Featured Article (October 2003)

Congressional Lawmakers Take to the Trails

Congressional Trail Ride sponsored by the AQHA at Bull Run Regional Park

A beautiful early fall day in a Virginia park was the setting for the first Congressional Trail Ride sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). The staff at Bull Run Regional Park near Centreville had certainly done their part in preparing the facility and trails as the site for this first time ride for members of 108th Congress and their staff, but the weather was just pure luck. The purpose of the ride was to help educate lawmakers on the horse industry with an emphasis on the AQHA. The AQHA staff and Board decided in July that they wanted to pursue hosting this event and did a great job of pulling it together in such a short time, especially in light of the fact that they are based out of Texas.

Volunteers for the event included AQHA members from around the country as well as VQHA members and members of the Virginia Horse Council. Cathette Plumer, who is a member of the Quarter Horse associations as well as a VHC Board member, coordinated with the AQHA staff on the Virginia aspects of the event such as identifying the site and a caterer, and organizing volunteers who could bring their steady mounts to provide horses for our guests. There were roughly forty-five horses saddled for the ride, which lasted about an hour and half on the park grounds. Many of the attendees from the Western States were very impressed by the beautiful trail that meandered through the park and included both open and wooded sections. The terrain was very different from the drought stricken flatlands of Texas or the mountains of Montana that they called home when not in Washington. The ride was followed by a barbeque and remarks by both AQHA representatives as well as several Congressmen. Sen. Joel Hefley, a long time horse owner/breeder and trails advocate, encouraged AQHA members to join with other equine and related associations so that we could unify and strengthen our voices on legislative issues.

Congressmen attending included Sen. Conrad Burns (MT) who enjoys riding on a regular basis. Sen. Craig Thomas (WY), Rep. Joel Hefley (CO) and his aide Rebecca Anfinson, and Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ). Also, present were Rep. Ron Lewis (KY) and his son Brent, Rep. Nick Rahall (WV) and his daughter Rebecca, and Rep. Cliff Stearns (FL). Additionally, legislative aides Jennifer Burg (Rep. Sweeney, NY), Laurel Edmondson & Corey Cripe (Garrett), Hilary Kielp (Sen. Kohl, WI) and Joe Clobes (Rep. Lucas, KY) were also mounted up. Once everyone was in the saddle it became clear quite a few of the guests were pretty comfortable on a horse as they were also horse owners either presently or in the past.

Virginia volunteers that supplied horses included David and Sally Lamb, with Gene Stone helping them with the logistics of handling over a dozen head; Connie Christopher with Suzanne Gonzales lending a hand; and Stephanie Jennings, Katy and Steve Ralls, and Donna Crossman. AQHA Regional Representative, Peter Cofrensco from New Jersey also brought horses. As one of the photographers and gophers at the event I had a chance to visit with most of the Congressmen and to thank them for their support on issues that had an impact on trails and other equestrian related issues.

Just last week the Transportation Enhancements fund (a.k.a. IS-TEA, TEA-21) that provides monies to the states, that they in turn are able to allocate for trail related projects was in serious jeopardy. Thanks to Rep. Rahall, and others who defended this funding on the Floor, it has been restored to the current version of the budget.

Additionally, we are supporting H.R. 2966, which was introduced by Representative Radanovich. This bill, entitled the "Right to Ride Livestock on Federal Lands Act of 2003" provides for consistent regulations that would permit equine access on Federal properties such that we could not be excluded unless there is a scientific evidenced-based rationale for doing so. Most opponents to equine access use scare tactics to make their case (i.e. horses spread weed seed or contaminate water supply); however, the scientific studies do not fully support their claims. It has been our experience that federally owned properties are sometimes managed in such as way that the regulations are dictated by the beliefs and biases of the current managers. We are currently supporting H.R. 2966 because we believe it will help to guarantee that consistent regulations are applied for equine use on all Federal lands, and ensure continued access in areas that have been historically accessible. For the full text of this bill you can visit the Congressional website http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d108query.html and key in HR 2966 as the bill number.

We would also encourage you to fax a letter, call, or email your Representative in the House and encourage them to become a member of the American Horse Council's Congressional Horse Caucus. The purpose of the Caucus is to provide members of Congress the opportunity to better understand the economic impact and complexities of the Equine Industry. Presently, Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis is the only Virginia member of the Caucus, which is currently established for members of the House. That leaves 10 others who are not and who need to hear from you. If you need help in identifying who represents your district or in obtaining the contact information, visit www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.html