The idea for the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference 2000 (SETC 2000) is a component of a larger of vision for a nationally organized effort to preserve the cultural and natural heritages of trail riding on horseback on the wildlands of the United States. The idea is not novel, although it is fairly new to the East. The Backcountry Horsemen of America, an almost entirely western organization, has worked hard at this concept for sometime. In the West, they have developed an admirable and high profile. In addition, various saddle clubs and state horse councils have made important strides in preserving the equestrian trail experience. However, the National Symposium on Horse Trails in Forest Ecosystems, held at Clemson University in October 1998, was the first attempt to create a concerted effort at focusing on trails issues in a natural resource conservation policy context.
Following the National Symposium, Dr. Greg Jones and the Kentucky Horse Council organized the Ohio Valley Equestrian Trails Symposium (OVETS) that was held in northern Kentucky in February 1999. OVETS will be convened in Louisville, Ky. again in February 2000.
There is an obvious need to continue this trend. The nation needs to be subdivided into geographical units of states that have similar regional geography with respect to ecological, sociological, economic and political forces influencing policies regarding horse trails on public and private lands. SETC is one of those units.
SETC was originally envisioned as including only Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia because of their commonality in a mountains-to-the-sea geography. It was reasoned that Florida and the Gulf States would be separate in a geographical context. However, Bobby Anderson, South Carolina Horsemen's Council, made a case for adding Florida, Alabama and Tennessee to the list of invitees. That was a wise suggestion. In fact, given the similarity in trails issues, it may be wise to invite the other southern states east of Texas and Oklahoma with the exception of Kentucky which has already carved out an important niche of service. Texas and Oklahoma cultures are more western than southern, and while likely having the same problems, those issues may be in a substantially different context.
SETC brings together the seven most southeastern states to focus on horse trail issues on public and private lands. It is aimed at developing a sharing of information on trail issues and collectively learning what is working and what is failing in horse trail conservation efforts. It is hoped that SETC will become an organization that: 1) meets periodically to keep its members informed on trail issues, and 2) becomes a force that influences trail policies on public lands in the South.
Furthermore, it is hoped that SETC will be an important part of an embryo that eventually matures into a nationally organized force known for its conservation ethic and its resolve to preserve the cultural and natural heritages inherent to the trail experience from the back of a horse.
