With the economy in precarious straits, riders, ride managers, vendors and control judges alike are tightening their belts and looking for ways to save a few bucks. No one wants to give up competing just because it means eating ramen noodles and using single-ply toilet paper for a while.

Just like riders, ride managers are concerned about extending themselves, financially, in order to make a ride happen. Or someone interested in holding a first-time ride is thinking, "Wow, that's a lot of complicated and expensive stuff to organize." It can be discouraging to contemplate running what feels like a small wedding. (Never mind all those horses.)

What about holding a "no frills" ride?

A "no frills" ride is one with a focus on the fundamentals -- well-marked and accurately measured trail, good vetting, enough horse water to be safe, and that is about it! Most riders I talk to indicate that these are the most crucial elements at any ride, and what keeps them coming back to "good" rides over and over again.

But make no mistake about it, these fun­damentals cannot be short-changed. It's not acceptable, for example, to set everyone loose at the start onto an unmarked trail with instructions to "go out there and do what feels like about 15 miles then come back for a vet check."

Once the control judging and trail are covered, what constitutes the "frills"­ -- the places where you can save money, and pass that savings on to your riders?

As with most things, there are lots of regional differences in how rides are run with regard to "frills" and lots of variety even within a region -- lots of ideas to be shared from area to area.

Meals

This can be really simple. No food for riders. No coffee in the morning. No snacks at the hold. No awards dinner. For some riders, this is no trouble at all. They're accustomed to "bringing their own" and aren't much affected by this frill going away.

Some rides hold a potluck meal -- pretty much free for the ride manager -- that simply involves everyone bringing a dish to pass, their own paper plate and utensils and beverages, and sharing a meal. Sometimes the ride manager sponsors the main course and the riders bring the side dishes. (The only caveat here is that some riders will bring a mammoth and delicious dish they've slaved over for days, while another rider, completely forgetting about the "potluck" indicated on the ride flyer, brings a partial snack bag of stale Cheetos.)

Others, like the Mt. Adams ride in the Northwest Region, work with the local community to sponsor the meals. This frill is well worth it for ride manager Steph Irving, because not only does it allow a contribution to a scholarship fund, it fosters a cooperative relationship with the neighbors.

Or have a meal on a donation basis to provide funding for a worthy cause. This has worked so well for some rides that they've done better, financially, on meals than if they had charged for them. Riders get a meal if they want one, so everyone wins. And make no mistake, if you've got a warm body willing to cook, there are plenty of meals that can be done "on the cheap." Spaghetti, chili, soup, hot dogs and hamburgers all are meals that are less likely to break the budget than a "frilly" catered meal.

Awards

AERC rules indicate that completing riders receive an award. However, there's no rule about what that award could or should be.

Lots of "no frills" rides utilize a simple certificate to indicate completion. Ribbons are another fairly inexpensive option.

Others collect "leftover" ride awards from other rides. [Contact me if you'd like to free up some of my attic space and negotiate your way into some leftover Allegany Shut Up and Ride T-shirts.]

Some rides manage to get almost all of their awards donated. In this regard it is helpful to have a charming and well-connected friend to solicit (or in some cases, strong-arm) awards from vendors, friends who are artsy or crafty, local tack shops or feed stores, etc. [And let me just take this moment to thank my own personal henchperson, I mean awards coordinator, Mary Coleman!]

I've found that even the big tack suppliers are generous if you contact them early (think beginning of the year or the time when you sanction) and in writing.

Randy Eiland, a longtime ride manager who manages a number of rides in the Southwest Region, gives out ride discount certificates as awards.

As Randy says, "The certificates can be used at any of the 'next rides' I manage. Completion gets a $5 discount, top ten gets a $5 discount, first place gets $10 discount, and best condition gets a $20 discount. So, a rider who wins gets a total of $20 in future discounts (completion, top ten, and first place). If the same rider also won BC, they would have $40 in discounts to the next ride I manage."

Not only does this give the rider a break, financially, the next time they attend one of Randy's rides, but it also keeps Randy's rides filling, year after year.

And let's face it, most of us prize the memories from a successful ride more than the actual award that we won.

Ride camp

An endless supply of potable and horse water at convenient locations, hot showers, permanent corrals or stalls for keeping our horses, electrical and water hook-ups­ -- all are frills that many of us have enjoyed at one ride or another.

However, all you really have to have for base camp is a large area for people to safely park. (I'd add "flat" to that sentence, but having camped in many, many less-than-flat fields over the years, I can attest that that is not a necessity. And really, having all that blood rushing to your head as you sleep at night because you parked downhill just adds to the brain capacity to strategize for the ride.)

Even water is negotiable. We all agree that you have to have a minimum amount of horse water available to make a ride safe and successful, but many riders haul their own and can be encouraged to do so. At rides where heat and humidity are not an issue, rides can get by with a surprisingly small volume of water. Many rides have no potable water available for humans.

While potty facilities are one of those items that most do not consider a frill (especially by the last day of the ride), even the number of potties can be negotiable.

Likewise, trash dumpsters or even manure disposal are costs that might be optional. Some rides are "pack in/pack out" and that includes Dobbin's fecal contributions to camp.

Volunteers

As ride managers, we all love and are beholden to our volunteers! But volunteers, if you pamper them, cost money. We feed them, sometimes we pay their camping fees, give them a T-shirt or a special volunteer award.

It's possible to ask our volunteers to feed themselves, or pay part of their own way, or even more simply, cut down on the number of volunteers we have at the ride.

It might mean that we have to ask our control judges to do a little more (taking heart rates, for example, rather having a pulse taker area), or asking our riders to manage a little more on their own, but what we usually find is that riders and their crews usually pick up this slack.

There's something about a group of horse people who will rally and lend a hand if you wave your hands like a frantic person and scream shrilly at the top of your lungs, "I need help!" -- if only just to get you to shut up.

In summary

It's safe to say that one rider's "no frills" ride is another rider's "best ever" ride is another rider's "can't survive if they don't have coffee in the morning" ride.

If ride managers sharpen their pencils, are clear up front about how the ride will be run and put it in writing in their ride flyer and ride description, focus on those fundamentals -- control judging and trail marking -- that are non-negotiable; everything else is up for grabs.

Let's not miss out on the opportunity to ride some beautiful trail together this season!