|
Monthly Update
December 2025
Happy Holidays!
| | | |
Saw Training Continues To Shine
Greetings from Southwest Colorado! I am proud to report that our latest saw training, geared towards advanced sawyers, at Brushy Creek in Black, Missouri, was a complete success. I had a great time traveling to Missouri to help get folks trained under Mark Himmel's lead.
We had 18 attendees from nine states attend the training. We had trainers from two regions who attended and helped. We issued over 30 certifications. Some were dual certified in chainsaw and crosscut. Some were dual certified in chainsaw bucking and felling. We had three trainers doing the certifying and one admin oversight. Dan McLaughlin, Forest Service saw lead for Regions 8 and 9, assisted with the training all the way from Minnesota, and he worked with us to get all cards signed and folks entered into the database.
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE
| | |
RIDING INTO THE FUTURE
By Mack Long
Take a minute and picture your favorite outdoor experience. Maybe it's a mountain peak or trail you rode, a quiet lake you found, or a trail where the smell of pine is so thick you could taste it. Maybe it’s a light fall rain in a remote valley with a bull elk bugling. Now, picture yourself getting there. What made it special? Was it just arriving there or was it the total experience. Driving up to it would not be the same. You would miss the smells, the connection with the land, the “wow” when you cross the ridge. For most of us, we enjoy the added benefit of the connection we have with the horse or mule we are riding.
Riding horseback into the heart of the backcountry is a time-honored partnership that has shaped the history of our public lands. It's a journey taken on horse or mule with a pack animal or pack string. This is not about a motorized shortcut; it's about a symbiotic relationship, a way to tread lightly and go deeper into our wild landscapes than many can on foot.
This is a path that needs your voice
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
| |
The Power of Communication
By Bob Welsh of BCH Minnesota
I’m writing this as a member of a couple of different equestrian groups. For background, I am the current president of the St. Croix Horse and Carriage Society and vice president of the Back Country Horsemen of Minnesota. I ride and drive a 17hh 14 year old Clydesdale mare.
In October, our carriage club had our annual fall drive. We gather every fall at one of the prominent equestrian campgrounds in our State Park system here in Minnesota. Because the proximity is important for this story, the trail center at the park is directly adjacent to the equestrian campground and multi use trails are accessed directly adjacent to both.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
| | |
Back Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands
The Back Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands just finished an important reroute project on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail (VHHT) in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Southwest Virginia that was a long time in coming! First proposed in 2007, when the BCHVH was originally formed, the project’s goal was to reroute the trail around a serious washout on a 350’ section of fall line trail. Over the years the project got dialed back to zero many times due to lack of funding, lack of FS personnel, FS turnover etc. With a new and proactive Forest Service team in place the BCHVH once again proposed the project, this time with a plan, equipment, manpower and funding from numerous donations and fundraisers. The project was approved and was formatted as a collaboration between the BCHVH, AK Trails LLC and the Forest Service. BCHVH planned, funded and implemented the project with the help of the Forest Service who used their dozer to rough in the initial corridor. BCHVH hired AK Trails LLC to create the trail tread with an excavator while BCHVH members did all the finish work, readying the trail for use. After the many years of trying to get this project going the actual work took only 6 days! The steep and dangerous washout was replaced by 0.6 mi of new, beautiful and sustainable trail! This project was a great example of many entities working together for a common goal!
| | |
The Gallatin Valley Chapter of BCHMT
The Gallatin Valley Chapter of BCHMT has been fielding Wednesday and Saturday trail crews for many years to maintain trails in the Spanish Peaks Wilderness as well as adjacent national forests. There is always more work to be done, either clearing deadfall or maintaining tread so when the riding season ends for the most part in October/November we are already looking forward to next year. In 2024 our chapter purchased 20 "nominal ten foot by 8" treated logs to use for water dams in areas that were becoming gullied out and where native material was not readily available.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
| | |
Crosscut Saw Giveaway – What’s Going On
By Darrell Wallace
We have now shipped or delivered 37 saws since starting our BCHA effort in late 2023. About 10 saws have been donated from BCH states outside of Washington, and we truly appreciate those donors!
Don’t forget - Tom is still looking for more saws to recondition and we have several saws ready to go! Contact me at dlwallace700@gmail.com.
Photo “refurbished saws” Caption: Here are just some of the refurbished saws looking for a home with a sawyer who will use it to saw logs out of trails!
| |
|
Welcome back to Equestrian Legacy Radio’s SADDLE UP AMERICA …
Back Country Horsemen of America's Randy Rasmussen! We’ll discuss events of the past year and a New Proposal by the Trump Administration to change a 20 year regulation that will affect Trail Users across the country.
Join Award Winning Host Gary & Mary Kaye Holt, Heard Around the World 24/7 on Most Streaming Platforms and at Equestrianlegacy.net
| | Keeping Trails Open for All | | |
The Fundraising Committee has been working hard to implement new programs. We are looking for members who have experience in Grant Writing and Fundraising.
If you are interested in discussing these possibilities further, please reach out to Latifia "Tif" Rodriguez at lrodri0202@gmail.com.
| | 2026 NATIONAL BOARD MEETING | | |
IT IS OFFICIAL!!!!
The 2026 & 2027 National Board Meeting will be held in Kansas City, MO
April 12 -15, 2026
MORE INFORMATION COMING THIS FALL
| | |
BCHA PROMOTIONAL ITEMS HERE
Check out T-Shirts, Safety color long sleeve shirts, and more.
Also, new hats are on the way, keep checking back.
TRAILER STICKERS ARE BACK
24″ × 15.46″ rectangle stickers
CLEAR STICKERS AND PINS ARE HERE!
| | EDUCATION, EXPANSION, and OTHER | | |
MOBILE INCIDENT REPORTING FORMS
You might have seen the request to submit “incident report forms” for e-bike interactions and horse camps occupied by non stock users, to help provide record of the issue. Of course it is always great to talk to people directly if you can do so safely, however submitting a report can demonstrate a pattern of issues to help change rules or encourage enforcement.
Did you know that you can add these forms to the home screen of your smartphone? Instructions on the website here https://www.bcha.org/incidentreportingform/
| | 2026 Equisure Equine Insurance | | |
REMINDER: ALL 2025 Coverage expires December 31st, 2025
We will provide an update here when the 2026 applications are open.
2026 Applications Open the first week of January
CLICK HERE FOR FAQ
| | |
SHARE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!
Does your chapter have a trail, project or great story you would like to share? Please send them to michellewade@bcha.org. We will do our best to include them here.
- Please send as Word doc and pictures as attachments not in the word doc.
- Provide description: project, place, purpose, etc.
- Please include the name of person and chapter submitting the pictures.
| | 2025-2026 BCHA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE | | | Craig Ferdig | Chairman | | Latifia "Tif" Rodriguez | Vice Chairman | | Heather Schultz | Treasurer | | Mark Himmel | Past Chairman | | Brad Pollman | Director 2024-2026 | | Jim Allen | Director 2025-2027 | | Heather Cox | Director 2024-2026 | | Darrell Wallace | Non-Director 2024-2026 | | Greg Schatz | Non-Director 2025-2027 | | | | | |
