Equestrian Protection Bill Advances to State Senate Floor

As Colorado grows, equestrians must be part of the community to prevent roadway accidents like the one in Arvada that killed Griffin and injured his rider. Many equestrians have come together to make a difference. We’re excited to announce the Colorado Equestrian Protections Bill SB25-149!

Senator Daugherty and co-sponsor State Representative Lisa Feret introduced the bill on the floor last week and assigned it to the committee on Local Government and Housing.

This landmark legislation protects equestrian rights, ensuring safe riding conditions on roadways in urban and suburban equestrian zones and preserving equestrian culture.

Key highlights include:

• Safety standards for riders and horses, including crossing signs and warning signs like those for pedestrians and bicyclists.

• Identifying equestrian zones in urban and suburban areas for inclusion on maps and influencing development decisions.

• Preserving Colorado’s equestrian heritage through public awareness and safety campaigns.

• Educating road users to slow to 10 mph and maintain a minimum of 6 feet clearance when overtaking equestrians.

This bill strengthens our community and ensures equestrians can enjoy their passion for horses safely. We still need your help. Senator Daugherty says we’ll work with communities and organizations to hold stakeholder meetings and prepare the bill for passage. We want this to succeed, so we need everyone’s help. We appreciate your hard work so far.

To help pass the bill, we need more equestrian engagement at the capital during committee readings. You can also ask your state representative or senator to endorse or vote for it. Find them here: https://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator

Finally, sharing the bill in your equestrian community will help drive awareness across Colorado.

Thanks to Community Equestrian, Michele Hovet, Fran Evers, Karen Hersch, and other devoted equestrian advocates and community partners.