Trail Masters, endurance riders and ride managers all have one thing in common. We like to ride. But is there more? When it comes to trails we all think we are on the same page. But are we?

Sitting around a campfire last month the following conversation took place. A Trail Master told the story about several re-routes he made to a famous trail that was not sustainable. He took the trail, flattened it out to the contours, made the proper switchbacks and in the end managed to have the trail go from the original starting point at the bottom of the rise and end at the top right where riders usually came out onto the ridge. Several weeks later the ride was held and one of the more aggressive riders gave our Trail Master a double case of "what for."

The rider accused him of making the trail easier and not as much fun. Was the trail easier? Of course not. The elevation climb was the same. In fact, it took longer to reach the top which means the trail became more difficult. More trail was added and at the same time we now have a sustainable trail -- one that is not eroded and unsafe to ride. So it is a matter of perception to some of our riders and ride managers. You can have a trail that is a challenge and at the same time sustainable.

How do we get endurance riders and ride managers to see the light? The answer is easy. In my book every ride manager should take the Trail Master course. Over time the vast majority of our riders should go through the course. It will, in the end, make us better stewards of the resource we use for our sport. Being an endurance rider means a lot of things. Hopefully it means you believe in conservation, and being a good steward of our public lands.

As a rider when you are out riding and you come upon trails that are eroded and in bad shape, what do you think? What is your perception of the trail? Would you ever consider talking with your ride manager about working on the trail? Have you thought about joining in with the local saddle club and work on trails? When all of us begin to take a serious look at our trails and decide to become involved we will make a serious impact with our land managers. Remember, all we ask for is 20 hours a year with you off your horse and working on a trail. Become a re-route expert, become a leader at trail maintenance, become the go-to person in your area to solve trail issues.

There used to be a comic strip with a character named Pogo. Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." We can either be our own worst enemy by not being involved or we can become leaders in our community. Thankfully, we have a solid base of endurance riders out there doing a lot of trail work. But they need help. They cannot do all of the work by themselves. Our Trail Master classes can teach you how to be a re-route expert. Its all about being involved.

It is my pleasure to announce our first permanent Trail Master training class facility. The AERC, in partnership with Glenville State College in West Virginia, is working to create training classes for Trail Masters. In addition, under the guidance of Amanda Stewart, a class will be added to the curriculum at Glenville that will not only teach the basics of being a Trail Master, but will have added sections dealing with the use of GPS technology and mechanized equipment for trail building. All of this is taking place through the efforts of Amanda. A very big "yahoo" needs to be sent to Amanda for her hard work. We are looking forward to her first class next spring.

Terry Silver is now in the process of putting together the class schedules for 2007. Watch for the list in EN. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of you in our classes next year. Remember, all you need is a horse and a trail.