June 6, 2013 — The National Equestrian Trails Conference will be held July 18-20, 2013, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The South Carolina Horsemen’s Council is excited to be hosting this national conference, which grew out of the Southeastern Trails Conference.

Equestrian trail conferences are driven by the goal of preserving trail riding in natural settings on both public and private land. This conference will focus on preserving cultural heritages–that is, a long-standing tradition of enjoying horse trails in natural heritage settings.

Furtherance of any movement begins with the education of advocates for a cause. The cause we serve is the promotion of land and natural resource stewardship among horsemen, guided by a deep sense of the need for ethical behavior, both ecologically and socially.

Land ethicist Aldo Leopold developed the idea of the “ecological conscience,” i.e., the extension of the social conscience to the greater community of soils, waters, plants and animals on the natural landscape. That idea is today universally accepted. If that community is to survive, we must also maintain the assets critical to the environment, thus enhancing our quality of life.

In our conferences we attempt to create awareness among trail riders that we all must become ecologically conscious of the need for stewardship. The vision of trail riders as conservationists is a key theme. The future of our trail riding heritage lies in our commitment to this cause.

We would like to recognize our proud sponsors who have already come on board to help support this exciting topic!

American Quarter Horse Association

Horse Tales TV

Carolina Hoofbeats Magazine

Kentucky Horse Council

South Carolina Horse Council

Southeast Endurance Riders Association

Equine Land Conservation Resource

American Endurance Ride Conference

Chattahoochee Trail Horse Association

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association

South Carolina Upstate Equine council

Start Em Right

South Eastern Distance Riders Association