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BCHA members ensure that our public lands remain open and accessible to everyone. We are devoted equestrians who love to ride and explore new trails. We assist with trail maintenance and improvement projects, keeping trails clear for all user groups.
BCHA was founded by people like you who cared about the opportunity to explore the Wilderness on horseback. In 1971, an outfitter, a forester, a wrangler and packer were horse packing in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness. The nights are long in the Bob and the founders had plenty of time to talk about righting the many signs of neglect they saw along the trail – cigarette butts, candy wrappers, and beat up barb wire corrals. They surmised that if the Wilderness was to stay open for their children and grandchildren, something must be done. Horsemen had to clean up their act. The back country was being loved to death. Piles of garbage, dying trees due to stock tying, and human waste were polluting the Wilderness BCHA’s founders enjoyed. The United State Forest Service was talking about closing many areas to camping and horse use. In a wall tent next to the wood stove and a hissing Coleman lantern, a recipe was concocted.