It was the original assumption that Back Country 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 organization, doing work in the back country, 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 back country horse use were justified. Consequently, 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 back country stock use as composites of the "purpose" printed above. Our name was chosen because it signified an interest in much more than just wilderness. Back Country Horsemen are interested in perpetuating recreational stock use on virtually all public lands. We try to limit our interests to the stated purpose. Many worthwhile organizations already exist to provide action programs in other fields, so anyone interested in those has adequate opportunities to become active.

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