The Rules

The Great Horse Trail Riders MICHIGAN Distance Derby is a year long competition where you GPS your ride for mileage and compete virtually with other riders in the same competition.  The purpose of this game is to encourage you to get out and ride. Any equine, any time, any speed.  

1) GOLDEN RULE: NO BULLYING OR DISCRIMINATION OF ANY KIND WILL BE TOLERATED. You may agree to disagree with anyone in a mutually respectful way. Posts/Comments on any of MDD sites that do not honor this will be cause for IMMEDIATE ELIMINATION from MDD. While we cannot control what happens on the trail we hope a commitment to kindness & respect will permeate all our activities and events. This should be a SAFE space where the DIVERSITY of the human & horse species is CELEBRATED. If repeat issues on trail or elsewhere surfaces, ride management reserves the right to decline, eliminate or not invite back competitors who, for whatever reason, do not work toward creating a Michigan Distance Derby Community that is kind and considerate.  


2) You must have a horse (or other equine) or access to one and a GPS device to record your mileage. Please note that many Smartphones have GPS capabilities. Sample apps include Runtastic, Garmin Fit and MyTracks. Find the app that works best for you. You are responsible for the operation of your unit. Technical support is not available through the Michigan Distance Derby.

3) The Michigan Distance Derby (aka Derby) begins January 1, 2014 and ends at 11:59 PM EST on December 31, 2014. All eligible mileage must be accumulated in that time period. All participants must be enrolled by January 31, 2014. Mileage begins on January 1 or the date of enrollment if later than January 1 and is not retroactive.   All mileage accumulated in accordance with the Derby Rule 6 and the last week's mileage must be posted by January 7, 2015 to be eligible for Derby credit.

4) A team by definition is you, the rider, and whatever equine(s) you are riding while recording miles.  

5) To enroll, fill out REGISTRATION FORM & email 1 favorite photograph of your team to MICHIGAN DISTANCE DERBY EMAIL. You will be assigned a team number and your bio information will be shown on this Distance Derby 2014 blog page.  (Click here for a sample entry/bio).

6) Anytime you ride or drive your equine, record your mileage with your GPS device. Enter date & mileage and commentary (optional) MILEAGE FORM. It is up to you to keep your own log and check for accuracy on the Leader Board. It is also up to you to keep it honest. A summary of mileage will be posted periodically in the right sidebar of this blog.  See this page for complete instructions on entering miles.  

7)  This is a race therefore mileage must be posted frequently for riders to know their placings.  Each rider must post their mileage within 7 days of their ride to receive ride credit.  Any mileage submitted beyond 7 days will not be eligible for credit.  Exception:   If a rider is going on a riding vacation and the length of the vacation prevents the rider from posting one or more days in the 7 day period, rider must advise the group via their comments prior to leaving for vacation specifying the time period (date to date) that they will be unable to post due to riding vacation or event.  Rider will have 7 days from the last date specified to post their total mileage from the trip.  If rider does not notify group of extended leave prior to the event, credit will not be given.

8).  Riders who do not submit miles for 60 or more consecutive days will be disqualified from competition as abandoning the Derby. Riders who have not ridden in 60 days may continue to compete as long as they make notation on their bio that they plan to continue the competition.     

9)  A volunteer scribe will post your miles most generally each week.  It is up to each rider to verify if the mileage is correct.  Errors must be reported via MDD Email within 7 days of the update.    

10) The person with the highest mileage in the Derby will receive a yet-to-bet-determined award. Don't get too excited, it's about winning not the award, right? The rest of you will end the year with a well-conditioned mount and well-honed riding skills.

11)  This game is based on the honor system.  There is no big bag of cash or a trophy saddle awarded to the winner so there is nothing to cheat for.  If the goal is to out-distance another rider for bragging rights then that can only be done by really doing it.  Trust and integrity is as much a part of this game as the miles traveled in the saddle.

12)  Like shows/clinics/competitions/boarding facilities we are interested in responsibly caring for our horse community and as such ask anyone who participates in MDD/GLDD Group Rides as they impact other people/horses to have proof of a negative Coggins within the calendar year as is the minimum requirement of nearly every organized horse activity. 

Those who ride on their own property and do not interact with other horses needn't have one to participate in the MDD/GLDD. 

This ONLY applies to folks participating in an OPTIONAL activity as these group rides are and that as part of a group are asked to complie with MINIMUM standards practiced by the horse community for years. Our intentions here are not to exclude anyone but to ensure we are keeping with best practices of the horse community by doing our part to ensure those who participate in group activities of the MDD/GLDD can expect the minimum standard of prevention already widely practiced in the horse community. We owe our horses at least that much. 

This competition is all in fun.  If a rule is protested, ride management has the final decision.  Stay safe and keep your horse happy and healthy!