Federal highway law to include provision for equestrian activity

May 29, 2003
-- from the American Horse Council
Washington, DC --- President Bush’s proposal for new surface transportation programs contains a section which protects equine access to federal paths.

Many recreational riders have experienced difficulties in maintaining access to federal paths as federal highway law specifically alluded to access for hikers and bikers but not other forms of recreation. Federal law does not exclude equestrians from these walkways, but some federal managers restricted access because they claimed that equestrians were not allowed since they were not specifically named in the law.

The American Horse Council has worked very closely with the Federal Highway Administration to clarify this situation.

“We heard from many members across the United States that horses were not being allowed because they were not specifically mentioned in the law,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council. “We spoke to representatives of the Federal Highway Administration and discovered that this is not what they intended when they wrote the original legislation. They then agreed to try to resolve this problem.”

The Bush Administration has just released its proposal for the reauthorization of TEA-21, a federal law which authorizes the federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit. The new legislation is referred to as TEA-3 or SAFETEA, which stands for Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003.

Included in this proposal is language that would clarify that a “Shared Use Path” is open to multiple uses, including equestrian use.

It is important to note that this is only the President’s proposal; the final language must still be developed by Congress in the next few months.

“It is vital to the $28 billion equine recreation industry that this language be included in the final bill passed by Congress,” Hickey said. “We encourage everyone to contact their Representatives and Senators to request that the definition of ‘Shared Use Path’ found in the President’s proposal be included in the final legislation. If any riders need help in identifying their Representatives, they are welcome to contact the American Horse Council.”   http://www.horsecouncil.org