During a recent conversation with the park service, it became apparent that due to the recent Cedar Fire in San Diego County that the Forest Service intended to keep closed the portion of the forest that was to be part of the course of the 100-mile National Championship Ride which was going to be based out of the Manzanita horse camp. The Forest Service does not intend to reopen that area until after December, 2004.

So it is with much pleasure that I announce that we will be putting on the 2004 AERC 100 and 50 mile National Championship Rides out of Warner Hot Springs Ranch, which is approximately 50 miles northeast of San Diego. The 100-mile course will be held on Thursday, October 7, and the 50-mile course will be held on Sunday, October 10. Dr. Barney Fleming will be the head veterinarian.

For those who are not familiar with Warner Springs, it is a wonderful place. The scenery is beautiful with spectacular vistas and great footing. Warner Springs is a private resort with bungalows that have fireplaces and private baths. The rooms can accommodate up to five people. We will have 80 bungalows at our disposal. The Ranch has an 18-hole golf course with a golf grille, 17 tennis courts, a spa where you can get a massage or facial, a workout room, a beauty shop, an equestrian center (we will have about 40 corrals available for our event), a restaurant and a cantina. But, the best part of the Ranch is that it has two Olympic size swimming pools--one of which is a hot mineral pool that is wonderful to soak in after a ride. Riders will have the option of reserving a bungalow and corral (first come, first served), or staying in the campground which is a mile down the road from the Ranch.

As with the other rides in San Diego that I manage, there is great volunteer support and many rider amenities. There will be food for riders throughout the day as well as hay, grain and carrots at all vet checks for the horses. There will be plenty of help from volunteers so this is an event that can easily be done without a crew. This is also at a facility where you can bring your family knowing that they will have a good time as well.

The 100-mile course will be held on Thursday, October 7, 2004, and participants can arrive as early as Sunday, October 3. The final course has not yet been established, but it will encompass much of the trail used in the 50-mile course. There will be an awards breakfast for the 100-mile ride on Friday, October 8. The 50-mile ride will be held on Sunday, October 10, 2004. The awards dinner for the 50-mile course will be held Sunday evening immediately following the ride, but participants can stay on at the Ranch until Thursday, October 15, 2004.

I urge you to qualify for the national championship rides. If you are a winner of the 2003 National Championship, you are automatically qualified. Otherwise you can qualify in two ways:

1. If the rider and horse team have 1,000 career endurance miles then they are automatically qualified in either distance; or

2. The horse and rider team must have 300 career endurance miles and top five in their weight division in the chosen distance at one endurance ride sometime in the 12 months preceding the championship ride.

The rider must compete on the horse on which he qualified. It is the horse and rider team that qualifies, not just the rider or just the horse. See the AERC web page for more details.

If you have questions or would like a ride entry, please contact me: Terry Woolley Howe, 303 N. Mollison Avenue, #103, El Cajon, CA 92021. Days: 619-440-3838, eves. & weekends: 619-445-5443, fax: 619-440-8293. Email: cancer@inetworld.net.

I look forward to seeing you at Warner Springs in October.