Re: Ride Fees

["BE" <betndez@budget.net>]

Have been following this thread and have a question:  do people go to endurance rides to eat or to ride? 

 

 Here in the NW Region the emphasis is on the _ride_ and food, if any, is secondary.  As Heidi said, many potlucks sometimes excellent sometimes not.  Or management provides big pots of chili or spaghetti.  Simple, inexpensive and delicious.  You don't need a headcount before the ride to prepare these things. These days most riders have LQ, motorhomes, or campers so a large number of us eat 'at home' anyway. 

 

Another trend in the NW is to leave as soon as possible after the ride is over, if you've done 50 or less.  A large number of our rides include longer distances so our awards are frequently Sunday a.m.  so I suppose that's a big factor in the 'banquet' thing.  As for the 75s and 100s, those riders don't have the time or inclination to eat a full meal anyway even if there was any left when they came in on a VC.  At least I don't have the time since I'm crewless and my VC time is taken up with horse care.

 

Bottom line, why not omit the catered meal and focus all energy on the ride itself?  That's more than enough responsibility.  Then you don't even need pre-registration.  A few of our rides offer a small discount if pre-entered but most are just show up, pay your $$ and ride.  Nice and simple for all since the ride attendance varies little for any particular ride from year to year.  You already know how many vets you'll need.  No refunds to send and very few pre-ride phone calls to field from my experience.

 

Personally I resent a mandatory meal charge being added to my ride entry.  I've found at several West Region rides that my ride entry would not be accepted unless I paid an additional meal charge for a meal that I knew I could not eat. 

> >> 
>     a week before the ride, 
> after the meals have been ordered from the 
>     caterer of course, the 
> cancellations rolled in....sometimes several in a 
>     day.  And we were lucky to 
> start 90 riders
> >>had 
>     to charge all cancellations the value of 
> the meals, if they occurred 
>     after the meal count was given to the caterer.  
>     
>
> Barbara