Re: HELP- I'm on the brink of managing a ride!

[Cyberpony@aol.com]

Hi Teresa~

Congratulations on making the decision to manage a ride!  It is certainly a
LABOR of love.  Sort of like throwing a big party for your friends.  Lots of
fun, but definitely lots of work.

You already seem to be aware of the importance of a well marked trail.  There
is nothing worse than a bunch of riders that have gone off trail.  We try to
mark our trail so that the horses could follow it by themselves :-)       One
trail marking trick we use (I saw it first at Million Pines in GA) is to
string a ribbon across the trail when you are turning off of a wide trail onto
a narrow one.  Otherwise the riders might blow right past it.  The ribbon can
be placed off the ground or laid flat on the ground.  A well marked trail is a
thing of beauty.  A poorly marked trail will be remembered by many riders for
many years.  You want your riders to go away from your ride remembering how
much fun they had at your ride, not how screwed up the trail was.

Another thing you want to do is maintain organization among your ride
management team.  Have ride meetings and HAVE AN AGENDA so you can discuss all
the topics that need to be addressed.  Take notes at your ride meetings,
assign tasks, set a time line, etc.  You can refer back to your notes later
when necessary.

This is just scratching the surface of ride management, but these are two
topics that I feel are real important.  One more thing . . . . You will be
working very hard and closely with your management team.  I'm sure they are
already your FRIENDS.  Keep that thought in the forefront of all you do.  Be
ready to compromise and be flexible.  The ride is just a ride but friends are
for ever.

Have fun with it,

       ~Nora
          Ocoee, FL