On the other hand, ride management is responsible for producing a fair
ride, where successful finish or placing is related to the nature of the trail
and the conditioning/horsemanship/intelligence of horse/rider. Riders
should not have to deal with the rigours of the trail in addition to poor
organization, incomplete trail marking, and delinquent reporting of ride results.
Hence for me, there are four really important aspects to a successful
ride, the rest is just icing on the cake (I speak as a rider
here, not as a ride manager)
1. Well marked trail
2. Fair, experienced vets
3. Plenty of water on the trail
4. Well thought out emergency plan for horse or rider injury
A good banquet, short *to the point* ride meeting and awards make
it all the more pleasant. We are fortunate in our area that even though
we loop back into camp, the scenery (though repeated twice) is still
breathtaking, however you slice it! As a ride manager, implementing those
things that make you happy as a rider can really translate into a fun, safe
experience whether you are a top finisher, or an "LSD" afficionado.
Keep up the debate,
Dom
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Dominique Freeman | "Life is short, science is long" |
fadjurs@sadandy.hpl.hp.com | |
Hewlett Packard Laboratories, | |
Palo Alto, CA USA | |
Phone: (415) 857-8596 | |
FAX: (415) 852-8576 | |
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