Since 1961, we’ve helped riders of all ages learn the sport of competitive trail riding. Alongside other equine enthusiasts, you can deepen the relationship with your horse while learning new skills and setting your own competitive goals. There’s no place better to do this than on the open trail.
www.natrc.org
NAWD offers virtual shows each month from March-October, learn more and sign up at www.nawdhorse.org.
To learn about NATRC and competitive trail riding, visit www.natrc.org. Come Ride With Us!
This rider ties her horse to the driver’s side of her trailer. Her neighbor ties to the passenger side. They have oriented their trailers so that one trailer is a barrier between the two horses. Everyone is happy!
enough on Friday in order to get their horses checked in by early evening.
NATRC does allow for those who know they will arrive after dark on Friday, or who have encountered delays in route, to check in very early on Saturday morning before the ride start. Give ride management advance notice.
Another strategy, if ride camp is at a location that takes reservations, reserve early. There will be more choices. Look for sites that are close to a pavilion where management holds meals and the ride briefing, close to the probable vet check location, close to a bathhouse and in the shade. Easy access to all those amenities makes the camping more enjoyable and less stressful after a long day on the trail.
Finally, work out what tack you will use for competing while you are conditioning your horse at home. Then, if you or your horse get rubs, sores or painful areas, you can fix the cause. At the ride, you will not be fretting about tack issues. Less stress, more enjoyment.
the entire day’s ride. A 25-mile ride done in 5 hours has an average pace of 5 mph. It is simply the distance in miles divided by the average pace.
Say the distance from Point B to the first P&R is 5 miles and the average pace is 5 miles per hour, then it will take 1 hour to get to the P&R. If the trail for that segment is mostly a flat dirt trail, making that time is a piece of cake. If the trail is up a steep rock strewn hill on a twisty trail with few clear level places to make time and down the other side in the same kind of conditions, then the best time one can make is likely around 4 mph – a far cry from 5 mph. It will take 15 minutes longer to cover that rough trail than it will an easy one (5 miles / 4 mph = 1.25 or 1:15 (.25 x 60 = 15 minutes).
By understanding the terrain from the trail master’s discussion, after briefing, you can go back to your trailer and plan your ride based on where you can make time and where you cannot. By planning to ride faster in the first two segments – camp to A and then A to B – you can plan on being 15 minutes early to B. You can then plan to slow down for the rough stuff, and still be on schedule at the P&R without risking injuring or overly stressing your horse by trotting through the nasty stuff from B to the P&R.
Remember ... strategy is the art of devising a means to an end with a favorable outcome. Less stress, more enjoyment.
Arriving early leaves plenty of time to set up camp comfortably and to shake off the weariness of travel. Activities on Friday usually begin at 2:00 p.m. with the preliminary vet check. Most “normal” people do not have the “ideal” person’s luxuries and must juggle time off from work, money, and home responsibilities to arrive early enough on Friday in order to get their horses checked in by early evening.
NATRC does allow for those who know they will arrive after dark on Friday, or who have encountered delays in route, to check in very early on Saturday morning before the ride start. Give ride management advance notice.
Another strategy, if ride camp is at a location that takes reservations, reserve early. There will be more choices. Look for sites that are close to a pavilion where management holds meals and the ride briefing, close to the probable vet check location, close to a bathhouse and in the shade. Easy access to all those amenities makes the camping more enjoyable and less stressful after a long day on the trail.
Finally, work out what tack you will use for competing while you are conditioning your horse at home. Then, if you or your horse get rubs, sores or painful areas, you can fix the cause. At the ride, you will not be fretting about tack issues. Less stress, more enjoyment.
Rocks, rocks and more rocks on this moderate climb. A prudent rider works her horse at a walk in this part of the trail.
Photography by Optical Harmonics:
Cheryl Edmondson, Brandy Steele and Jonni Jewell
window, checkpoints, signage, and
more. The strategy here is to pay
attention, make notes and ask
questions on anything not
understood. The more riders know
about the trail, the better they are able
to pace themselves. Here is an
example.
The point-to-point times on the map
are usually mathematical averages
based on the overall average pace for