- Supporting our Technology Project – Thank you to all the individuals and Regions who
have stepped up to support our NATRC technology update project to date. Phase 2 is
currently underway that will result in a brand-new Ride Management System (RMS) that will
make it easier than ever to sign up for rides, manage entries, and view results, all in one
seamless platform. No more having to log into two different systems to sign up for a ride.
Individual donations of any size are appreciated and extremely helpful. Donations can be
made on our website at natrc.org/donate. Be sure to note that your donation is for the
Technology Fund. Your donations are tax deductible.
Thank you to our Regions for their generous support. Regions 6 and 3 are each donating
$2,000. In addition, Region 3 is matching individual donations from their region for up to
another $2,000. Region 1 is donating $500 and Region 4 is planning to donate $600. - NATRC Technology Update Webinar – Earlier this year, Sarah Smith and Alex Braun,
shared information with our members regarding these technology updates. That webinar
has been posted on our NATRC YouTube channel. NATRC Technology Update Webinar - Download the 2026 Hoof Print – The 2026 edition of Hoof Print is now on-line! This is the
official annual publication of NATRC. It is a first-class publication thanks to the efforts of Bev
Roberts and Jamie Dieterich! You can find this year’s Hoof Print on our webpage under the
Resource tab. Download it now to all your devices and then take it with you to your next
NATRC ride! - Honorary and Appreciation Awards Deadline – Mark your calendars now for this year’s
deadline for all regions to submit their Honorary and Appreciation write-ups. This year’s
deadline is Thursday, October 1 st at 10:00 p.m. CST. Write-ups go to Ruth Mesimer
RuthM9496@gmail.com - Leisure Division Background and Opportunity – Did you know that the Leisure Division
(LeD) now comprises 68% of our total ridership in NATRC? Yes, that is not a typo…68%!
The LeD division is consistently higher in overall participation in all six regions and
represents the fullest classes. This upward trend only appears to be accelerating in growth
as is the need to continue to promote and encourage competitors enjoying this division.
When we fully implemented the Leisure Division in 2020 as a sanctioned division, we had
no idea how quickly the division would become popular and with that the need for
appropriate evolution to support its growth and enhance competitor experience. Part of that
evolution was dividing the adult class into Leisure Adult and Leisure Experienced classes
and then introducing a limited national awards program beginning in the 2024 season for the
top six in each class. When this was added we saw another spike in growth as LeD
competitors pursued new goals and crossed regional lines to compete.
As we look at our 2027 rule proposals, I encourage all members to particularly look at the
opportunity of once again expanding our national awards program to offer even more
national award opportunities for our largest division. The majority of us appreciate goals,
and more national award opportunities available encourages more seasonal ride
May 2026
participation in pursuit of those goals. As it stands the largest percentage of our awards is
focused on the smallest percentage of our ridership and the LeD awards rule proposal
seeks to bring that into more of a balance.
Thanks to the vision of our national board of directors, we have this opportunity through this
year’s rule proposals. During this process, our board has voted unanimously on two
separate occasions to carry these proposals forward.
These proposals can be found on our NATRC webpage under Members and then Rule
Changes/Proposals. Feel free to visit with either the national board members from your
region or email Sarah in the national office or me with your thoughts, opinions, or questions
between now and the first of July regarding these proposals. The NATRC board will vote on
these proposals during their July meeting.
- 2027 National NATRC Convention – Next year’s national convention will be held in Kansas
City, the weekend of February 19-21 with Region 6 as our host. Be sure to save that date. - Breed Awards – Keep your breed association individual membership current for the
horse(s) you are competing in NATRC with. By doing so, you will be eligible for end of the
year high point horse awards. Many of the breed associations provide some very nice
awards. Your support also helps NATRC continue to build our relationships with them. - 2026 NATRC Raffle – We are extremely excited about this year’s NATRC raffle. Two of our
new national NATRC sponsors have stepped up to really enhance this year’s prizes.
Equescapes Equestrian Adventures is donating a $500 ride voucher for our 1 st prize winner
and US Rider is donating a 1 year Premier membership valued at $385 for our 2 nd prize. Our
3 rd prize winner will receive reimbursement for their registration to either the 2027 or 2028
national NATRC convention. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased from
your national board members. All proceeds go towards supporting our favorite sport! - Reminder: New Website – Our updated website went live February 28 th . Huge thanks to
Alex Braun for all his time and effort in making this possible. This was a large undertaking.
There are still a few items that need to be updated and that is being worked on. We know
that the ride schedule is not what we ultimately want to have, but it is what we have for now
until we get the new RMS system in place (Phase 2).
To report any technical problems, content updates, or if you have a feature request, click on
“contact” from the upper right-hand corner of the website then scroll down and complete the
technical assistance form. - Reminder: Membership Renewal – If you still need to renew your NATRC membership for
the 2026 ride season, Click here
- Reminder: 2026 Virtual Mileage Challenge – Sign up now for the 2026 NATRC Virtual
Mileage Challenge. It is not only motivational, but it is also a whole lot of fun to do! The top
ten riders nationally along with the top three riders from each NATRC region will be
recognized at the 2027 national convention. Sign up today at Top Trail Horse. First, join Top
Trail at the Top Trail Regular Membership level ($35/year). Then, join the NATRC group
membership separately for $25/year. - Follow NATRC on the Web: Be sure to make our NATRC webpage natrc.org the startup
page for your internet browser. When you do, each time you open your browser, your
opening tab will be our NATRC webpage. It is an effortless way to stay current with NATRC! - Stay Current: Keep up to date with NATRC by following us on social media.
a. Follow us on Instagram @natrc_ctr.
b. Follow us on Facebook with our North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) page.
- Subscribe today to our NATRC (North American Trail Ride Conference) YouTube
channel. Be sure to check this resource out. We currently have 32 videos posted here that
are specific to our sport. It is a wealth of extremely helpful information. All previous Let’s
Ride webinars are here as well.
Follow me on Apple Music @j_zeliff
Follow me on Instagram @johnzeliff
And then be sure to follow me to that next NATRC ride!
John Zeliff, President
