The theme for this year's AERC Convention is "Riding With Knowledge." Be sure to put February 29 and March 1 on your calendar and take advantage of the following opportunities to take your knowledge of the sport to a higher level:

Educational speakers. In addition to the great group of speakers listed in the program, the Education Committee is sponsoring two panels: "Moving on Up" to help riders going from LD to 50s as well as those who are moving up to their first 100 or multi-day ride, and an Ask the Experts panel with leading riders available to answer your questions.

Education Committee question-and-answer booth. The EC will have a booth in the trade show next to the AERC registration desk, staffed by committee members and leading AERC riders and/or veterinarians.

Mini-clinics at the trade show. The Education Committee will sponsor a series of 15-minute talks at the trade show focused on care and welfare of the endurance horse. Check the whiteboard for scheduled talks.

"Ask a mentor." Mentor liaisons, mentors, and AERC EC members will be identified by their "Ask a mentor" buttons. They will be available to answer your questions throughout the convention.

Beyond the Basics Clinic. On March 2, Dinah Rojek, past chair of the EC, will conduct a "train the trainers" clinic for 20 AERC mentors, mentor liaisons, and EC members who are committed to then facilitating and teaching this clinic around the country. Other members of AERC are welcome to audit the clinic for a $50 fee. Auditors may listen but will be asked to refrain from asking questions given the tight time constraints to cover all of the material and the primary purpose of the course which is to "train the trainers." Those interested in auditing the course should contact the AERC office to sign up.

For complete convention information, visit www.aerc.org/Mem_Con_ComingInfo.asp. Hope to see you in Reno! -Stagg Newman, Education Committee Chair