News from the South Florida Trail Riders!
Many of you probably don’t realize how many miles you ride your horse every year. Over the years the SFTR has had three programs aimed at encouraging riding through what we used to call the Frequent Riding Miles. Miles were only recognized at official SFTR activities and the winner would be the person with the most miles. Later we evolved to the Redland 100 program. Again, only miles ridden at club activities were recognized and the 100 miles had to be ridden within a time limit.
In April 2016, Augie Saavedra introduced a new program whose goal was 500 miles per rider. However, there was no time limit, and the club would recognize miles ridden on your own as well as miles ridden in organized rides. This meant that you were not competing against other riders, you earned your 500 miles at your own pace and it did not matter if you took a year or 10 years to log your first 500 miles. Once you log the 500 miles, you will be presented with the coveted 500 mile patch to be worn with distinction and pride.
Augie named this new program after our beloved Willy Perez. Willy was a long time member who was popular and well liked by many members. He also had a reputation for liking long rides, being a great trail buddy, and generous in supporting all the SFTR community service projects. Willy is no longer with us but his memory is part of our club’s fiber. To this day his family continues to support the SFTR and each year they are one of the main contributors to our Annual Christmas Toy Drive. So let’s get you started on your way to the Wilfredo “Willy” Perez 500 Mile Award.
- This is based on the honor system. Write down the number of miles each time you ride. If you have the older model horses that do not come with an odometer, you can use a) GPS or b) monitor the time. A quarter horse, or any similarly gaited breed will cover 3 miles per hour at a flat walk. If you ride a gaited horse such as a Paso Fino, Tennessee Walker, etc. Give yourself 5 miles per hour. For example, if you rode your quarter horse for 3 hours at a walk you have logged 9 miles (3×3). You do not have to keep us informed on a regular basis. Just let us know when you reach the 500 miles. To make things even easier, we will recognize all the miles you have ridden starting April 1, 2016.
- Remember that you are not competing against anyone. You are simply login miles. Your patch is guaranteed at 500 miles no matter how long it takes you reach that milestone.
If you have any questions contact Augie Saavedra. He will be happy to help you
