Equine Related Legislation of Interest

At the 2005 National Board Meeting in Park City, UT the Back Country Horsemen of America voted to continue affiliation with the American Horse Council.  As the national trade association representing the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the AHC has been working to represent equine interests and investments since 1969 by communicating with Congress and federal agencies.

BCHA has teamed up with the American Horse council to support two very important pieces of legislation currently before Congress--the Right-to-Ride Livestock on Federal Lands Act of 2005 and the Recreational Trails Program which is a rider on The Transportation Equity Act:  A Legacy for Users.

The effort to pass Right to Ride legislation should be close to the heart of every backcountry horseman.  Horses, mules and pack stock have a special place in our heritage and have a unique historic presence on public lands.  The use of pack and saddle stock played a key role in the settlement of the development of our entire country, especially the American West.

Horsemen today follow in the footsteps of that tradition and want to ensure the right to ride and pack on public lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically-designated areas administered by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service where there is a historical tradition of equine use.
In recent years there has been an increased targeting of livestock for exclusion from public lands by a variety of interest groups that fail to value this historic and traditional use.  Horsemen across the nation have voiced their frustration over the reduction of trails available to them for riding activities that they helped establish.

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