1. Thank you for being such a vital member of ACTHAs team! Ride Hosts are the heart beat of ACTHA, you are the face of ACTHA to our members. You are helping us achieve our mission. To you, we say… Thank you!

2. Ride Host Manual Read, read, read your Ride Host Manual! The Ride Host Manual is your bible to hosting a Competitive Trail Challenge (CTC) and an ACTHA Obstacle Challenge (AOC). Get to know ACTHAs rules and policies. There is an online copy of the Ride Host Manual in your Ride Manager Menu. A hard copy is sent to your address. Questionnaire When you feel you have a solid grasp of how to put on a CTC & AOC, complete the questionnaire located in your Ride Manager Menu. Use your Ride Host Manual to help you. Complete the Marketing Tutorial Learn how to fill your rides through creative marketing techniques. The Marketing Tutorial is located in your Ride Manager Menu in the CTC Classroom button. Additional marketing conference calls are available, the schedule is located in the CTC Classroom portion of your Ride Manager Menu. Volunteer You are strongly encouraged to volunteer at a nearby ride to gain valuable insight into a CTC before your ride takes place. Post your Ride The Post a CTC/AOC is located in your Ride Manager Menu and will walk you through posting your event once you have completed the questionnaire and the tutorials.

3. Organization Plan to spend time planning! Great organizational skills are a necessity! The great thing about CTCs, is that the more you do them, the easier they get! Entertainment This is your party! In addition to supplying a venue for our sport, you will want to make sure your guests have a great time and enjoy their experience! Computer Experience You or someone you delegate will be spending time on the computer: posting your event, sending emails to your guests, marketing your event on Facebook, etc. Customer Service No matter how detailed you are in your flyers and on your ride page, there will always be questions. The personal attention you give to this will pay for itself many times over. Marketing This is NOT a build it and they will come kind of party. Local marketing via emails, phone calls, flyers, promoting your event at local horse events and horse clubs will get riders to your event. Location, Location, Location Consider the time it takes to get to your CTC. You will need to get there to determine the trail and obstacles, mark the trail, and recheck the trail when your ride date approaches. Make sure this is feasible for you. Volunteers Many volunteers help make a successful CTC. Consider asking a volunteer to gather volunteers for your ride with assigned tasks.

4. Help will always be a phone call away! Trail Boss Your Trail Boss information will be displayed on your ride page once it is posted. Trail Bosses are available for help via email and phone. Once your event is posted, your Trail Boss is your go to person for all questions. Customer Support Customer Support is available 9am-5pm CST Monday through Friday, closed on National Holidays.

5. Critical components of a CTC that you MUST have 6 miles, 6 obstacles, 6 judges, obstacles spaced apart along the trail Riders briefing before the ride introducing judges, describing obstacles, answer all questions Judges briefing to review all obstacles and ACTHA rules Awards ceremony following the ride awarding winners with ribbons & prizes ACTHA donates $3 per rider to a charity selected by you! Choose your charity carefully, see if they can provide volunteers, help advertise, or help out in any other capacity. Trail Your riders will enjoy a beautiful scenic fun trail that you choose for their CTC, and they will appreciate it! Volunteers – the more volunteers, the smoother the ride! We recommend at least 18 volunteers including 6 judges and 6 assistants. Check the Ride Host manual for an even further breakdown. ACTHA will provide a pool of volunteers in your area for you to utilize. Obstacles The online Obstacles wizard makes it easy to create your Obstacle Sheet for each rider and the Obstacle Judging Sheet for each judge. You will submit your Obstacle sheet to your Trail Boss prior to your CTC for approval. Judges The online Judges Tutorial educates your judges on ACTHA rules and methods of scoring. You will provide your judges with the necessary tutorial code (located in your ride page) so they may login and watch. A list of judges in your area will be provided on your ride page for you to utilize. Scoring The online Scoring wizard will walk you through scoring your event and publishing its scores.

6. Critical components of an AOC that you MUST have An arena (open, covered, or closed) or an open field large enough to accommodate at least 8 obstacles providing a set course of obstacles to be performed in the enclosed setting. Enough area to park 10-20 rigs Riders briefing/walk through of course before the event introducing judges, describing obstacles, answer all questions Judges briefing to review all obstacles and ACTHA rules Awards ceremony following the event awarding winners with ACTHA supplied ribbons ACTHA donates $3 per rider to a charity selected by you! Choose your charity carefully, see if they can provide volunteers, help advertise, or help out in any other capacity. Volunteers We recommend at least 5 volunteers; each judge will need a timer, and you will need a 3 rd timer to time the total arena time. You will also need someone to help park/check papers and a scorekeeper. ACTHA will provide a pool of volunteers in your area for you to utilize. Obstacles The online Obstacles wizard makes it easy to create your Obstacle Sheet for each rider and the Obstacle Judging Sheets for each judge. You will submit your Obstacle sheet to your Trail Boss prior to your AOC for approval. Judges An AOC requires 2 judges, each judge will score 4 obstacles. The online Judges Tutorial educates your judges on ACTHA rules and methods of scoring. You will provide your judges with the necessary tutorial code (located in your ride page) so they may login and watch. A list of judges in your area will be provided on your ride page for you to utilize. Scoring The online Scoring wizard will walk you through scoring your event and publishing its scores.

7. What if weather changes the use of my trail right before the ride? Be sure to let the riders and judges know at the briefing and to get your trail re-marked. What if it rains during the CTC? Keep an eye on weather and communicate with your riders before the ride. Tell them to bring a slicker. What if I witness bad sportsmanship? You have the right to DQ anyone who spoils the event for all involved, especially if they are harmful to riders or animals. What if I need to change an obstacle at the last minute? Be sure to make sure all riders and judges pencil in the change on their obstacle sheets. What if someone gets hurt? Call 911 if necessary, take care of any emergencies, and then keep the trail going. What if a judge doesnt show up? Have a volunteer as a backup judge just in case this happens. You are going to have these last minute hiccups. Be prepared to handle all of the above and more.

8. You will find that there are many benefits to holding a CTC including developing new skills, meeting great people, developing a network of equine enthusiasts like yourself, and raising money for your cause. *Consider other ways to generate revenue for your event: concessions, photographs, clinics, contests, raffles, silent auction, camping, hook-up fees, stall rentals, and many more. To learn more about these ideas, attend the marketing conference calls! Number of Riders 100755030 Open & Pleasure @ $40 78543418 Scout @ $22 10987 Buddy @ $17 5532 Junior @$17 7753 Less admin fee $100 (100) Revenue $3444$2462$1572$859

9. An ACTHA Obstacle Challenge is a great opportunity to give riders a chance to spend some time with their horse and work on their horsemanship skills during the extreme weather months. *Consider other ways to generate revenue for your event: concessions, photographs, clinics, contests, raffles, silent auction, camping, hook-up fees, stall rentals, and many more. To learn more about these ideas, attend the marketing conference calls! Number of Riders302010 Open, Plsr, Scout @ $30 18126 Scout @$25 753 Junior @$17 531 Less admin fee $65 (65) Revenue $735$471$207

10. Stay in touch with your trail boss via email or phone! They are here for you and will answer all of your questions and provide you with advice to put on a fantastic event! Dont forget! Be sure to enter the code trailhorse into the designated area in your CTC Classroom/Attendance page so that your trail boss will know you completed this tutorial. Welcome to ACTHA!