The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC)
is the national governing body of endurance riding in
the United States and hosts their premier event, the
annual AERC National
Championship Ride, at
various locations in the
U.S. This ride will
determine the National
Champions for the sport
of endurance riding in
the U.S. and Canada for
both the 50 and 100-
mile distances.
The sport of endurance
riding has grown to
include riders and
horses of many levels at
distances ranging from
25 to 50 to 100 miles as
well as multi-day rides. Ridgecrest, California,
located in the beautiful Mojave Desert, is the location
of the 2019 AERC Championship Ride to be held on
October 31 (50-mile ride) and November 2 (100-mile
ride). Yes, it is the site of the recent earthquakes in
California, but what are the odds they will strike
again? There, an expansive network of trails with
good footing, along
with the Desert
Empire Fairgrounds,
the ride venue, is
suitable for hosting
endurance riders
and horses from all
over the country. This
location is spectator friendly with hotels and
restaurants within a few minutes’ drive. Easy access
to the veterinary checkpoints also lends itself to
viewing of the competition. The area has many
AHW is a proud sponsor of the AERC.
unique sites. Ridgecrest boasts a location near both
the highest point on the continental U.S., Mount
Whitney, and the lowest point in the U.S., Death
Valley. The BLM Burro
and Horse facility is
located within a few
minutes drive of the ride
and is always worth
a visit.
Generous sponsors
provide fantastic awards
for winning riders. Each
weight division winner in
the 100-mile ride will go
home with a saddle and
top ten riders will be
awarded a number of
terrific items for their
horses. Beautiful,
custom made platters will be awarded to the top
three riders in each weight division. Every rider who
successfully completes the ride will be the proud
owner of a silver plated buckle engraved with the
AERC National Championship logo.
The courses for the 50-mile ride on October 31
and the 100-mile ride on November 2 will offer riders
competing on two
different horses in
both rides a variety.
The 50-mile ride will
consist of one
50-mile loop that
does not return to
base camp until the
finish. There will be two veterinary checkpoints
during the ride, with easy access for crew and
spectators. The course is a combination of single
track and jeep roads, with excellent footing
OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 2
by Dr. Melissa Ribley
THE 2019 AERC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RIDE –
A GATHERING OF CHAMPIONS
“SCENIC VIEWS OF THE SIERRA MOUNTAIN RANGE
ARE ABUNDANT ONCE RIDERS HAVE CLIMBED UP TO
THE RIDGE ABOVE THE TOWN OF RIDGECREST,
LEAVING THE VALLEY FLOOR BELOW.”
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AHW > 72 < 0 8.19
sharon
(sharon)
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