The Anchorage Horse Council is a 501(c)(3) membership organization, dedicated to the management and
02/27/2025
Given ongoing reports of confrontational behavior on the trails in Ruth Arcand Park over the last week or two we shall take this opportunity to state that this place, the Ruth Arcand Park, is a public park. It is there for the enjoyment and recreation of the public. That includes MANY user groups. Horses are included. For clarity’s sake, and in order to address confusion, horses do not, in fact, have exclusive rights to use these trails.
Everyone PLEASE simply treat one another respectfully and “internalize” the fact that these are shared trails and you can expect to encounter other humans, dogs, wild animals, downed trees, etc.
As we all know the last five years have been very hard on the Anchorage horse community and our opportunities are fewer than they once were. On that note I ask my fellow equestrians to bring their best selves when they interact with the general public. Also please read about Ruth Arcand below.
-Raena (Anchorage Horse Council volunteer board president)
🟢 Ruth Arcand was born in Lubbock, Texas in 1918, and graduated from Texas Tech University in 1941 with a degree in journalism. During World War II she served in the Navy as a WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). In 1947, she came to Alaska to work as a link trainer operator for Pacific Northern Airlines, and was one of the first homesteaders in the O’Malley area of Anchorage. Active in community affairs, Ruth Arcand served for four years on the first borough parks and recreation board, and also served as a board member to the Anchorage Ski Club, Hilltop Youth Inc., and the Huffman-O’Malley Community Council. She has also served as chairman to various civic groups including the Alaska State Federation of Women’s Clubs, Conservation Department, the Homemakers Club, and the O’Malley Road Clean-Up. Beginning in 1968, Ruth Arcand organized and ran the successful effort to have state land Section 16 in the O’Malley-Huffman area declared parkland and protected from development or sale. The effort succeeded in 1985 and the land was named Ruth Arcand Park in her honor that same year. Arcand died in 1997.
