Awardees

Gil Pankonin was honored as the 2025 Trailblazer in recognition of a lifetime of leadership building and protecting Temecula Valley’s riding trails, including his role as a founding member and longtime president of Temecula Valley Rural Lifestyles.  He’s been credited not only with showing up on horseback and on workdays to help construct trails, but also with persistently advocating alongside county officials and technical stakeholders to help ensure trails remain a permanent community asset for generations of riders and outdoor enthusiasts. 

Glenn Leisure and Melanie Huelson were honored as Trailblazers for their hands-on leadership restoring and creating miles of trails at Vail Lake Resort, expanding opportunities for equestrians to ride in a beautiful natural setting.  Their work has been widely recognized as a sustained, volunteer-driven effort—clearing, marking, and reopening trail routes—helping return this trail network to active community use and strengthening the broader connectivity of local riding options. 

Pat North Ommert was honored as the inaugural Trailblazer at the first SAVE WINE COUNTRY TRAILS fundraiser, recognized as a local legend whose leadership helped launch and sustain the movement to establish riding trails in the Temecula Valley dating back to the 1960s through the Rancho California Horsemen’s Association.  In addition to her long-standing advocacy, TVRL and partners have celebrated her impact by naming the Pat Ommert Trail—an important fenced segment along De Portola Road—helping advance safer, more connected trail access in the Wine Country.