On Tuesday, June 22, the American Horse Council (AHC) held its first Recreation Forum in Washington, D.C., to highlight issues of importance to recreational riders. The forum was attended by representatives from national equestrian organizations and state horse councils from around the country, as well as individual recreational riders.

The forum began with a presentation by Stephanie McCommon of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). McCommon, briefed attendees on AQHA's Stewards for Trails, Education, and Partnerships program which seeks to "increase participation in trail stewardship among equine enthusiasts." The forum continued with a presentation by Dennis Dailey of Backcountry Horsemen of America (BCHA). Dailey spoke on the U.S. Forest Service's Trail Classification System and its impact on equestrians in National Forests.

The forum also included two enlightening panel discussions. The first panel focused on the benefits of equestrians building better partnerships with other traditional recreational users and conservationists. The panel featured Kim Hutson de Belle of the American Hiking Society and Anne Merwin of the Wilderness Society (TWS) as well as Dennis Dailey, BCHA. The panel discussed many important issues including declining numbers of Americans recreating in the outdoors and its impact on conservation, the need to link public and private lands with trail easements, and the challenges equestrians, hiking and conservation groups face when working together.

"The equestrian, hiking and conservation community have many shared interest. I believe Tuesday's discussion demonstrated that these shared interest are being recognized and great progress is being made in efforts to work together," said Ben Pendergrass, Legislative Director of the AHC