On a recent Friday night after a frustrating day at the office, I decided to go for a peaceful horseback ride in the hills west of my Piedmont home.

I have had this area of tranquility for the last 12 years - the main reason I purchased a home close to forest service land.

I had not ridden very far and could hear cattle mooing and making sounds of distress so I headed in their direction knowing something was wrong.

The closer I rode I could hear the noise from four-wheelers and people whooping and hollering.

When I got to the first bunch of cows and calves, I could see four-wheeler tracks all over the grassland. The cows and their calves were starting to pair up after the disruption.

It was like a stab in my heart to see what some disrespectful four-wheelers can do in a short amount of time to Mother Nature and livestock.

I later rode upon a group of four-wheelers and bit my tongue and as I rode by.

A minute later I heard one of them ask: "What about the horse ahead?" A middle-aged man replied, " Don't worry, it will get out of our way when we go by."

These people do not realize horses are afraid of noisy things. I high-tailed out of there as I was so mad, I knew what I wanted to do is probably legal only in Arizona.

This summer there have been four-wheeler tracks and litter all over the hills and grass. Now with the grass being tall and drying out, this brings a high fire danger to us all.

Four-wheelers are to remain on the roads for their safety and to protect the land. A hot engine or spark can quickly start a major fire. The soil in the hills is fragile and does not stand up to tires crushing the vegetation that protects it.

Too many four-wheelers think they can go anywhere they want and are going to ruin it for the ones who care. They are allowed on roads with cars and now want to take over the off- road areas.

When a person purchases a four-wheeler, they need to receive information on responsible riding and the importance of using common sense. It is like they get on this machine and go crazy and want to destroy all they can.

If you want to ride in the beauty of the hills, why then do you feel it is yours to destroy?

Public lands are for everyone to enjoy and take care of. As my father always told me, if you don't take care of something, you do not deserve to have it.

Please show respect to Mother Nature and fellow human beings.

This article is written by Deb Black of Piedmont, publisher of “Today’s Horse” magazine, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Ag & Resource Committee.