THE Tweed-Byron Trail Horse Riders Club has thrown its support behind the State Government's $6.3 million commitment for the Tweed stage of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail (NRRT).

The club's secretary Debra Minto said the decision would bring more tourists and provide more opportunity to get riders outside.

"It's very exciting news,” she said.

"Obviously it's been going to waste in all those years since they stopped the trains and we just thought it had so much potential to connect all these villages such as Crabbes Creek and Burringbah and Stokers Sliding.

"The other thing is because you have national parks on either side of the rail line, it just provides so much opportunity to connect the trail to all these walking, mountain biking and horse trails that are in those national parks.”

The announcement came after the club's members took a group ride to celebrate its 40-year anniversary last weekend.

"The trail riding group was first formed in 1977 in the Tweed and the club covers from the border down to the edge of the Byron Shire and Lennox Head and out towards Nimbin.

"So we thought we would have a celebratory weekend of trail riding. We had 25 riders on each day and 40 people at the Saturday evening event, which was a camp fire gathering with bush music.

"Some of the foundation members and members who have been with us a long time came along.

Ms Minto said the group now planned to build on the event's success and make the meet an annual gathering.

"It was very satisfying to be able to stage an event like that because it shows the potential of what's possible in terms of making it an annual event,” she said.

"It also shows that sort of event can be used to attract more people to use the trails and if they are from elsewhere to actually visit the area.”