About NETC

In October 1998, Clemson University hosted The National Symposium on Horse Trails in Forest Ecosystems: the first attempt to create a concerted effort at focusing on trails issues in a natural resource conservation policy context.

Following the National Symposium, Clemson University Forestry Professor Gene W. Wood was instrumental in the creation of the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference (SETC), which was first held in 2000 at Clemson University. For the next 12 years SETC was an annual conference, with groups from individual southeastern states assuming the responsibilities of developing and hosting each year’s conference. After SETC 2012 in Lexington KY, it was decided to change the conference name to the NATIONAL Equestrian Trails Conference (NETC) to better reflect both the aspirations and audience of the conference. NETC 2013 was held in Rock Hill, SC, and after NETC 2013 a permanent board was appointed to facilitate continuity and assist in ongoing conference responsibilities. NETC 2016 marks the first conference since 2013.