What Volunteer Work Do Back Country Horsemen of America Members Do?

Back Country Horsemen of America (BCHA) members volunteer their time and their horses or mules to clear and maintain trails on public lands, working alongside local land management agencies and trail partners. According to the organization, members contribute roughly 300,000 volunteer hours each year—work valued at about $11.2 million in trail maintenance donated to local and federal agencies. Since 1995, BCHA reports a cumulative contribution equal to $126.47 million in volunteer hours. If you ride or pack stock and want to help keep trails open, this is the core of what the group does.

The Work Itself

BCHA describes its members as a grassroots network across the United States and Canada that works "closely with trail partners and local land management agencies to clear and maintain trails." In practice, that means:

• Trail clearing and maintenance — removing downed trees and brush and doing the physical work needed to keep routes passable.
• Stock-supported access — members travel with their horses and mules, and BCHA notes members log over 1.1 million miles traveling to volunteer work locations.
• Agency partnership — the labor supports the maintenance and management work of government and private land agencies.

The organization frames this as service to a public resource: its stated mission includes working "to ensure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use" and assisting agencies in maintaining and managing those lands.

Why It Matters Beyond the Trail

BCHA calls itself "the only national equestrian trails service organization" and says it advocates at the local, state, and national level for trail protection and the riding experience on public lands. So member volunteering is paired with advocacy: the hours on the ground and the voice in policy discussions both aim at the same goal—keeping trails open for all users, not just equestrians.

How to Get Involved

The site's "Get to Know Your Local Members" section points prospective volunteers to a chapter locator: enter a zip code, choose a search radius (from 10 to 1,500 miles), and review results to find a chapter near you. Chapters are the local units where this work is organized, and BCHA's mission explicitly includes fostering new state organizations.

For people who want to support the work without joining a trail crew, the site offers a Donate link through a Square checkout page. The site does not state membership dues or donation amounts, so check with your local chapter or the donation page for current details.

A Quick Fit Check

BCHA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so contributions may be tax-relevant depending on your situation—confirm with a tax professional rather than relying on the site. The most direct next step is to search for a chapter near you and ask what work days are coming up; that will tell you more about local expectations than any national page can.