Earn Awards For Riding Out On the Trail With Your Appaloosa

ApHC News

If you’re an avid trail rider or if you love endurance and competitive trail riding, the Appaloosa Horse Club has a variety of programs for ApHC members tailored to offer you rewards and recognition for doing what you love most!

Competitive & Endurance Riding

The ApHC Distance Program offers recognition to ApHC-registered Appaloosas competing in the fields of Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding. Endurance Rides of 50 miles or more count toward annual and lifetime awards. And limited distance endurance rides count toward some lifetime awards as well. Competitive trail rides of 25 miles or more per day count toward annual and lifetime awards.

Horses can earn a medallion by completing 350 endurance or 350 competitive trail miles during the ride year (Dec. 1 – Nov. 30).

There are awards for the annual high mileage Endurance Horse, Competitive Trail Horse and Combined High Mileage Horse. And horses are recognized for achieving mileage milestones at 250, 500 and 1,000 miles!

Click HERE for more information and for enrollment forms. Be sure to review rules contained in the Official Handbook of the ApHC for complete guidelines.

2015 Appaloosa National Championship Endurance Ride (ANCER)

The ApHC hosts an annual National Championship Endurance Ride. This year, the ride will be held in conjunction with the Pine Tree Pioneer Ride in Fryeburg, Maine on July 4, 2015. The ride is sanctioned by AERC and is a 50-mile ride. The ride begins at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds. For additional information, please contact the ride manager – Tom Hutchinson by email at tch1@megalink.net. Riders must enter the Pine Tree Pioneer Ride as well as enter the ANCER in order to compete in both. Click HERE to access the ApHC enrollment application. Horses and riders must be qualified by June 8, 2015. The pre-entry enrollment deadline is June 8, 2015.

Pleasure Trail Riding

ApHC also offers an award and recognition program for horses that are ridden on ApHC-sponsored or –approved recreational trail rides. Horses earn awards for achieving 400 and 800 miles and will earn a medallion at 1,000 miles.

If you are interested in hosting an approved ride or if you’d like to apply for approval for a ride that you already attend, click HERE for the application.

Distance Program Enrollment & Fees

To earn mileage at competitive trail rides, endurance rides and approved recreational rides, the horse must be enrolled in the distance program. There is a one-time enrollment fee of $35 per horse. In addition, after the first year of enrollment, there is an annual recording fee of $10 to record mileage in the horse’s performance record. All ride reports should be received in the ApHC office within 30 days of the ride but not later than December 15 of each year.

Click HERE for more information and for enrollment forms. And be sure to review rules contained in the Official Handbook of the ApHC for complete guidelines.

Chief Joseph Trail Ride

The ApHC annually hosts the Chief Joseph Trail Ride. This historic ride traces the route taken by Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe as they attempted to evade the US Cavalry in 1877. The ride begins in Oregon and traces the 1,350-mile route from there through Idaho, Wyoming & Montana. Each year, participants ride roughly 100 miles of that route. In 2015, we will travel the 12th leg of the ride from Ryegate to Roy, Montana.

This year marks the 51st anniversary of the first Chief Joseph Trail Ride offered by the ApHC. More information about the ride and the ride application can be found by clicking HERE. Horses are recognized for completing 10 consecutive years on the ride and riders are recognized for completing 5, 10 & 13 years on the ride. This ride is open to ApHC-registered Appaloosas only and horses must be at least 4 years old to be on the ride.

Saddle Log Program

The Saddle Log, Driver and Disabled Rider/Driver Programs are a great way for you to earn awards for the time you spend with your Appaloosa. Created for adults and youths, these programs recognize the personal achievements and benefits of riding or driving on a routine basis. Whether you participate in trail rides, train and compete in shows, ride in parades, perform ranch work, or enjoy pleasure riding/driving, each hour will count toward your lifetime achievement record and enable you to receive recognition and awards from the ApHC. Click HERE to enroll online. You can also log your hours online – it’s as easy as that and then you’ll start receiving awards in the mail!

For more information on the wide variety of trail & distance programs offered by the Appaloosa Horse Club, please refer to the web site at http://www.appaloosa.com/trail/trail-distance.htm. And don’t forget to review the current year Official Handbook of the ApHC for complete rules and fees.

We hope to see you down the Trail!