Each competitor at every ride can ease the headaches of the ride manager. There are many ways that you, as an entrant, can help the ride run more efficiently. We will only touch on a few of them in this article. Using good sense is the key to helping out. This article was discussed thoroughly in the Ride Managers Committee and the comments are from many different ride managers in every region across the nation. Most of us have the same problems that only you can alleviate.

1. Registration. Pre-entering the ride can be of great service to most ride managers. This helps us in preparing the proper number of veterinarians, awards, maps, amount of food, etc. The registration is sped up tremendously just by sending with your entry a copy of your AERC card (and, if applicable, your USAE, USET, and/or AHA cards and Coggins) or having them readily available when you register at the ride site. Please don't hold up this procedure by having to run back to your vehicle.

2. Parking. Sounds really simple, doesn't it? We do it at every ride. Do we park like no one else is going to show up at this ride? Some of us like to really spread out -- take an acre or so. Some of us just have to parallel park when everyone else has backed neatly into a site. Parking is one of the things that most ride managers dread.

When you arrive at the campsite, look around; observe how you can park in order to get more rigs to fit. If the camp is big enough and you just really feel you need a large spot, go to the outer edge of the camp, far away from everything, and spread out there. Be considerate. Ride managers really hate to be parking police, so don't make it hard on them.

How sweet it would be if we could just depend on everyone to drive in, park right next to the previously arrived person, put up the corral as requested, and be happy. Parking can be the biggest hassle of all, and the hardest to find volunteers to handle, because riders always have some excuse for not parking as you ask (saving places, looking for rider X, wanting more space, needing room for Class Z motor home, etc.). Riders do not realize how difficult it is to park the ever-increasing lengths and weights of rigs, and how many rides are disappearing because ride managers cannot handle the size and number.

Riders should simply ask, "Where shall I park and set up?" and then do as requested, realizing that they have just added a smile to the ride manager's day (or night).

3. Vet checks. All riders need to remember that most of our help are volunteers and are not paid. Even the few that are paid, like the vets, are not paid as much as it costs them to be there. Many workers do not come back. They feel (and rightfully so) that they have been abused and treated badly by a few riders or crew personnel.

We need to all be kind to all the help, try not to rush them and make them nervous. They are at the ride to help the riders and ride managers out of the goodness of their hearts. Keep in mind they are there to have fun and help you to have fun too.

When handing your card to the timer or pulse taker, things will go much faster if you make sure the card is out of the ziplock bag and opened up to the correct vet check number as you arrive. If you go through a gate into the pulse area be sure to yell out your number to the timer so they don't have to ask each time. The help can never figure out why most riders go to ride after ride and have not been able to learn this easy procedure.

4. Trail. Riders who know a particular trail and see that the markers have been sabotaged can really help out the ride manager by placing a marker at a corner location to direct the riders that don't know the trail. You don't need to take but a minute or so doing this but it can save many other riders and the ride manager a lot of trouble.

Be extremely courteous to all other trail users. This is so important to help the ride manager be able to obtain a permit year after year.

5. Clean up. Be sure to follow instructions on cleaning up trash and manure. Some ride managers require picking up the manure while others are required to scatter it. If you don't do this, a worn-out, tired ride manager will have to do it for you.

Please take all your trash with you unless there are trash containers provided. If you leave a trash bag thinking that the park service will pick it up, more than likely it will be like a trash magnet to all the other riders. Ride managers are the ones who will have to pick it up; they have a permit that requires them to leave the area in the same order that they found it. The last thing a ride manager is in the mood for after a ride is picking up a load of trash.

Most ride managers have found that endurance riders are wonderful about cleanup. Very rarely do we ever have anything to pick up and we really appreciate all of you for your efforts. The land managers have often commented to many of us that as a group distance riders are extremely conscientious about leaving an area very clean. Thank you!

6. Public relations. If you really enjoyed the trails and the area that the ride was held, you could write a follow-up letter to the land managers just to let them know how much you enjoyed the trails on the endurance ride. The land manager as well as the ride manager will really appreciate your thoughts.

All endurance riders need to think about the impact their actions will have on the particular ride they are attending as well as the sport in the future. Most every item that has been discussed in this article is plain common sense. Please use your common sense as well as common courtesy.