Hundreds of thousands of Americans use horses and pack stock to enjoy America’s great outdoors each year. However, it is an experience that cannot be enjoyed without access to public land, trail systems, and trailheads.

In July of 2009 the American Horse Council launched an effort to collect information regarding equestrian access issues on federal lands. This effort was prompted by a growing concern among recreational riders around the country that they were seeing a reduction in the number of trails and trail heads open to equestrians on federal land.

Now, the American Horse Council has released its 2009 Report on Equestrian Access on Federal Land. The 2009 report provides a brief overview of the responses the AHC received from equestrians to its ongoing access survey in 2009. The report can be viewed and downloaded on the AHC’s website at: https://www.horsecouncil.org//images/2009ReportEqAccessFedLand.pdf.

The center piece of this effort has been an AHC online form riders can use to report their personal experiences regarding trails on federal lands that have been closed to them or other access issues. This online form is located at https://www.horsecouncil.org/survey.php. The AHC asks all recreational riders to visit the AHC website and continue to report any access issues they have had using this electronic form.