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Committee amends and advances bill to create permissive, educational 'equestrian zones' statewide
Summary
After hours of testimony from equestrians, counties, law enforcement and local-government groups, the committee made Senate Bill 149 permissive, added educational traffic guidance and adopted other amendments before forwarding the bill to the Senate committee of the whole on a 6–1 vote.
The Senate Local Government & Housing Committee on Thursday advanced Senate Bill 149 after substantial public testimony and stakeholder negotiations, adopting amendments that made the measure permissive and clarified that traffic provisions are educational guidance.
Senator Lindsey Daugherty (sponsor) told the committee the bill aims to provide a framework for defining equestrian zones, signage for crossings and trailer parking, and public education on best practices for shared road and trail use. She said the bill was reorganized in response to feedback and made permissive rather than mandatory.
The hearing drew extensive testimony from proponents including George Pratt, who described operating a long-standing boarding and training center in Arvada and urged better signage and ‘pass wide and slow’ education to reduce collisions; Dr. Caitlin Spack of the Arvada Area Horsemen's Association, who said the bill would help secure equestrian access as Colorado develops; and others who described therapeutic, economic and emergency-response benefits tied to local equestrian facilities.
Opponents and cautious stakeholders included the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado and Colorado Counties Incorporated, who warned that a statewide mandate could impose unfunded obligations and reduce local control in sparsely populated counties. The Colorado Municipal League expressed appreciation for the sponsor’s amendments and asked that the bill preserve local flexibility. The Colorado State Patrol supported educational guidance but raised technical concerns about placing new guidance in Title 42 (traffic laws) without enforcement mechanisms, asking that the language remain clearly advisory so public expectations align with enforceable law.
Committee amendments adopted during the hearing (L004, L005 and L001) made the bill permissive, restructured road-use sections into an education component and clarified the definition of an equestrian zone. After the amendment phase, Chair Exum reported the sponsor’s willingness to continue discussing technical refinements with stakeholders.
Senator Snyder moved the bill to the committee of the whole with a favorable recommendation. The committee vote was 6 to 1 in favor; the record shows one committee member voted no. The bill now proceeds to the Senate committee of the whole for further consideration.
