These horse stories are charming, but unfortunately this thread seems to have turned into a big red herring. The debate is about specific rules governing commercial packers.
Did someone call for banning horses or commercial packers in the wilderness? I don't recall reading one person in this thread who thinks horses should be banned from the wilderness.
The HSHA has not called for banning horses or commercial packers from the wilderness. They've repeated over and over again they are not trying to ban horses or commercial packers in the wilderness.
The HSHA lawsuit and their proposed compromise is entirely about establishing new rules or modifying existing rules governing permits for commercial packers. Some of these rules are in place in other National Parks but not in Sequoia-Kings Canyon. How are those rules working in other parks? This discussion should be about the specific rules that are being proposed - are they reasonable or not? Again, the HSHA is NOT trying to ban horses from the wilderness.
It's unfortunate that sometimes it has to come to a lawsuit to get any action from an agency. If all other reasonable efforts have been exhausted with that agency, then a lawsuit is perfectly appropriate as a last alternative.
