Hoof prints on the mind: an exploration of attitudinal relationships between bushwalkers and commercial horseback tours

Abstract

The way that we travel the land, through it or over it, bears a close relationship with our feelings towards that land, which may in turn be subtly different among certain groups, such as bushwalkers and horse riders. Where the walker is in close, immediate contact with the surrounding environment, horseback riders are removed by the horse from such direct contact. While research has been conducted in relation to the physical aspects and carrying capacities of horses, little has been considered in relation to the attitudes of these different groups, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. Physical environmental impacts are important and need to be addressed, however there are occasions that suggest a person’s opinion has been formed by additional, sometimes stronger forces such as peer group attitudes. Research undertaken in the Bogong Unit of the Alpine National Park in Australia indicates that some of the attitudes held by walkers are reflected by the various conservation or activity groups they belong to, and may be a result of such affiliations. It is this formation of normative attitudes that is the focus of this paper. Such attitudes not only illustrate the potential that groups have of establishing common attitudinal norms, but also bring out some points of contact and disaffection between walkers and horseback groups, particularly in commercial operations.