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!!!!!!

Welcome

Sept. 9th and 10th, Walsenburg, Colorado Busch Ride Camp is 17 miles EAST of Walsenburg, CO on Highway 10. It is the same location that this ride has been held for the past 2 years, south side of Highway 10, easily visible from this 2 lane road. This year it was decided that the ride would be moved to a Fall date. With this move we are avoiding snow and winds that have blessed this ride in the past. Still 2 great weekend days riding, each day will feature a 25, 50 and intro ride. The trails are 2-track and cow trails across eastern Colorado high-desert prairie and rugged canyonlands, all on private property. Courses will be marked with ribbons on wooden clothespins, painted T posts and chalk lines.

Colorado has a dual-personality; the East and the West, with the boldly drawn line of I-25 to divide the two. This ride represents the Eastern side so there won't be mountains to climb, bears to fend off or rivers to ford. Instead the terrain is gently rolling prairie with a few small canyons to keep it interesting. Great ride for a horse that is gaining fitness or just needs conditioning miles. Notably it is held on private land which happens to be a working cattle ranch. The Busch family has raised cattle here for generations and have graciously allowed this endurance ride to take place here now for a 3rd year. Please respect the livestock that inhabit the land and if a group of cattle is on the trail don't go blasting through the herd at warp speed. Slow down and walk through the cattle.

Footing and hoof protection: The vast majority of the ride is flawless perfect footing, there are short stretches of gnarly rock in the canyons, shoe or boot accordingly to suit your horses needs. The rocky stretches are gnarly enough that unless your horse has exceptionally great hard hooves shoes would help avoid a stone bruise. If your horse is barefoot boots would be helpful on the red loop as well as the short stretches of the gravel roads that are included on the course.

Camp is primitive prairie land, horse water and porta potties will be provided. Ride camp opens on Friday and water will be dropped off that morning. If you want to arrive Thursday please let Kerry Redente know and bring your own water for that night. There is also the Greenhorn Horse Hotel at exit 77 right off I-25. They offer rig hook ups as well as stalls and pens. Staying there may be a better option for those traveling from more than a days drive from ride camp. Phone is (719) 924-0341.

We may or may not have a food truck. It is a remote location so if we manage to convince one to show up please patronize their presence! We hope you enjoy this very minimalistic and casual format, and appreciate our gracious hosts at Busch Cattle Co. Please please please take care of your horse and ride how the weather and conditions dictate. The ride is in rural Colorado and the closest vet clinic for major issues is up in Littleton, try not to need their services. Local veterinary treatment facilities for equines are limited so handle your horse accordingly. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER to help us maintain a head-count, you do not have to pre-pay. Fees: Fun Ride-$50, LD & 50-$100, note no fee increase from last year! Pre reg. will open on this site June 1

. Vet – In Friday starts at 3pm. Dr. Miranda Andress will be the Head Control Judge for these 2 rides, there is NO TREATMENT VET. If your horse needs treatment, you will need to take them either North to Littleton, or South to Raton. Vet clinic information will be in your ride packet. Walsenburg is the closest town and has many amenities like groceries, feed, restaurants, fuel, and the Spanish Peaks Regional Hospital. The Busch Family has asked that you respect their property by: not rushing through their cattle, not having campfires, not collecting any artifacts (from antlers to arrowheads,) and being vigilant about natural risks such as rattlesnakes, prairie dog holes, barbed-wire, and bobcats. They hope you enjoy riding on their family ranch.There are three loops: Big BLUE ~25miles, Mellow YELLOW ~15miles, and Rowdy RED ~10 miles. The 50s will do blue, yellow and red. The LDs will do yellow, red. The Intro/Fun Riders will do yellow or red. The course is the same both days. Health Certificates, use address: mm17 Hwy-10, Walsenburg, CO 81089 Health certificates are not a ride requirement but if traveling across state lines it is your decision to obtain one.

The ride also has a Facebook page, just type in Busch Cattle Company to find the site. Updates will be posted here as well as on FB. You can always contact the ride managers via email and phone for questions. Kerry Redante ponyxp@msn.com Julie Figg figgjulie@gmail.com

Contact