
Ride Week Details
Entry
Enter will take place at the CM 2 horse trailer located at the ride camp turn in. Entry will open at noon, Friday Sept. 8. Fee is $100 for both the 25 and 50 and $50 for the intro riders. If you are not an AERC member there is a $15/day additional fee. This covers your AERC insurance costs. If you arrive late in the evening the registration trailer will be open at 6 to 630 am morning of each ride.
Veterinarian
We are pleased to have Dr. Miranda Andres as our 1 vet. This is her 3rd year serving as head vet/control judge. We have NO treatment vet present at the ride! If veterinary care or treatment is needed Littleton Veterinary Services, 303-794-6359 or Mesa Vista large animal clinic located in Raton, NM. They can be reached at 575-445-3912. Remember, both these clinics are a hour and a half to two hour plus drive. There is a local large animal mobile vet that has recently gone mobile, her name is Dr. Rosemary Nicoletta who can be reached at 719-738-1427 Rio Cucharas Mobile Vet Services.
Basecamp
Ride camp is located 17 miles east of the Walsenburg I-25 exit 50 on US Highway 10. Camp is 100 yards south of Highway 10, easily visible from the road. Use mile marker 17 as a reference point as the dirt road used to access camp is at this mile marker. If you are coming from US Highway 160 just follow the signs through Walsenburg that direct you to Highway 10 and head east for 17 miles. There are no electric hookups or pens for horses. Plenty of room to park, do watch for the occasional patch of long spine cactus, not fun plants to deal with. Horse water will be available in camp beginning Friday at around noon. All water is hauled from Walsenburg so use it mindfully. Tanks will be placed on the trail for the ride and hay will be provided at the vet check as well as at the water tanks. Weed free hay is not required and please scatter your leftover hay and manure when leaving. Dogs, cats, iguanas and spouses are not required to be on a leash but be aware that the traffic on highway 10 is sparse but fast. Keep your pets and spouses safe by containing them as you deem necessary.
Trail
The course consists of 3 loops, big blue, 25 miles, yellow, 15 miles and rowdy red, 10 miles. Blue and yellow cut through rolling stock fields and each have a few miles of dirt/gravel county road. Blue and yellow trail do share some common trail so watch for markers at these splits. There is a memorial to several Busch family members after you go through a gate that is very near a windmill. Take a second to look at it, a nice tribute to these working stockman who were killed by a drunk driver. Red crosses some interesting canyon land. There is an old homestead that you will ride next to right before dropping down into a shallow canyon, see if you can spot it. Toward the end of red there is a 20 foot chute that should be ridden, not walked, down. This drops you into a shallow pretty canyon that you will ride for about a mile. Gorgeous country, take the time to enjoy! Blue and yellow are marked mostly with painted T posts, red with lots of flagging ribbon. Turns are marked with 3 ribbons. on the red trail is you come across yellow ribbons or a yellow line on the ground this means you are off trail, return to your last red ribbons and continue on red. On any of the loops leave every gate as you found it. This is a private ranch and there are cattle in each and every section that you will be riding. Monday ride management wants to be driving home and not wrangling steers! Be aware that there are prairie dog holes, downed barb wire and rattlesnakes out there, try not to find them. Lastly, the finish will be marked by a painted line on the ground at trails end and placement will be reviewed at the ride meeting.
Did I mention the radio guys, Ed and his crew will be out there on trail to track riders. Take the time to give them your name. If you need additional people water radio guys are your ticket, just ask.
Food
Since the ride is out in the boonies and in a very rural area of CO a food truck or catering service could not be secured. Walsenburg is a 20 minute drive and offers several local eating establishments as well as a Safeway grocery store. Campfires are not allowed but there is nothing to burn out there anyway except some old dry cow pies!
Misc.
Horses coming from CO do NOT need a health certificate however we do require a negative Coggins test within the past 12 months. If you are coming from out of state the address to use on a horse health certificate is: 17000 Hwy 10, Walsenburg, CO 81089. It is up to your discretion to obtain a health certificate if crossing state lines.
Start Times
50's at 7, 25's at 0730 however this is subject to change, official start times will be covered at the ride meeting at 6:30 pm each evening. Intro riders will go out after the 25's and 50's, trial and start times as we'll will be covered at the ride meeting.
Important phone numbers
Kerry Redente: 719-207-0121 Ride manager
Julie Figg: 970-442-0575 Chief cook and bottle washer
Have a fun and safe weekend, glad you are coming!!!!!!
