Many of workers are needed for a successful ride. Ride managers need help at almost every ride. If they were to hire all of the help that is needed, endurance rides would have astronomical entry fees. Ride managers beg all their friends and family to come out and work the rides for them but after a few years these people grow tired of helping with horse events when they don't even like horses.

All ride managers hope you take up the two-ride challenge and make yourself available for work during a ride soon.

Ride managers are not in the business of putting on rides to make a profit. If they were, they would all be broke by their second or third ride and would quit. Most of them manage rides to promote endurance riding and for the love of the sport.

Many times we hear comments from riders stating that they wish they had the talent to manage a ride in order to give back to the sport. Well, let any ride manager fill you in on a well-known secret: there are many ways that you can give back to the sport. At any ride there are many jobs needing to be filled. For most of them we offer on the job training.

These jobs will be rewarding, educational and fun for you as well as a relief to the ride managers who will have the help they so much desire and need. Here is a list of a few jobs that need to be filled at most every ride:

Vet scribe. This position consists of recording on the rider card the information given by the vet. This is probably the most educational job on the ride. This job will help you in seeing lameness and metabolic issues in the horses and may help you when evaluating problems in your own horse. You need to be attentive to the veternarian when filling this position.

Pulse takers. If you can take the pulse on your own horse, this may be a good job for you to volunteer for. It can be a lot of fun, visiting and getting to know all the riders on the ride. It can also be very educational in observing how each rider deals with the recovery process on their own horse. If you do not feel comfortable taking pulse, you could always record the time and pulse for the pulse taker on the rider cardÑthis helps save a little time for the riders in the pulse area.

Timers/helpers. If you have experience in timing a ride, you are in great demand and the ride managers could really use your expertise. If you don't have any experience but are willing to learn, timers always need an extra hand to write the times on the cards. Miscellaneous. Another job that is monumental is getting trucks and trailers parked. It can be a very tricky job getting a bunch of independent endurance riders parked in a small area. If you only have a few minutes, ask if you could get the workers something to eat or drink, or just give them a few minutes to take a break. Ride managers can always use help to assist the other workers.

Even a little task like volunteering to do a wake up call at 5:00 a.m. or plug in the coffee pot can be a big help. Don't feel you don't know enough or have enough experience to helpÑthere are so many jobs available and the ride manager will just love you. All riders need to challenge themselves to work at least two rides this year and every year. Try to choose rides that are not club-sponsored as the independent rides have less help at their disposal.

Not that we are not grateful for all riders who enter the ride--we really are! We need you--without riders, we would have no need for rides or help, but many riders are never seen unless they are riding the ride or picking up their awards. It seems that ride after ride we see the same faithful riders or spouses of riders who continue to volunteer their help. We need to make a special effort to thank these people for being there.

Some riders will work when they get pulled from a ride, others will after they finish a slightly shorter distance, others will help scribe for the vets during vet-in the day before the ride, others will come early helping mark trails, some will volunteer to take down a loop of trail markers when the ride is over.

Even if you are entered in the ride, little things that you offer to do can help the ride manager immensely. It does not matter which distance you prefer to ride, if you like winning or riding in the middle or come in last place, your help will be greatly appreciated. If you know you will be available to work, it is always helpful to call the ride manager in advance so that you can be assigned a job and the ride manager will know he can depend on you. But if you suddenly find yourself available, please go ask the ride manager if you could help.

If he says everything is under control, go back in a couple of hours and ask again and then again. When workers start getting tired and the ride manager starts scambling for a replacement, he can't remember who it was who came and ask to help, so it is great if you keep coming back and volunteering your assistance.

Riders just do not realize all the tasks ride managers do in the months before a ride and even more so on ride day. The ride manager keeps the ride flowing smoothly, keeps the help fed and happy, answer questions while adding up the best condition scores, getting the ride results and awards ready for the awards meeting, and giving out awards to the riders who don't stay for the meeting, but one of the hardest tasks is keeping help around for the day.

By volunteering whenever possible you can make the ride a much more pleasurable experience for the ride manager and make if possible for him to think he could face this managing stuff for yet another year. All ride managers hope you take up the two-ride challenge and make yourself available for work during a ride soon. You can make a difference for a ride manager while giving back to the sport.