BRADENTON, Fla. — Horse riding in Palma Sola Bay has been paused for a month.
The announcement was made earlier this month by Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown, who said that it was the horseback riding companies that presented the idea as part of an effort to get to the root of a bacterial issue in the water.
What You Need To Know
- Horse riding in Palma Sola Bay has been paused for a month
- The announcement was made earlier this month by Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown
- Officials with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program say they plan to test the water samples during the month the horses are gone and the month after the horses come back
Abbey Tyrna, the executive director for Suncoast Waterkeeper, says her organization has been testing the water every week at Palma Sola Bay since 2022. The testing is taking place in the area residents call the “Little Palma Sola Bay,” which Tyrna says is unsafe to swim in due to high levels of bacteria.
“Since 2022 we’ve seen that the water quality does not meet state standards,” she said.
She tests in a location where businesses offer horseback rides on the beach. She said it’s possible that the waste left behind by horses is contributing to the bacteria levels.
“We have seen horses be attributed to our high levels in our side, but they’re not the only cause,” Tyrna said. “So what we’re trying to understand is, what are all the causes?”
Officials with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program say their organization is also testing the water to see if keeping the horses out of the bay for a month will improve water quality.
“Both SCWK and SBEP have found evidence that horses are contributing some of the bacteria found in Palma Sola Bay. But the levels appear to be low enough that they are considered to be ‘detected, but not quantifiable,'” the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program said in a statement.
But Tyrna worries about the repercussions of the experiment.
“I worry about their financial stress under a situation where the conclusions that will be gleaned from those month-long experiments are not going to be scientifically valid, given the conditions that we know of the bay,” she said.
Tyrna believes keeping the water clean is a task not just for her, but for the entire community.
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program officials say they plan to test the water samples during the month the horses are gone, and then again the month after they return.
Julia Hazel
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