Welcome!

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!

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 2012 rides are listed along with contact information to get signed up. 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.

The Judge's Corner is an opportunity for our Region 1 judges to explain mystery rules, answer questions we forgot to ask at the rides, discuss concerns about current horse/horsemanship trends, offer praise, and generally share their expertise to better care for our mounts. The Photo Gallery has pictures from rides over the past couple of years. And the Links page provides links to the NATRC National website and the sites of the other regions, as well as to the sites of our sponsors. Finally, if there's something that we didn't cover, please contact us!

And if you've just discovered NATRC riding, and are wondering if it's the right thing for you, check out our Stories & Articles page where there's a "New Riders" section to provide answers to some questions, links to information for first time riders, and first-ride stories on the web.

Region 1 News

The ride season is about to start . . .

with the Mt Diablo Ride on May 5. Kay Liebernicht has written an intro and "review" of the ride - read it here.

The NATRC convention is just around the corner!

March 8 through March 10 - in Reno - to be exact. This year we are combining conventions with the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference), so we'll have a chance to find out what they're up to and maybe convince a few of them to come and check out our rides. Probably more to the point, because of our combined numbers, we'll have great speakers and a lot of vendors at our Trade Show - so sign up now, the shopping will be great!

Click here to see a pdf of the program, then click to get a pdf of the convention registration form, and to sign up for the NATRC 2011 Awards breakfast.

Cowboy Camp

The new-this-year Cowboy Camp ride went off flawlessly - it was even 10 degrees cooler than predicted for the day of the ride! There are photos of the ride in the Region 1 Photo Gallery, or just click here.

Jackson Forest

The Jackson Forest ride was gorgeous and great fun - you can see more photos here. Some new trails were added, and they were superb, and the views were wonderful.

Emma McCrary

Emma McCrary, a legendary Region 1 NATRC rider, ride manager, and trail blazer (both figuratively and literally), died recently. Information about her ongoing legacy, as well as some photos of Emma are on Emma's Page.

2011 Round Valley NATRC

The third Round Valley NATRC ride was held on the weekend of June 18-19 at Round Valley Regional Park, with a one-day Novice ride and two day rides for CP and Open. The weather was warm, but the breeze kept it pleasant and, due to our wet spring, there was water available throughout the ride. As usual, the views were spectacular and the atmosphere was fun.

First Ride of the Season!

The Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Riding Association Spring Ride was held on May 7 in Clayton, California. The ride was gorgeous and beautifully marked. A blog about one novice rider's experience on the ride can be found here.

See you on the trail!