MOTDRA -Middle of the Trail Distance Riders Association

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2012 rides Schedule

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MOTDRA OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MOTDRA members elect a board of directors at each annual meeting. Our board members are here to help you, whether you are just getting started in distance riding or you are a veteran with a question.

Please contact us if you have any questions about rides, need membership information or want to learn more about distance riding. Remember, when you do email us, please include snail mail address if you want membership information or newsletters mailed, and a phone number if you want us to call you.

MEET YOUR 2012 MOTDRA OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Triny Tolbert

Vice President: Rhonda Levison

Secretary: Wendy Minnick

Point Secretary: Donna Asher

Treasurer: Althea Sirridge

Board members: Maggie Childs, Dedi Fitsner , Shannon Chastain, and Vickie White

Web Site: Shannon Chastain
wagaman@rpt.coop 660-744-5582

Lameness Check

End of the Trail Perry Lake 2009

Lots of Mud in 2008 Eagle Ranch in MO

Eagle Ranch Missouri 2009

Marking Trails Indian Caves NE

Got Gut Sounds? Milford Lake KS

Ride Meeting Perry Lake KS

About Us

At MOTDRA, you'll find competition tempered with camaraderie. Veterans will help newbies along the trail. All breeds of horse and all ages of riders are welcome. We have something to offer everyone, from 15-mile, easy going competitive trail rides for beginners to hell-bent-for-leather endurance rides of 50 miles a day or more! Members earn points and miles along the way and are rewarded for their accomplishments. We keep in touch with a newsletter and an annual meeting where we share awards, food and fellowship.

Ride, really ride!

Middle of the Trail Distance Riders Association was founded in 1990 by a group of people who enjoyed two forms of distance riding competition - competitive trail and endurance. They wanted to create an organization to sanction both types of rides, with enough rules to make the competition fair and fun, but without making the rules onerous. They wanted a club where people could learn about distance riding in a friendly atmosphere. Thus, MOTDRA was born. It has grown throughout the years. Most of our members hail from Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Membership is open to anyone from any state.

Friendly Competition

The ride calendar usually consists of six to ten competitions a year. There are both competitive trail rides and endurance rides scheduled.

MOTDRA competitive trail rides are timed events. The ride management sets a specific pace for the ride, such as 5 or 6 miles per hour. This will vary depending on the terrain and the weather conditions. Riders are given an ideal time to finish the ride, and a short window of time in which to complete faster or slower with no penalties. Arrival at the finish line outside the ideal time window will lead to time penalties. All penalties, both time and horse related, are subtracted from an perfect score of 100. The ride is judged by a veterinarian who scores each horse on its fitness level before and after the ride. Penalty points are given for various problems in the horse's condition. Mid-ride pulse checks are also scored. The horse with the highest score at the end of the ride wins.

We usually have weight divisions, based on the rider's weight and all the tack. There also is a junior division, for riders under the age of 18. Juniors need to have an adult sponsor ride with them.

MOTDRA CTRs generally have a 15-mile limited distance ride and a 30-mile open division. Ride managers may choose to set different mileage, such as 25 and 50-mile rides.

We usually have several sanctioned endurance rides. These are more of a race and are scored differently than CTRs. Our Endurance Rides are AERC sanctioned and follow AERC rules. www.aerc.org

For more information on MOTDRA CTRs, click here. For Endurance and LD, click here.

MOTDRA sets its ride calendar each January at the annual meeting. This meeting is scheduled the last weekend in January. Meeting sites have been in Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City, and Perry, Kansas. We try to keep the meeting location one that is central for the majority of members. We always are open to suggestions for new and better meeting sites.