MOTDRA - Promoting the sport of distance riding since 1990
About MOTDRA
Please see our FAQ below for information about MOTDRA, how to join, and how to register for a sanctioned ride. Ride/Sanction Forms can be downloaded from the files section. You can visit our facebook page for the latest updates to ride schedules at
MOTDRA - Middle of the Trail Distance Riders Association
Competitive Trail Riding and Distance Riding
https://www.facebook.com/groups/450809318318993/permalink/5908311965902007
2023 MOTDRA Board Members
President - Pat Gifford
Vice President - Debra Stockwell
Treasurer - Maggie Childs
Secretary - Rosemarie Doyle
Point Secretary - Marjorie Vaughn
Facebook Admin - Mary Licata
Adhoc Board Members -
Janet Hatch, Jeanie Hauser, Kim Neumann Rumpsa
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at mgchilds@ku.edu or dpwg@att.net if you need more information.
Middle of the Trail Distance Riders Association (MOTDRA) was founded in 1990 by a group of people who enjoyed distance riding competition - both competitive trail and endurance . They created an organization to sanction both types of rides.
Go to the Files section of this website and download the Membership Application. You can fill it out and send it to Maggie Childs along with your check for the amount, or simply bring it to the first ride you plan to attend and hand it in at that time.
You can pre-register for any MOTDRA organized ride by contacting the ride manager listed on the ride flyer or on the Ride Calendar page. A Ride Entry form is available on this website under the Files tab and can be downloaded, filled out and brought to the ride. For rides in other organizations that are sanctioned by MOTDRA it is best to download the ride flyer and contact the ride manager. You may be able to enter online through the sponsored organization's website.
COMPETITIVE TRAIL is a timed and judged event. You have a certain amount of time to finish a marked and measured course. You lose points for finishing too fast or too slow, and the horse is judged on his fitness. Penalty points are subtracted from a perfect score of 100 for both time penalties and horse condition. MOTDRA does not do judged obstacles as do some CTR groups. MOTDRA CTRs usually are set at a 5 to 6 mile per hour pace, but this can vary with the condition of the course and weather. The pace is usually in the slower range for limited distance rides (usually 15 miles) and faster with the open rides (usually 30 miles.) Mandatory hold times are added to the ride time. If you have a ride time of 5 hours with a half hour vet check, the total time allowed is 5 1/2 hours.
ENDURANCE rides are races, but you can choose to ride for miles/completion instead of speed. There is a maximum time to finish the marked and measured course, but no minimum time. The first horse across the finish line that meets the veterinary criteria and is judged fit to continue, wins. Riders often place in the ribbons by maintaining a slower, more steady pace and NOT racing. All horses that complete the ride within the maximum time and meet veterinary criteria for “Fit To Continue” will receive completion miles and a completion award.
Technically, an ENDURANCE ride is 50 miles or more in one day. Many ride managers offer 25 mile distances. These are called LIMITED DISTANCE (LD) rides. You have 6 hours to finish a 25 mile ride, 12 hours for a 50 and 24 hours for a 100. The total time allowed includes the mandatory hold (vet check and rest) times. Thus, on a 25-mile ride, you have 6 hours, minus the hold time of 30 to 45 minutes, or 5:15 to 5:30 hours of actual ride time. For LD rides, the first horse across teh finish line that is judged “fit to continue” may not win the race. LD rules require the finish time to be when the horse meets pulse rate criteria. Endurance and Limited Distance rules can be found at theAERC web site.
No, but use common sense! We see riders from 6 to 70, but there are few rules about age. Junior riders, those under 18, must have an adult sponsor who is also a competitor in a MOTDRA event, and juniors must wear safety helmets. The ride sponsor and junior rider must ride together
In MOTDRA, horses can be entered in limited distance CTRs, a 15-mile distance, by the age of 3. They must be 4 to compete in the open division of 25 miles or more. In endurance, a horse must be 4 to be entered in an LD ride (25 miles) and 5 to be entered in an endurance ride (50 or more miles). There is no limit on the other end of a horse’s life. Use your best judgment. Many distance horses continue to stay fit and compete into their 20s.
Distance experts shun heavy sweet feeds and go for lots of fiber, such as hay and beet pulp mashes. Grains burn up quickly, leaving the horse with no reserves. Hay and beet pulp burn a long time in the hind gut, giving the horse fuel for the long haul. The mashes also supply valuable liquids. There is debate about whether alfalfa is a good feed for distance horses. Some riders feed it and others don’t. There also are some good extruded feeds that use beet pulp as a base. No two horses are the same, so nutritional requirements will vary from horse to horse.
Ride entry fees vary, but you can expect to pay $2.00 to $5.00 per ride mile. Where does this money go? Ride managers have to pay for one or two veterinarians to be on site during a ride, buy ride prizes, pay for dozens and dozens of trips to the ride site to mark and trim trail. They often have to pay a fee to reserve a camp ground. In short, it is expensive to put on a ride and very few ride managers actually take home any money at the end of a ride. They put on rides for the love of the sport and to give others a chance to get out and compete. Some campgrounds require an additional fee for camping. Others do not. Usually the ride flier will let you know if there is a camping fee in addition to the entry fee.
No. MOTDRA rides are open to any breed of horse or mule. Arabians have unique physical characteristics that help them excel at this sport, but other horses do well, too. It is important for a horse to move efficiently, with a powerful rear “engine,” and long, comfortable stride. Heavier bodied horses may need more rest and longer cool-down times. You can compensate with good nutrition and conditioning.
Start by joining an organization such as MOTDRA.
The American Endurance Ride Conference is the sanctioning organization for endurance rides. You can contact the AERC at: AERC, P.O. Box 6027, Auburn, CA 95604. Toll-free number: 866-271-AERC, Fax: 530-823-7805 www.AERC.org
There are many good books and resources. AERC publishes a monthly magazine called Endurance News. Donna Snyder Smith, a centered riding instructor and distance riding coach, has a good book, The Complete Guide to Distance Riding. As does Nancy Loving, DVM, Go The Distance.
In the FILES section of this website under Clinic Documents there are several articles devoted to training, feeding and conditioning that MOTDRA members have used with their horses. The MOTDRA Handbook is a good source for getting started.
Three letters. LSD. No, not the 1960s drug. This means long, slow distance. Get used to doing the miles. Start out at 2 to 4 miles a ride, several times a week. Then add miles. Finally add speed work in short spurts, called fartleks. Teach your horse to eat and drink on the trail. A horse that won’t eat well will have poor gut sounds. A horse that won’t drink will get dehydrated. Good distance horses learn to take care of themselves. An often overlooked training item is the trot-out. Your horse needs to learn to trot in-hand for 125 yards out and back. In a CTR, he will be asked also to move in a circle right and left. The vet wants to see a trotting pace to check for lameness and to monitor the horse’s attitude and impulsion. Also, teach your horse to stand quietly and relax while his pulse is being taken and the veterinarian checks his legs. Mostly, you need to just get out and ride, ride, ride!
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at mgchilds@ku.edu or dpwg@att.net if you need more information.
Go to the Files section of this website and download the Membership Application. You can fill it out and send it to Maggie Childs along with your check for the amount, or simply bring it to the first ride you plan to attend and hand it in at that time.
You can pre-register for any MOTDRA organized ride by contacting the ride manager listed on the ride flyer or on the Ride Calendar page. A Ride Entry form is available on this website under the Files tab and can be downloaded, filled out and brought to the ride. For rides in other organizations that are sanctioned by MOTDRA it is best to download the ride flyer and contact the ride manager. You may be able to enter online through the sponsored organization's website.
COMPETITIVE TRAIL is a timed and judged event. You have a certain amount of time to finish a marked and measured course. You lose points for finishing too fast or too slow, and the horse is judged on his fitness. Penalty points are subtracted from a perfect score of 100 for both time penalties and horse condition. MOTDRA does not do judged obstacles as do some CTR groups. MOTDRA CTRs usually are set at a 5 to 6 mile per hour pace, but this can vary with the condition of the course and weather. The pace is usually in the slower range for limited distance rides (usually 15 miles) and faster with the open rides (usually 30 miles.) Mandatory hold times are added to the ride time. If you have a ride time of 5 hours with a half hour vet check, the total time allowed is 5 1/2 hours.
ENDURANCE rides are races, but you can choose to ride for miles/completion instead of speed. There is a maximum time to finish the marked and measured course, but no minimum time. The first horse across the finish line that meets the veterinary criteria and is judged fit to continue, wins. Riders often place in the ribbons by maintaining a slower, more steady pace and NOT racing. All horses that complete the ride within the maximum time and meet veterinary criteria for “Fit To Continue” will receive completion miles and a completion award.
Technically, an ENDURANCE ride is 50 miles or more in one day. Many ride managers offer 25 mile distances. These are called LIMITED DISTANCE (LD) rides. You have 6 hours to finish a 25 mile ride, 12 hours for a 50 and 24 hours for a 100. The total time allowed includes the mandatory hold (vet check and rest) times. Thus, on a 25-mile ride, you have 6 hours, minus the hold time of 30 to 45 minutes, or 5:15 to 5:30 hours of actual ride time. For LD rides, the first horse across teh finish line that is judged “fit to continue” may not win the race. LD rules require the finish time to be when the horse meets pulse rate criteria. Endurance and Limited Distance rules can be found at theAERC web site.
No, but use common sense! We see riders from 6 to 70, but there are few rules about age. Junior riders, those under 18, must have an adult sponsor who is also a competitor in a MOTDRA event, and juniors must wear safety helmets. The ride sponsor and junior rider must ride together
In MOTDRA, horses can be entered in limited distance CTRs, a 15-mile distance, by the age of 3. They must be 4 to compete in the open division of 25 miles or more. In endurance, a horse must be 4 to be entered in an LD ride (25 miles) and 5 to be entered in an endurance ride (50 or more miles). There is no limit on the other end of a horse’s life. Use your best judgment. Many distance horses continue to stay fit and compete into their 20s.
Distance experts shun heavy sweet feeds and go for lots of fiber, such as hay and beet pulp mashes. Grains burn up quickly, leaving the horse with no reserves. Hay and beet pulp burn a long time in the hind gut, giving the horse fuel for the long haul. The mashes also supply valuable liquids. There is debate about whether alfalfa is a good feed for distance horses. Some riders feed it and others don’t. There also are some good extruded feeds that use beet pulp as a base. No two horses are the same, so nutritional requirements will vary from horse to horse.
Ride entry fees vary, but you can expect to pay $2.00 to $5.00 per ride mile. Where does this money go? Ride managers have to pay for one or two veterinarians to be on site during a ride, buy ride prizes, pay for dozens and dozens of trips to the ride site to mark and trim trail. They often have to pay a fee to reserve a camp ground. In short, it is expensive to put on a ride and very few ride managers actually take home any money at the end of a ride. They put on rides for the love of the sport and to give others a chance to get out and compete. Some campgrounds require an additional fee for camping. Others do not. Usually the ride flier will let you know if there is a camping fee in addition to the entry fee.
No. MOTDRA rides are open to any breed of horse or mule. Arabians have unique physical characteristics that help them excel at this sport, but other horses do well, too. It is important for a horse to move efficiently, with a powerful rear “engine,” and long, comfortable stride. Heavier bodied horses may need more rest and longer cool-down times. You can compensate with good nutrition and conditioning.
Start by joining an organization such as MOTDRA.
The American Endurance Ride Conference is the sanctioning organization for endurance rides. You can contact the AERC at: AERC, P.O. Box 6027, Auburn, CA 95604. Toll-free number: 866-271-AERC, Fax: 530-823-7805 www.AERC.org
There are many good books and resources. AERC publishes a monthly magazine called Endurance News. Donna Snyder Smith, a centered riding instructor and distance riding coach, has a good book, The Complete Guide to Distance Riding. As does Nancy Loving, DVM, Go The Distance.
In the FILES section of this website under Clinic Documents there are several articles devoted to training, feeding and conditioning that MOTDRA members have used with their horses. The MOTDRA Handbook is a good source for getting started.
Three letters. LSD. No, not the 1960s drug. This means long, slow distance. Get used to doing the miles. Start out at 2 to 4 miles a ride, several times a week. Then add miles. Finally add speed work in short spurts, called fartleks. Teach your horse to eat and drink on the trail. A horse that won’t eat well will have poor gut sounds. A horse that won’t drink will get dehydrated. Good distance horses learn to take care of themselves. An often overlooked training item is the trot-out. Your horse needs to learn to trot in-hand for 125 yards out and back. In a CTR, he will be asked also to move in a circle right and left. The vet wants to see a trotting pace to check for lameness and to monitor the horse’s attitude and impulsion. Also, teach your horse to stand quietly and relax while his pulse is being taken and the veterinarian checks his legs. Mostly, you need to just get out and ride, ride, ride!
Middle of the Trail Distance Riders Association
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