Welcome to the Belair Summer Sensation August 19 & 20, 2023!

Trail Markers: Darice Whyte and Dianne Borger

Ride Manager: Andy Dunlop (204-990-9782)

Saturday Day Managers: Kelli Hayhurst & Wendy Carnegie

Sunday Day Manager: Kelli Hayhurst

Vet: Glenn Sinclair

This is an AERC sanctioned 2-day ride offering 50-mile Endurance Rides and 25-mile Limited Distance rides each day. Horses are subject to vet checks prior, during and after each ride.  Prizes will be awarded for 1st Place Finish, Best Condition, High Vet Score and 1^st Place Junior for each distance on each day. A Turtle Award will go to the SLOWEST completion in each distance on each day.

In addition, Intro rides of 10 or 15 miles will be offered each day. This is a great way to try out the sport and any reasonably fit horse should be able to complete the ride. Horses will have a vet check at the beginning and completion of the ride. These rides are for experience only and have no time limits and no placings but will receive a completion ribbon and their vet card once they pass their final vet check.

Google Pin to Belair Forest: https://goo.gl/maps/cqbMzk4ucrMZZUGf8

Directions to Belair from Winnipeg: Head north on hwy 59 towards Grand Beach. At the junction of PR 304 head east (right) on 304 to Stead Rd (mile 44E). Turn north (left) onto a gravel road and go approximately 1 mile. Turn east (right) onto sand road and take to the ride camp. From hwy 12 go north to the Sherwood Esso (community of Gull Lake), turn East onto Stead Rd (mile 95N) and follow around curve through the community of Stead. Go straight after the stop sign at PR 304 onto gravel road and follow directions above. Signs will be posted. A reminder that this area is shared with ATV clubs and you may encounter them in camp or on the trails.

Ride camp will be primitive camping with no electrical available. There will be drinking water for horses on trail and in camp. Please pack as much water as you can for sponging, at your trailer and overnight. Bring all your own supplies, in addition to your own containment for your horses. Please clean up your horse manure at your camp area (it can be tossed in the bush or taken home with you). An outhouse is near base camp for those in need but no guarantee it has tp in it.

Base camp will officially open Friday at 5:00 p.m. Camping and day trailer parking is first come first served and unmarked so please be courteous to your fellow riders and don’t block the road. Please let the ride manager know if you plan to arrive on Friday.

Ride Schedule will be the same for both days:

Vet in by distance priority (ie: 50’s first, then 25’s then intros) begins at 7:00 a.m.

50’s start at 8:00 a.m. (Pink 15, fly-by, Blue 10, hold, Pink 15, hold, Blue 10)

25’s start at 9:00 a.m. (Pink 15, hold, Blue 10)

Intros start at 10:00 a.m. (either Pink 15 or Blue 10)

The ride maps are available as image here or downloadable gpx files. THERE WILL BE NO PRINTED MAPS AT THE RIDE. When in doubt follow the ribbons.

Saturday we will have a potluck supper at the Ride Tent at 6:00 p.m. (or when the last 50’s are in). Please bring 8-12 portions of your favourite shareable camp food and join us for a social evening.

General notes:

• Hold times will be 45 minutes for all holds.
• Pulse criteria will be 64 bpm for the 50 mile and 60 bpm for the 25 mile and intro horses
• Left turns will be marked with a loop ribbon AND a Green & White ribbon just before and at your turn. Some tricky turns may be marked with a painted arrow on the ground.
• Right turns will be marked with a loop ribbon AND a Red & White ribbon just before and at your turn. Some tricky turns may be marked with a painted arrow on the ground.
• All dogs must be kept on a leash, tied to your trailer, crated, or confined inside your trailer/truck while in Ride Camp. Please clean up after your pet.
• Dogs are not permitted near the Vet Gate
• No smoking on the trail, at Vet Gate or at the Manager/Volunteer Canopy
• Snacks will be provided for volunteers

Ride Loop Description – 15 mile loop (Pink & White ribbons):

You will head west down the road that brought you into camp and take the trail just on the west side of camp heading north. You will ride about 1.6 miles north when you will then take a right turn onto a bush trail. Follow the trail to end then turn right and go a short distance then turn left into the trees down to the ravine. You will stay on this trail for awhile heading north. You will go past the former burnt out area. Once you get to the sand pits you will take a left and head directly thru the sand taking a left at the road and then a right onto a bush trail.

Stay on the main bush trail heading in a northwesterly direction for about 2.5 miles until you get to the gravel road. There is a gravel pit just slightly north so watch for gravel trucks. Turn left and head down the gravel road but only a short distance as you will make a right back into the forest.

The bush trail will take you west for about half a mile and then turns south through a cutover area and then back into the bush.

Stay due south on the sandy road for about a mile. At the intersection, do not take the far left, but rather follow the trail through the intersection as it goes back into the bush for about a mile heading south east. You will come to the gravel road again. Turn left at the gravel and then right onto the trail (almost directly across the road)

Stay left on the trail which will take you north again on a sandy quad trail. You’ll eventually come to another cutover. Keep an eye out for the one remaining tree in that cutover that has a tire on it.

Turn right where the trail ends and comes to the road allowance. Follow the trail east for about 1/2 a mile. You’ll take the second trail to your right to head back south into camp. After about 1 mile you will come to common trail from when you started the loop. Follow ribbons back to camp.

Ride Loop Description – 10 mile loop (Blue & White ribbons):

You will head west down the road that brought you into camp (this is the same start as the 15 mile pink). You will come to an intersection. Go right (north) and follow the trail right back to the same intersection. You will then head south out towards the highway. At the highway (fyi you are not close to the highway) you will take a left and follow the trail back towards camp. You will take a left which will take you north right past camp again up the road. You will take a right and take the “couch trail” doing the loop around then back into camp.