Right to
Ride Legislation
“Right to Ride” legislation has now been
introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This legislation is intended to preserve the
access of horses and pack stock to public lands where there is a historical tradition
of such use.
“This is a positive piece of legislation for
equestrians,” said Jay Hickey, the American Horse Council president, “because
it will solidify the historic use of horse and pack animals on public lands and
help to prevent closures of trails to horseback riders.”
Specifically, the legislation mandates that the
lands should be managed by federal agencies “to preserve and facilitate the
continued use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on such lands… where
there is a historical tradition of such use.”
This legislation would apply to federal lands managed by the National
Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
Representative George Radanovich (R-CA) introduced
his bill, H.R. 586, in the House of Representatives on March 15. The bill was referred to the House Resources
Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
There are positive indications that the bill will move through these
committees in a timely manner and will then be available for a floor vote.
Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced an
identical bill in the Senate, S. 781, on