bchw.org

Back Country Horsemen of Washington (BCHW) is a volunteer organization that combines two things: teaching people how to care for trails, and actually doing that care work on public lands. Its members—many of them equestrians—clear fallen trees, repair tread, install drainage, and maintain the routes that horseback riders, hikers, and other trail users depend on. The education side exists to make that work safe and effective, and to pass trail skills to the next generation of volunteers. You do not need to own a horse, and you do not need prior trail-building experience, to take part.

The Two Halves of the Mission

BCHW's name signals its dual purpose, and the two parts reinforce each other.

Education

The educational side covers how trails are built and kept usable: water drainage, tread shape, switchback design, safe use of hand tools and crosscut saws, and how to work around stock animals. Training is typically delivered through chapter-level workshops, field days, and certification courses. Some skills—like crosscut saw operation on federal land—require formal certification, which the organization helps members obtain.

Volunteer Trail Maintenance

The volunteer side is the fieldwork. Work parties go out on scheduled days to address specific problems on specific trails. The output is tangible: a passable route where a storm had closed one, a creek crossing that no longer washes out, a section of tread that stops eroding.

What Trail Work Actually Looks Like

Trail maintenance is less glamorous and more varied than many newcomers expect. Typical tasks include:

• Logout: Cutting and removing fallen trees from the trail corridor using hand saws or certified crosscut crews.
• Brushing: Clearing overgrown vegetation back to the trail's designed width so riders and stock can pass.
• Tread repair: Rebuilding or smoothing the walking surface, fixing ruts, and restoring the trail's outslope so water sheds off.
• Drainage work: Cleaning or building water bars, rolling dips, and ditches to move water off the trail before it erodes.
• Structure maintenance: Repairing or replacing turnpikes, retaining walls, and simple bridges.
• Signage and corridor clearing: Re-establishing sightlines and marking routes.

The tools are often hand tools—Pulaskis, McLeods, shovels, loppers, and saws—because many backcountry locations do not allow motorized equipment. That is part of why volunteer labor matters so much: the work is labor-intensive and hard to accomplish with machinery alone.

Why Equestrian-Led Maintenance Matters

Horse and pack-stock users have a direct stake in trail conditions. Trails that fall into disrepair can become impassable for stock, and once a route is effectively closed to pack and saddle use, reopening it is far harder than maintaining it. By organizing riders to do the maintenance themselves, BCHW helps keep trails legitimately open to equestrian use and demonstrates responsible stewardship to land managers. That credibility matters when agencies make decisions about access.

Who Can Participate

Participation is broader than the name might suggest:

• Non-riders are welcome. Many volunteers contribute labor without owning or bringing a horse.
• Beginners are welcome. No prior trail-building experience is required; training and experienced crew leaders provide the on-ramp.
• Youth and families often participate through chapter activities, subject to age and safety guidelines for specific tools.
• Horse owners can sometimes bring stock to help pack tools and materials into remote work sites, but this is not a requirement for most work parties.

If a task requires special certification, the organization generally provides a path to get it rather than expecting you to arrive qualified.

From Interest to Work Party: A General Path

The exact steps vary by chapter, but the usual sequence looks like this:

1. Find your local chapter. BCHW is organized into regional chapters; the one nearest you is your practical entry point.
2. Reach out. Contact the chapter to ask about upcoming work parties, training days, and what to bring.
3. Attend an orientation or training. This is where you learn safety expectations, tool handling, and the specific protocols for the land you will be working on.
4. Sign up for a work party. Events are typically scheduled in advance, with a meeting point and a description of the day's project.
5. Show up prepared. Expect to bring water, food, work gloves, sturdy boots, weather-appropriate layers, and any personal safety gear the organizers specify.
6. Build skills over time. Many volunteers start with brushing and drainage work and later pursue saw certification or crew-leader roles.

Practical Considerations Before You Commit

• Physical demands vary. Some projects are close to a road; others require hiking or riding miles in. Ask about the access and terrain before signing up.
• Weather and season shape the calendar. Work is often concentrated in snow-free months, and some projects are weather-dependent.
• Land agency rules apply. Work on federal, state, or local lands follows that agency's requirements, which is why training and certification exist.
• Your time is the main contribution. There is no need to bring specialized equipment; organizers typically supply tools.

Getting Current Details

Schedules, chapter contacts, training calendars, and membership information change over time, so the reliable move is to go straight to BCHW's own channels—its website and the individual chapter pages—for the latest work party listings and contact information. If you are unsure where to start, contacting the chapter closest to the trails you ride is the most direct route into the program.

In short: BCHW turns interested people—riders and non-riders alike—into trained volunteers who keep Washington's backcountry trails open and usable, and it gives beginners a structured way to learn the work by doing it alongside experienced crews.

Back Country Horsemen of Washington (BCHW) is a Washington State equestrian education and volunteer trail maintenance organization. It is the kind of group a rider joins if they want to keep backcountry trails open and usable — and the kind of group a non-rider can support with money, time, or advocacy. The practical way in is to find your local chapter, since BCHW's work happens through chapters rather than from a single statewide office.

What BCHW actually is

The organization describes itself in two parts: equestrian education and volunteer trail maintenance. That combination is the point. Members are horse people who use trails, and they put in work to keep those trails passable — clearing downed trees, brushing overgrowth, and doing the routine labor that land managers often can't cover on their own.

Because it's organized at the state level but operates through local chapters, your experience of BCHW will depend heavily on which chapter covers your area. A chapter near a busy national forest may run frequent work parties; a chapter in a quieter region may focus more on education and advocacy.

What members and volunteers do

The work falls into a few broad buckets:

• Trail maintenance — clearing fallen trees, cutting brush, and repairing tread on trails used by equestrians and other recreationists.
• Education — teaching riders about Leave No Trace practices, stock handling, and how to ride responsibly in backcountry settings.
• Advocacy — representing equestrian trail interests to land managers and in public processes that affect trail access.
• Community — chapter meetings, rides, and events that connect local horse owners.

If you've ever wondered who cleared the tree off the trail you rode last weekend, this is often the answer.

How to get involved

The most direct path is to contact a local chapter. BCHW's website is the starting point for finding which chapter covers your county and who to reach out to.

A reasonable first sequence:

1. Find your chapter — check the BCHW site for the chapter map or list and identify the one nearest you.
2. Reach out — email or call the chapter contact and say you're interested in volunteering or joining. Ask what's coming up.
3. Attend something low-commitment first — a meeting or a work party is a good way to see the culture before you commit to membership.
4. Ask about membership — dues, requirements, and what's expected of members vary by chapter, so get the specifics from the chapter itself rather than assuming.

What to expect at a first work party

This is where a lot of people hesitate, so it's worth being concrete. Trail work with horses means:

• You may or may not need to bring a horse. Some work is done on foot with hand tools; some involves packing tools and supplies in with stock. Ask the work party organizer which it is.
• Bring your own gear. Expect to need work gloves, sturdy boots, water, and weather-appropriate layers. The chapter typically supplies tools, but confirm rather than assume.
• Expect physical labor. Brushing, sawing, and moving material on uneven ground is the job. Fitness matters more than horse skill for many work days.
• Check land manager rules. If you're riding on public land, there may be requirements around stock use, permits, or certifications. The chapter will know the local rules.

The single most useful thing you can do before your first work party is ask the organizer two questions: What should I bring? and Do I need my horse?

If you don't ride or can't do trail work

Not everyone who supports BCHW's mission is a rider or is physically able to swing a Pulaski all day. Other ways to help:

• Donate — trail maintenance costs money for tools, materials, and supplies.
• Join as a non-working member — you can support the organization and its advocacy without doing trail labor.
• Help with events and administration — chapters need people to organize, communicate, and run education events.
• Speak up — public comment on trail access and land management decisions is a real contribution, and it doesn't require boots on the ground.

The bottom line

BCHW is a volunteer-driven, chapter-based organization that combines horseback riding with trail stewardship in Washington State. If you want to ride backcountry trails and help keep them open, contact your local chapter and show up to one event. If you can't do the trail work, there are still ways to support the mission. The chapter is the unit that matters — start there.