A Sydney horserider is protesting a effective she stated has been wrongly handed out, whereas others have labelled it a “declaration of war” between Centennial Park and equestrians.
Niki Zubrzycki was despatched a $95 effective for using her horse “not on designated track or Trust lands” by Centennial Park’s rangers, however she insists she wasn’t doing something flawed.
She stated she was not using her horse on the street, which is prohibited below the park’s guidelines, however she had ventured onto the grass beside the horse monitor to reply a stranger’s query.
“What I was doing was just talking to a member of the public after they asked me a question,” Ms Zubrzycki stated.
“They’ll ask you about the horses and ask you about where they can have their dog, because she had a dog on the lead.
“I was actually giving them all this information, which is actually information the ranger should be giving.”
Horse riders are legally allowed to journey on different NSW roads, nonetheless they aren’t allowed to enterprise onto the roads inside Centennial Park as a result of they’re ruled by belief legal guidelines.
The rangers at Centennial Park usually are not the native council or the state authorities workers however are as an alternative employed by a safety firm to maintain the park secure.
Ms Zubrzycki stated that Centennial Park’s administration is concentrated on the flawed problem, noting she and her horse have been subjected to 17 assaults from unleashed canine.
Most not too long ago, the horse rider stated they have been below assault from a pack of seven animals.
“It was a dog walker who lost control of the pack, it was complete mayhem and it was very scary,” she stated.
“I get very rattled myself, my horse remains calm but I myself get very rattled, nowadays I jump off but that’s actually not a great thing because a lot of the times the dogs turn on me.”
Ms Zubrzycki stated the primary time she was attacked by a pack of canine within the park, it resulted in “the death of a dog”.
She’s involved concerning the stage of canine assaults on horses and the potential penalties if the canine can‘t be introduced below management.
“You don’t want a young kid riding up there and that happening to them and the horse bolting or someone having an accident,” she stated.
Ms Zubrzycki stated that she was “shocked” to obtain the effective as she has gotten to know the rangers throughout her time as canine liaison between the equestrians and Centennial Park’s belief.
“It’s actually completely shocked me and I can only think it’s personal,” she stated.
“I thought I had quite a nice relationship with the rangers and this one in particular, who I would have spoken to on many occasions and we’ve always had very friendly exchanges.
“It was a bit weird for her to not even come and speak to me when she was going to issue me with a ticket.”
The equestrian has written to Centennial Park’s belief to tell them about her choice to combat the effective.
“What has this park come to when a person cannot treat another person with common courtesy.
Had Ranger C spoken to me, she would have been aware that I was answering a query from a member of the public about the park … How easy would it have been to have asked me to move across two meters if I wanted to continue my conversation,” her letter said.
“This ticket also comes shortly after my horse and I were attacked by 7 dogs on the horse track.
No fine was issued to the dog walker despite none of the dogs being under effective control. I am still waiting for a response to my letter from the Trust or the office. It seems that your priorities are completely misplaced.”
Ms Zubrzycki stated she has written to the Centennial Park belief on a lot of events, and that her letter after she was attacked by the pack went unanswered.
“I have seen countless accidents where loose dogs run onto the road and knock over bike riders. I really think enough is enough.
Will the Trust only be happy when a horse or rider is killed by a marauding dog or dogs?” that letter requested.
After she posted about her combat towards the effective, different equestrians who journey their horses within the fashionable park leapt to Ms Zubrzycki’s defence.
“Is this a declaration of war between the ‘outside contracted security guards’ (I can’t in all good conscience call them “rangers”), and the equestrians? I kinda really feel it’s,” one particular person wrote.
“It’s time they employed some real rangers friendly, kind and helpful that actually enjoy their surroundings,” one other stated.
Originally printed as ‘War’: Outrage over horse effective in Sydney’s Centennial Park