Imagine riding trails that were established in the 1880s. . . . Imagine a base camp on a working cattle ranch that has been in one family for six generations. . . . Imagine seeing deer, elk, antelope, coyote, and quite possibly an occasional cow, now and then, as you ride the trails. . .

Plan now to ride with the "best of the best" in June of 2005. Plan now to attend the AERC National Championship in southeastern Montana. Plan now to have the time of your life riding well-marked trails, enjoying western hospitality, and becoming a part of AERC history.

Historical significance

The Circle Bar Ranch was homesteaded in 1883 by Captain Calvin Howes. He gave up his seafaring life in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for ranching when steamships took over the oceans where the sailing ships had once ruled. Levi Howes, one of Captain Howes' sons, took over the ranch in 1898 and ran it until his death at the age of 95. From there the ranch has passed onto Levi's grandson, Marcus Stevens, and his son Bill. The ranch still remains in the family, with Bill and Jan's children making the sixth generation here. The ranch is a working cattle ranch, raising calves to sell in the fall of the year.

Fort Howes, the rock structure pictured here, was built in 1897. The fort was built by local ranchers after a sheepherder was murdered by Indians; remember that this was only 21 years after General George Armstrong Custer met his match at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The women and children were sent either to Sheridan, Wyoming or Miles City, Montana because of the fear of an Indian uprising. The men then began to take rocks up the hill to build the fort. Fortunately, the "Indian uprising" didn't occur. The fort still stands today as it did 104 years ago. The roof has been replaced, as needed, when the old ones fell apart. There are still portholes all the way around for rifles to point out of and one large hole for the men to enter.

Save these dates for 2005

We will not be offering the regular Fort Howes open ride this year; instead we are hosting the AERC National Championships. The dates for the National Championship this year are June 10 for the 100 mile ride and June 12 for the 50 mile ride. Riders interested in riding in the AERC National Championship have certain requirements they must attain to qualify.

Horse and rider teams with 1000 AERC endurance (50 miles and up rides) lifetime miles together are automatically qualified, as are previous National Championship winning teams. Horse and rider teams can also qualify by having 300 AERC endurance lifetime miles as a team and a top five placing in their weight division at an AERC ride of the same distance that they wish to compete in within the preceding 18 calendar months of the ride (January 2004-June 9, 2005).

There will be a limited number of openings for non-qualified riders to ride in the NC as junior sponsors. Please contact us if you are interested in helping out with the junior riders.

By offering the AERC NC in June we're hoping that more junior riders will be able to attend because they will be out of school. If junior riders do not have a qualified sponsor we will try to help arrange a sponsor. Please contact us in advance so that we can line someone up. Also, junior riders are often concerned that their sponsor might be pulled at some point during a ride. Plans are already underway for additional junior sponsors to be riding during the ride to help those juniors whose sponsor might be pulled. Junior riders will also ride for half price!

About the ride

The National Championship is going to be taking the place of our Fort Howes Ride this year. The Fort Howes rides started in 1997 and have grown into an event where riders from all over North America and several countries overseas have come to compete. Ashland, Montana is located on Highway 212 in southeastern Montana. The ride site is approximately 25 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 484. Ashland is a small community with two grocery stores, two gas stations, two restaurants, and a hardware store. Broadus (to the east) has similar offerings.

The huge base camp with ample parking is easily accessible to the all sizes of rigs and is only about a mile off of the paved highway. Trails will radiate out of the base camp out onto the Custer National Forest with little or no repeat trails. The 100 mile ride will have two out vet checks, which are easily accessible to crews, and three checks in camp. The 50 mile ride will have all of their checks in camp.

Riders can expect to find water on the trail every three to five miles. Most water is hauled out on trail so there will be minimal water crossings. Scenery abounds with interesting rock formations, ponderosa pine, western cedar, sagebrush flats, and open grassy meadows. Trails will consist of cow trails, two-track jeep trails, and open meadows. Although there is some rock on the trails, riders won't see endless miles of gravel and stone so padding isn't a necessity.

Elevation at the base camp is 3300 feet and riders will see elevation changes of up to 1000 feet while riding. We pride ourselves on well-marked trails and the 100 mile riders will see the last 15 miles of the trails marked with glow-sticks.

Festivities are currently being planned with the 100 mile awards dinner scheduled for the evening of Saturday, June 11. The 50 mile awards dinner will be the evening of Sunday the 12th. Plans are underway for some cowboy poets and western history storytellers to come and entertain us.

The current list of veterinarians who are going to be here to help the horse and rider teams are Jim Baldwin, Mike Tomlinson, Ray Randall, Lance Moxey, Tim Graham, and Lynne Pederson. We have a large group of volunteers, namely our neighbors, who have been year after year to help make the ride run smoothly.

All about entries

All entries are required to nominate for the AERC NC by May 14. Entries are due to us by May 28. Nomination and entry forms are available by contacting us through the mail, phone, or off of our website at www.aerc.org/2005NC/forthowes.asp.

For those interested in qualifying for international competition, this year's 100 mile ride will include an FEI division. Rest assured the FEI division will not overshadow the AERC National Championship. Many of our riders who have desired to ride in the AERC National Championship in the past have not been able to do so because they are in need of an FEI ride for various qualification requirements. This way they will be able to ride in the AERC NC and meet their requirements at the same time. We feel that it is a "win-win" situation. So, plan now to attend the 2005 AERC National Championship in Montana.

For more information contact: Bill and Jan Stevens at H.C. 71 Box 1203; Ashland, MT 59003; phone 406-784-2469; email: circlebarranch@rangeweb.net; website: www. aerc.org/2005NC/forthowes.asp.