I'm sitting under a tree in the shade at our National Championships (NC) writing this column and watching the horses come up for their "in" vet check and later their exit vet check. The NC is at Oreana, Idaho, in late August and while the temperature is high, the humidity is low. The horses look good in both checks and while the excitement of the start is past, they know their jobs in the NC and are good at it.

The championships had an international atmosphere with delegates from Malaysia observing for their own World Championship next year, a Malaysian FEI veterinarian and several South African FEI vets as part of the staff for the ride, and one qualified rider from Japan competing. AERC veternarians from the Central, Pacific Southwest and Northwest regions were on the vet staff as well. An FEI section was also held in conjunction with the NC with the FEI riders jointly entered in AERC's NC and the FEI section.

The competition had a returning division winner from last year -- John Crandell III and Heraldic from Virginia -- and a few riders from Florida, Iowa, South Carolina, and New Mexico. Most of the riders are more local from the Pacific Southwest, West, Northwest, and Mountain regions. I'm not going to list the division winners here but simply describe a well-managed and enjoyable NC (see page 23 for full story).

There was a 55-mile and a 100-mile competition separated by a free day so that riders could compete in more than one distance. Steph and John Teeter put on the ride from their ranch in Southern Idaho, near Boise. The area has both desert and the nearby Owyhee Mountains to stage a challenging championship. The ranch is at 3,000 feet and the trail used the mountains in the earlier part of the 100-mile distance and the flatter but hotter desert for the afternoon and night part of the ride. The 55-mile competition was held over the first part of the 100-mile ride in the mountains.

The facilities were great, including a wireless connection for computers. The catered meals were excellent, there was a very nice vendor area, entertainment included a really excellent band for dancing one evening, and a number of demonstrations and seminars. John Crandell III and Stagg Newman led two of the seminars.

I was there to represent AERC at our championship. It felt strange to be at a ride and not riding. In the early dawn preceding the ride start, there was an excitement in the air with the horses making all sorts of noise and the disciplined crews getting their riders ready to go. It felt different than a normal AERC ride. And it should -- it's our AERC National Championship. Our championship can be an interesting experience for spectators and riders if you are interested in the clinics and seminars as well as supporting your friends in their efforts.

There has been a lot of discussion lately on the Members' Forum (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/AERCMembers Forum/) about the best format for our national championship ride. Some would like to see a return to the results for a whole season determining a single national champion, feeling that successfully keeping a horse in high level competition for this period is more important than the results of a single ride. Others like the present head-to-head contest for weight divisions but would like to add an overall winner. The attendance has been more regional rather than national, perhaps due to the higher cost of travel today and the availability of other options for championship-level riders.

If you have opinions on the present format or would like to see a change, please let your regional directors know of your views. It's the board's job to respond to membership input but without input we can only express our own views. It's your championship.

Start planning now to join the AERC National Championship next October when it's being held in Henryville, Indiana.