Indiana Ride Managers...

Okay, I want to go on a full fledged rant about the women who manage Indiana Endurance Rides.

Amy Whelan
Lois McAfee
Sue Keith
Cindy Young

I am so grateful for these women.  Without them, there would BE NO INDIANA rides.  I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into organizing a ride.  Obtaining trail access, camping, marking trail, reserving a veterinarian, getting enough volunteers to time in and out, to pulse, to put up and pull down ribbons, and most of all to get enough people there that the ride will be solvent enough to have again, and again, and again.

Honestly, it is easy to go to a ride and find something "wrong" with it.  It is a dynamic mix of personalities, horses, weather, excitement, and sometimes frustration.  But I've never attended an Indiana ride that I was not so happy that I went, and grateful that the venue was there for me.  No, I don't have a lot of competition miles. But I have in the short time I've been there seen these women put on some really nice rides, and with a big smile plastered on their faces because they love their sport. 

Most of us "sort of" take our available rides for granted when in fact, if a small segment of the AERC stepped down, there would be no rides.  We forget to say THANK YOU for all the work this group of women (men) contributes to the sport.  It is an amateur sport, and nobody is getting rich, and most rides are probably lucky to break even.

So far I've ridden rides in the Clark State Forest, Salamonie, and Corydon.  All well managed, with good food I might add! 

I always think that when there is a problem, you should offer yourself up as a solution to the problem rather than whine and complain.   Volunteer if you want to see good help at rides.  Look for the newbies and out of state people who might need information, and help them to get pointed in the right direction (literally), and always, always...say thank you to your ride managers, and volunteers.  Without them, we would not be.  ~ E.G.