rule, like tripping over the stake or hitting it with your quad or flying through the air and landing on it impaling yourself (something I'm sure is very common and really deserves this type of legislation to control), so I'm contacting someone at the BLM about the issue and will be sure to report back when I hear from them.
Well, I got a response from a lady at the BLM named Lynnette. Guess what she said? That's right! She said, and I quote:
The purpose of this rule is to remove posts that cold impale someone or pop tires.
Now don't get me wrong... I'm not saying it can't happen. But I've been actively following ATV related accidents for years and have never heard of anyone getting impaled by a horseshoe stake while riding in an OHV area.
And as for that whole popping a tire thing, all I can say is horseshoe stakes are well over a foot tall. Official Horseshoe Regulation puts the height very specifically between 14" and 15", well high enough so all but the largest tires would be threatened by being punctured. Oh, and horseshoe pits are usually well inside campsite and out of the way of normal traffic.
Such a generic ban is completely irresponsible and needs to be reconsidered. Banning stakes outside the very immediate campsite might be worth looking into considering people may be riding ATVs close by, but to ban them everywhere is unacceptable.
Comments can be submitted by mail or delivered to: BLM California Desert District Office, Attn: Lynnette Elser, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553. For further information contact: Lynnette Elser (951) 697-5233. E-mail comments to Lynnette Elser: lelser@blm.gov.