If anyone cares I will interject my two cents. Horses hooves can do alot of damage to foot trails especially on soft or muddy ground. The AT is intended for foot traffic. I am not big on government imposition, but sometimes laws are there for practical reasons, not just to infringe upon your personal freedom. Sorry about your dissappointment, it has always been a dream of mine to hike the AT and now that I have a horse it would be even better to ride it. But I can't.