Basham said organizers have been planning the event for over a year, and she encourages the public to stop by to see how Back Country Horsemen can benefit families.

“We have 13 affiliates in Montana, and the convention hosts rotate, so we only get this convention every 13 years,” she said. “A couple of them are so small they don’t sponsor it. It’s nice that our turn came on our 40th.”

Basham said that the Missoula chapter is quite likely the largest in the nation, with about 250 members. They’ve had almost 400 members in the past.

She is excited about letting the public know exactly what the nonprofit organization does.

“We work hard to keep trails open and keep trails available,” she explained. “We’ve worked through a lot of issues and disputes with trail users as well as political and national disputes that keep backcountry open to horse users. We’re very Montana. I’m excited to reintroduce the organization to the public, because we’ve sort of been out of the public eye lately.”