Recreational Riding > Trail Rides

Trail Riding

Want to hit the trails with fellow Paint enthusiasts? Many regional Paint Horse clubs recognize the benefits of hosting trail rides for their members. National Director Anita Hertner of Kearney, Nebraska, heads APHA’s Recreational Riding committee, and she advocates regional club-run trail rides as a great way to increase membership.

“I think hosting a club ride helps clubs gain members,” Hertner said. “The majority of clubs are totally show-oriented. Very few people both show and trail ride. So a trail ride gives more members something to do. It provides different venues.”

Hertner says she’s seen more clubs hosting trail rides since 2003, when APHA agreed to allow clubs to use trail rides to help fulfill their charter requirements.

“APHA trail rides are a great thing, especially for families,” Hertner said. “There are so many things you can combine it with, such as a horse show, a team penning or a clinic.”

Any club can host a trail ride, but to make yours APHA-approved, you’ll need to fill out the “Application to Host a Regional Club Trail Ride,” located online at clubs.apha.com/files/regclubtrailrideform.pdf. Also download APHA’s Recreational Riding Guide—full of tips for hosting a trail ride—at apha.com/forms.

Hertner says choosing a location is the most important step, followed by securing permission from either the landowner or the appropriate government official. “Go step-by-step over the guidelines,” Hertner said. “Are you going to have to charge a fee, provide a lunch or provide camping? See what works the best for your area and club.”

To ensure a good turnout of potential new members and Paint enthusiasts alike, Hertner recommends advertising your trail ride in publications not limited to APHA members. “Get out the word that your ride is not just for Paint Horses,” Hertner said. “This will help you get more interest. You need to reach out to non-members.”

Research local trail riding clubs, and advertise your ride through their channels, Hertner suggests. Trail riding magazines, horse magazines, agricultural and farming newspapers, radio stations, Facebook and your local Craigslist website are all out-of-the-box avenues to reach potential trail riders—and future members.

“I am a trail ride advocate, and I’d really like to see APHA grow through this,” Hertner said. “I think it’s a definite way to market your horse, keep your club alive and keep horse activities going and growing. If people buy a Paint Horse to trail ride, along the way they might get interested to show. I’ve seen people start out trail riding and go on to all kinds of things. People want to do things with their horses, and we need to market our Paint Horses to trail riders.”

Reprinted by permission from the May 2011 issue of the Paint Horse Journal.

A few points to remember for Regional Club-sponsored APHA-approved trail rides

• The ride must be coordinated by a regional club in good standing with the APHA.
• The trail ride coordinator must be an APHA member in good standing.
• The ride dates must be approved by APHA.
• The ride must have a minimum of 20 riders to qualify as a recognized ride.
• The ride must be open to all breeds, horse or mule.
• The ride must consist of a minimum of four (4) hours ride time.
• There will be no limits on distance from other regional clubs’ trail rides or shows on the same dates.
• Insurance and liability are required and are the responsibility of the Regional Club.
• The regional club must obtain written permission of the landowner if the ride is to be held on private property.  Proper permits must be obtained if the ride is to be held on state or federal land.
• The regional club must secure a liability release and registration form from each rider\non-rider.

Recreational Riding Guide

Trail Ride Host Application