Members of BCH New Mexico Northwest Chapter Scouting Trails in Tent Rocks National Monument Back Country Horsemen of America believes that protecting our right to ride horses on public lands starts with taking part in maintaining those trails. Members spend countless hours doing trail and facility maintenance that public lands managers’ budgets don’t allow. As members care for these trails … Read More

A smile is a powerful tool in the effort to keep stock part of the trail scene! – BCHW Western Washington Long Ears Chapter This photo is what we need to be working for as we trail riders and packers meet folks on the trail. The smile on the faces of these two unidentified hikers says it all. Several years … Read More

When mules and horses are golden! – BCHW Western Washington Long Ears Chapter In July of this year as Sue and I were packing in a team of Biologists to survey the fish population on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in the Olympic National Park I had a field change thrown at us. My park issued radio cracked on … Read More

Back Country Horsemen of America works hard across the country to keep trails open for horse use. They know the many benefits of horses, such as giving youth the confidence they need to succeed in life, and providing adults with stress-relieving recreation. Horses and mules are also invaluable in allowing us to enter fragile wilderness areas without the damage of … Read More

Dr. Rob Atwill of the University of California, Davis, provided the following PowerPoint presentation during BCHA’s 2015  National Board Meeting held in Sacramento. He summarized the growing body of science that demonstrates native mammals, including squirrels and marmot, are far more likely to be the source of water-borne pathogens than either livestock or pack stock. In one study at Yosemite … Read More

Dr. Stith T. Gower of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, prepared the following two studies with assistance from the American Endurance Riders Conference. 1) Dr. Gower’s study on “Horses and Invasive Plants, The Western USA Study” and 2) Are horses responsible for introducing non-native plants along forest trails? Dr. Gower’s studies indicate that horses and pack stock are unlikely, if at all, to … Read More

Click here to Open the Fall 2015 Newsletter Inside This Issue From the Executive Director’s Desk 2 From the Chairman’s Saddle 3 From the Secretary’s Desk 3 BCH Foundation Grants 4,5 The Catch Pen 6-7 Tales of the Trails 8,9 NextGen BCHA (Youth) 10

The Principles for Advancing Outdoor Recreation and Conservation provide a unified framework for natural allies like us to reduce internal conflict and increase success in the protection of our public lands, waters and wildlife. We’re using them as the starting point in our conversation on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 9:15 a.m. during The SHIFT Summit. To support the Principles, we’ve developed The SHIFT Pledge: … Read More

Some of the Big South Fork BCH members standing on the new Zenith Crossing. On September 12th the Back Country Horsemen of the Big South Fork held their annual fundraiser at Zenith Stables, where the group raised over $1,500.00, to continue their work of helping the Park Service maintain the trails in the Big South Fork. It all started with … Read More

Back Country Horsemen of America leads our quest to protect our right to ride horses on public lands with a lifestyle of volunteerism. Across the country, on any given day, Back Country Horsemen are donating their time, effort, skill, and resources to trail maintenance, responsible recreation education, community outreach, being our voice in public lands planning meetings, and so much … Read More

BCHA is joining the National Park Service and other partners to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park System, which was established on August 25, 1916. Our national parks and monuments celebrate the history and character of our nation. They include a long and colorful history of pack and saddle stock use that persists to the present day. National … Read More

Heading home after a most successful pack trip in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest in California–trail boss Dennis Serpa riding Poppy and leading 3 other mules, Theis Thoming riding his Arab Jess, Jacque Alexander riding Johnny the Mule, Lee Owning riding Sato and pulling 3 mules, Karen Lopes riding her quarter horse Junior and leading Dolly, and … Read More