Ride managers have multiple responsibilities that must be attended to in order to have a successful, well-managed ride. The obvious have been discussed in previous Ride Managers' Forum columns: well-marked trails, quality vets and plenty of experienced volunteers. The small details are often overlooked but can make a big difference to the riders.

Directions to ride camp. When traveling for several hours -- or even days­ -- it can be very frustrating to get within a few miles of the ride site and not have clear directions to camp. One of the biggest mistakes with the directions, even though they may be correct, is not having the mileage that you drive between the turns. This small detail is vital for those traveling to the ride at night. Most importantly, have the turn into camp clearly marked, if possible with a glow stick, for late arrivals.

A technologically savvy ride manager can send the GPS coordinates of the ride camp to Tech Committee Chair Mike Maul. He will create a Google map of the ride site and locations around it linked from the AERC online calendar. This sample is for the Tevis ride: www.doublejoy.com/erol/calendar/rideMap.asp?rideID=3684.

Directions to vet checks. If the ride has vet checks out of camp, it is great for the pit crews to be able to pick up written directions to the checks. Pit crews should be able to "check out" the checks in advance, so have the vetting area clearly marked on your directions so the crews will know exactly where the vetting will take place.

Timely ride result reporting. While everything is fresh in your mind, make the effort to get your ride results finished within a couple of days of your ride. The riders deserve to be able to look up their correct results. This is every ride manager's responsibility. The AERC office staff should not have to answer members' questions as to why results have not been posted, and they should not have to call the ride manager to find out why they have not been sent in promptly.

AERC membership. Be sure to ask all nonmembers if they would like to join AERC. Make them aware that it will save them $15 on every ride they enter and they will also get their first horse registration free at that time. The rider and horse will also get full credit for the the ride's mileage. If the ride season is more than half over the membership fee will run a little less. Ride managers can really boost the membership numbers in our organization.

New riders meeting. It's very important to have a new riders meeting. AERC now has an outline in the ride packet for the new rider meeting. This is an opportunity to have riders get started the correct way. If possible try to pair them up with an experienced rider to guide them throughout their ride.

Be friendly to all riders. A little bit of encouragement can go a long way. This is especially important when riders call on the phone before the ride. Many times new riders call the ride manager for advice on everything from training to looking for a horse to buy. Take the time to talk with these people -- they are potential endurance riders that hopefully will be around for a long time. We want them to be well-educated, and you can provide them with answers to their questions.

Little things mean so much to the riders. Be sure to do all you can to make your ride a great experience that will not be soon be forgotten.