Yolo County ARES group was asked last year if we could provide radio coverage for the event due to a requirement of the Bureau of Land Management. We did cover the event last year and it was very successful from a radio coverage standpoint and a great learning experience for those of us that were able to be there.

This year we had operators from 4 different clubs pulled together to cover the event. YARS from Davis, Berryessa Amateur Radio "Klub" and Yolo ARES operators were there. There was one operator there from a club in Ukiah. The event consists of 4 different rides. There is a 50 mile endurance ride, a 25 mile endurance ride, and a 25 and 15 mile Ride and Tie rides. The Ride and Tie is an event where one person rides the horse from the start point to a pre-marked spot and ties the horse up there and then takes off running up the trail. The second person runs from the start point to where the horse is tied up and rides it up to the next location, and they continue to swap out to the end of the race.

Our day started off a bit rough in that one of our operators slipped and fell on the rocks while crossing a creek and broke his arm. He received a temporary patch up by one of the Vets that was working the event and then drove himself home to go to the hospital for x-rays to confirm the broken arm.

During the event one rider was bucked from her horse and sustained a compound fracture just above the ankle. She was assisted by one of the back country volunteers and taken to the Cal-fire station at Hwy 20 where she were transported by helicopter to get medical attention. Those two incidents aside, the day was very good.

Our day started early, we left Woodland at 0400 and returned home by 2130. A long day but very rewarding in that the experience gained in operational procedures was Great.

This is a terrific learning experience and anyone that is interested in radio communications should consider doing these types of events. There are many things that have to be dealt with over the course of the day from a radio stand point and all too often you encounter equipment issues that have to be corrected to keep you in a position to operate. This is a great training experience for both radio procedures and improving radio operator skills.

The ride management team and organizers of this event put on a fantastic meal for all the volunteers at the end of the day and they held their awards meeting for all the
entries in the rides. We held a follow up tail board meeting with them to cover the day and set some initial plans for next years ride.

Anyone interested in working this event next year can contact me for additional information.

Ken - K6WLS