Welcome to NATRC Region 1
The Leadline
The Leadline is the Region 1 newsletter and source of breaking news: new rides, ride dates, etc. It's currently e-published 3 or 4 times a year and posted on Facebook and this website, and sent out to members. A big thank you and shoutout to the current editor, Jo Schliesman - a long time Region 1 member; you've probably seen her volunteering as a timer at many Region 1 rides. You can send her stories and photos at R1leadline@gmail.com. There won't be any hard copies mailed out. Here's link to our first Revived Leadline, Spring 2025. Our older Leadlines can be found in a loooong list at the bottom of the Stories and Articles page.
On to Other Important Stuff . . .
An annual scholarship for junior riders, sponsored by Brian & Darlene Schlerf and BAS Roofing, is being offered for the second year in honor of Catherine de la Cruz. Catherine is, of course, the mother of two of our Region 1 Regulars, Angie and Maria, but that's far from her whole NATRC story. Catherine rode hunter-jumpers when she was a kid. But with marriage, motherhood, and hip and knee replacements, she had to give up riding for quite awhile as an adult - but, at age 71, she climbed back aboard a horse. And a few years later, she got her own horse: Lola. At 75, she and Lola competed in their first NATRC ride, which they finished, then won their next ride. When she finally decided to step back from riding, she's volunteered at our rides in a variety of roles, continuing to be an inspiration for all of us.
Back to the scholarship: details about applying for the scholarship are here.
If you're renewing and you download the form from this site, you have to fill it out, find an envelope, address it . . . It's also available on the National NATRC site. If you go to the National site, you can fill out the form and pay electronically - but you have to create an account if you don't already have one. Either way, go ahead and join us - it's worth the time.
Stay safe and we'll see you on the trails this year!
After that news . . .
NATRC Region 1 consists of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, Alaska and part of Nevada. So, if you love trail riding, would like to meet more people who share your passion, and you live in Region 1, or are within commuting distance - come join us!
If you'd like to interact with NATRC riders (and prospective NATRC riders!), take a look at our Facebook page and join our CTR discussion group on Facebook. The conversations are wide-ranging and the participants run from trail riding newbies to old hands.
Our goals for our website are to keep our members informed about NATRC Region 1 activities, and to keep us all motivated to get out and ride. So, if you're looking for the next NATRC ride, go to the Ride Schedule page, where our 2025 rides are listed along with contact information to get signed up. If you want to get in touch with fellow trail riders even before you join us for a ride, take a look at the Region 1 CTR (Competitive Trail Riding) discussion group on Facebook. And if you're stuck at the office and trying to remember how you feel when you're riding, check out our Stories & Articles page, where we have links to
- Region 1 ride stories,
- "Reprints" of interesting articles,
- Tips for first time riders,
- Archives of Leadline, the Region 1 newsletter, and
- PDFs of NATRC documents that riders might want to refer to, such as the Rule Book, and
- a link to the Membership Form!
And if you've just discovered NATRC riding, and are wondering if it's the right thing for you, that same Stories & Articles page has a "New Riders" section to provide answers to some questions, links to information for first time riders, and first-ride stories on the web.
Come Ride with Us!
Region 1 News
Ride Season has Begun
We finished Mt. Diablo and Cowboy Camp and our next ride is Jackson Forest - it's Jackson FOREST, so we'll be riding in a comfortable temp in the woods, and it's not til August 23-24, so, no excuses, you have plenty of time to get ready. And Jackson Forest will be followed by Cool Canyon and the re-scheduled Cowboy Camp. Check the particulars on the schedule!
Blast from the Past!
Here's a short squib from the April, 1992 Leadline. I went for my first substantial ride of the (training) season and this article seemed appropriate and demonstrated that not much has changed in 32 years!
Rememberance Page
It seems like too many of our most cherished riders have passed in the last couple of years. The Remembrance Page is a partial list of them, each with a short description, just to remind us of the examples they set, for horsemanship and community.
Need a (FREE!) Cookbook?
Carol Ormond recently found a Region 1 Cookbook, which she and Jamie Dieterich cleaned up and turned into a pdf. Take a look: it's got NATRC info, cooking tips, and actual recipes.
A Couple of Interesting Articles . . .
One of our old Leadlines has a breath-taking article from Nancy Kasovich about the two terrifying fires she survived; one in 1964 and 2017. She includes teeth-clenching descriptions of getting out safely, and tips for how to do it, if it happens to you. With summer coming on, it might be worth taking another look at.
And Linda Thomason has given us a list of barn-preparedness tips in her article Barn Fire Prevention. In addition to tips, she also included her sources, where you can go for more info. Thanks, Linda!
Check Out the Resources section of the NATRC National website
There are lots of interesting things on the national site: a set of past webinars on conditioning, judging . . . pretty much all aspects of our sport. A thing to know is that some of the resources are only accessible if you log in to the site - it's worth it, so go ahead and create an account. They're planning to have more webinars this year, and events such as virtual mileage challenges and virtual obstacle challenges that you can sign up for and participate in virtually. Watch for announcements on the Region 1 CTR (Competitive Trail Riding) discussion group.
See you on the trail!