Philosophy and Purpose The purpose of this organization shall be: To perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America's backcountry and wilderness. To work to insure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use. To assist the various government and private agencies in their maintenance and management of said resource. To educate, encourage and solicit active participation in the wise use of the backcountry resource by horsemen and the general public commensurate with our heritage. To foster and encourage the formation of new units of the organization. It was the original assumption that Backcountry Horsemen would be a different type of organization, not the usual special interest one normally operating as a protest group. It was felt that a service club, doing work in the backcountry, would lend credibility to the group when it became involved in criticisms of agency management. It was also recognized that some of the complaints against backcounrtry horse use were justified. Therefore, it was determined that an educational program should be a fundamental principle of the group. So, service and education joined a determination to protect our heritage of backcountry stock use as composites of the "purpose" printed above. Our name was chosen because it signified an interest in much more than just wilderness. Backcountry horsemen are interested in perpetuating recreational stock use on virtually all public lands.