As I finally watched fall colors arrive in the beautiful western North Carolina mountains I realized that many of you will be reading this column during the holiday season and thinking about 2006 New Year's resolutions.

So here is my "Santa Claus wish list" for the New Year's resolutions that I would like to see AERC members make:

1. Strengthen our membership

2. Build our trail program

3. Attend convention.

Let's examine each of these.

Strengthening membership

In a time of high gas prices, maintaining and growing AERC's membership is one of our biggest challenges. AERC historically needs to gain about a thousand new members each year just to replace non-renewals. We must continue to recruit aggressively and improve our retention rate. So what can we as members do?

Recruit new members. Most of us are passionate about our sport. Share that passion with other horse people you meet, give them a copy of EN, refer them to the AERC website, and/or go on a trail ride with them. Or even give them a gift of a year's membership in AERC.

Befriend and advise "newbies" at rides. In reviewing why people do or do not rejoin AERC after their first year, one key insight is that the experience at a person's first ride is critical. Those riders who were welcomed, provided support, given advice and encouragement frequently became enthusiastic endurance riders and AERC members. Those people who went to a ride and did not receive supportive attention came away with the negative impressions of endurance riders as stand-offish, just focused on the competition, etc.

Today, with many people staying in fancy comfortable trailers, the friendly campfire that everybody gathered around almost seems an anachronism. So we need to work harder to ensure the "campfire spirit" of inclusiveness.

Share ideas, experiences and education with each other. The members who stay with the sport are those who have the best experiences, typically successful completions consistent with the goals of the individual. By sharing our best ideas we can improve our overall experiences with our horses and our enjoyment and satisfaction with the sport. (Mentoring is a great way to accomplish thisÑsee page 25 to find out more about this AERC program.)

Building our trail program

Loss of trails and lack of trails are two of the biggest threats to our sport. Here are three ideas for helping in the preservation and development of trails for endurance riding:

Volunteer. Commit 20 hours per year, as recommended by AERC's Trails Advocacy Committee, to the clearing and maintenance of trails for equestrian riding. Not only does this directly benefit us, but the totality of our efforts gives us leverage and clout with government agencies.

Get involved. Contact your government representatives to influence the regulations and legislation that can either threaten or help our cause. We must be vigilant to the many attempts to close our trails.

Become a Trail Master. For those who have the time and long-term commitment, attend one of the upcoming Trail Master clinics that AERC is now sponsoring.

Attending convention

This should be a fun New Year's resolution to keep. By going to our annual convention February 24 and 25 in San Antonio you can:

-- Network and socialize with fellow endurance ridersÑone of the best way to share ideas, experiences, and "stories."

-- Learn from a great line-up of educational speakers and events.

-- Recognize those who have earned year-end awards and be recognized if you are one of those accomplished riders.

-- Shop for great stuff at the trade show.

-- Let the board members know directly what you want from AERC.

-- Have fun in San Antonio, home of the Alamo and the Riverwalk.

Please see the convention flyer for info and to register, click for the registration form or check out the flyer included with the December EN.

As you plan for the new year, please consider incorporating some of ideas above into your New Year's resolutions. Hope to see you at the convention and on the trails in 2006. Best wishes for the holiday season and the new year to your family and your horses!