Laurie DeWitt/The Gazette Elaine Jones (left) of Potomac guides her 10-year-old horse Zoe across a stream that runs along a trail in Dry Seneca Creek Park. Ken Cort and 21-year-old Felix wait for their friends.

Last year's heavy rain and wind storms damaged many trails in Potomac and Seneca, so a group that focuses on maintaining and preserving the trail system are encouraging community members to help.

The Potomac Bridle and Hiking Trails Association, which was founded in the early 1960s, will hold its 10th annual horse show at 8 a.m. May 29 at Callithea Farm, 15000 River Road, Potomac.

The event is the main fund-raiser for the association, a local group that will use the money throughout the year to renovate and maintain damaged trails. A group of Potomac residents created the association while witnessing rapid development in their neighborhoods, said Elaine Jones of Potomac.

Today, the association keeps the trails open by obtaining easements, pieces of land whose use is agreed upon by the group and area property owners.

Trails run throughout Potomac and North Potomac, and include land off River, Travilah, Glen Mill and Quince Orchard roads. One major trail, among more than a dozen, is on the "Travilah Loop" that connects Watts Branch and Muddy Branch parks.

Jones, who is on the association's board of directors and has lived in Potomac for 16 years, takes her 10-year-old horse Zoe, who is boarded in Poolesville, to local trails and often stops to clear brush and debris before proceeding.

"Whenever you're on natural trails like that, there's always things to maintain," she said.

Jones said that more than $3,000 must be raised this year to restore trails damaged during last year's horrid weather, clear some of the routes and fix drainage problems. And the association is the only area group to do so, she said.

Some projects are expensive, Jones said, and include fixing water erosion problems and clearing fallen trees. And the association plans to extend its efforts to trails in Poolesville, she said.

She said community members can support the efforts by sponsoring a part of the horse show, participating in the show with a $10 per class entry, sponsoring and participating, volunteering the day before the event or cheering on an entrant.

Area equestrians can enter the show's 30 events, which include events for young children, "leadline" exercises where riders are led on horseback by a rope line and jumping competitions for experienced riders.

Visit www.pbhta.org or e-mail Sheila O' Donnell at scod@erols.com for information. The group will hold the event on May 30 if there is inclement weather. Call 301-279-7994.