What to do when you arrive at a ride.  What happens?  Several things have to happen at once. You need to set up your camp, visit the ride secretary and pay your entry, and get your horse to the vet for the vet-in.
Camping can be as simple or elaborate as you care to make it. For people camping, you may see anything from tents, people camping in the back of a pickup truck or horse trailer, to RVs and super fancy living quarter trailers. Nobody really cares how you chose to camp (besides you, if you are the one in a tent and it’s pouring rain!). There are several different methods for horse camping. The most popular are tying to the trailer, High ties, picketing, portable pens, and electric corrals. Any safe method is OK. All have their advantages and disadvantages.
If you are riding in a CTR, you will be given a score sheet where you note any pre-ride nicks and booboos your horse may have. You don’t want those to count against you after the ride. You will get a similar form to take to the vet for Endurance and LD rides, but you will not mark dings and booboos on the form for these rides. When you and your horse are ready, you will present your horse to the vet for the pre-ride check. Your horse will get a number on his rear drawn in cattle crayon.
The vet will give your horse a once-over. He or she will look at the horse’s gums, check for dehydration, check the animal’s legs, gut sounds, anal tones, and heart rate. Finally, you will be asked to trot your horse out in-hand, in a straight line and sometimes you’ll be asked to circle him right and left. Your horse will need to know how to lounge, or you will need to run in circles with it. If you are not physically able to run alongside your horse, you will need to find someone willing to do it for you.
After that, there is a ride meeting. At MOTDRA rides, these usually coincide with a potluck dinner. The ride manager gives out maps for CTRs and some Endurance rides, discusses the trail, sets times and pace. The vet will offer advice and set the pulse criteria. This is the maximum heart rate your horse will be allowed to have and continue the ride.
On ride day be prepared to get up before dawn to feed your horse and get ready to ride. On CTRs, the ride manager often will send riders out one at a time, 30 to 45 seconds apart, or will send riders out in small groups. In endurance, everyone starts at once when the trail is announced open.
Once the ride starts, maintain as steady a pace as possible considering the terrain and weather. RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE. Don’t worry about what the speed the other horses and riders are going. You do what is best for you and your horse! Make sure your horse is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping throughout the ride. (EDPP)
Typically, the trails are done in loops of 10, 15 to 20 miles. You will usually ride a loop, come back for a vet check and mandatory hold time, ride another loop, and come back for the final vet check. Some vet checks are out of camp. For out of camp checkes, you will need to send buckets and other equipment out to them before the ride starts. Ride managers will let you know if there are out of camp checks, and will usually help you get your stuff there.
Following the completion of the ride and tabulation of scores there is an awards ceremony and sometimes another potluck!