A Little History…
Jeff Hammond attended his first Back Country Horsemen Rendevous in 1992 and dreamed of forming a chapter close to his home in southern California. In 1993 Jeff convinced a group of his friends to band together to form a club dedicated to preserving trails for horse use. He also dreamed of packing horses and mules into wilderness areas. Most of the original members had no interest in packing but shared Jeff’s love of riding and horse camping.
Jeff organized a camp out in the San Bernardino Mountains near the mouth of the Santa Ana River. Ben York, a Backcountry Horseman and one of the first individuals to ride the entire Pacific Crest trail agreed to come from San Diego and share the details of his pack trip. Charlie Morgan, an avid packer and one of the original founders of the Back Country Horsemen also volunteered to drive down from his home in central California to provide support and information to a fledgling group. Though a torrential rain storm almost drowned out the campfire, and the boom from the thunder nearly drowned out the speakers’ voices, the interested cowpokes huddled in a circle. They listened closely as the two horsemen told of back country adventure and expressed their love of wilderness, horses and mules.
With the clearing of the storm and the end of the tall tales, it was agreed the small group would form a new unit of the Back Country Horsemen and join others in a common cause. They chose their unit’s name from the river that flowed from the top of the mountain where they camped that first time—the Santa Ana River.
Jeff and Charlie have since ridden into that last sunset. Ben York is still active in the San Diego Chapter of the Back County Horseman. The club’s numbers swelled to over a 100 members in the mid 90’s but like the river from which it got its name, its membership has recently ebbed to about 75 dedicated men and women. .. Several original members are still active in the club but all share the love and belief in what the organization represents and what Jeff dreamed of; when he attended that first Back Country Horsemen Rendevous.
