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09.19.2006


Learn About Competitive Trail Riding

Learn About Competitive Trail Riding
Competitive Trail Riding (CTR) can be a lead-in to Endurance Riding, or an end in itself. For a better idea of whether it's the right sport for you, consider volunteering at a ride in your area.By Sandra Cooke

 

If you're interested in Competitive Trail Riding but want more hands-on knowledge before filling out that first entry form, your area's CTR organization will gladly give you the chance to learn by volunteering at an upcoming ride. (Volunteering is also a way for non-riding spouses or friends to participate.)

A well-run CTR competition requires almost one volunteer per competitor, ride managers estimate. ECTRA (Eastern Competitive Trail Riding Association) volunteers get "mileage" credit toward volunteer awards, receiving a chevron patch for each 250 miles and an ECTRA volunteer belt buckle at the thousand-mile mark.

Some of the volunteer jobs essential to a safe, enjoyable ride:

 

  • Recorders for veterinary and lay judges

     

  • Food preparers and deliverers (a one-day ride typically includes breakfast, on-trail snacks and drinks, and a post-ride dinner)

     

  • Timers for start, finish, and midpoint

     

  • Spotters to check numbers and count riders at strategic points on the trail, providing a quick alert if a rider gets lost and ensuring that all riders are following the marked route

     

  • Helpers to take horses' pulse and respiration at midpoint and finish

     

  • Trail-cleanup crew to remove all markers from the landscape

     


For more detail on CTR, read "Miles, Smiles, and Fellowship" in the February 1999 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.