Entering Your Miles

In accordance with the rules, your miles must be entered no later than 7 days following the ride and they must appear in the comments section of your bio.  Ride credit will not be given if submitted in an email or posted any other place than on your bios page.  It is up to you to check the Leader Board to make sure your miles were credited and report any errors, also within 7 days. 

Entering miles is easy.  CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE

1.  Go to the Distance Derby page.  http://distancederby2013.blogspot.com/

2.  Find your name in THE TEAMS list on the right hand column and click on it.  It will open your “bio” page.

3.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says POST A COMMENT and enter your ride information.  For proper credit, we need DATE. MILES and MILES TO DATE.  (Miles to Date is important.  It helps the scribe quickly check your/our calculations and resolve any math errors quickly.  For your own records, you can enter anything else you find pertinent.  The above picture show how I enter my information.  After you enter the pertinent information, feel free to comment about your ride.  Was it a new trail?  Who’d you ride with?  Any exciting horse moments?  Purely optional but fun for other riders to read.  Again, the ONLY thing you are REQUIRED to enter are the DATE and MILES and it must not be later than 7 DAYS after your ride. 

4.  You do not need a Google account to enter comments.  You can enter as Anonymous or any of the accounts Google accepts.  I have a Google account so not sure how it works with the other ones, but try it out.  You are welcome to do a test post in your comments. 

5.  After comments are entered, it should look something like this.  Note the message at the bottom of the screen that says the comments are published.  Again, be sure and check your work!

6.  Entering your miles today does not necessarily update the Leader Board today.  That is a manual process done by Admin.  Most often the Leader Board is updated late Sunday or Monday of each week.  Note the date of update is shown on the Leader Board.  Your recent miles may not have been captured yet.  Patience.  If at the next time they are still not updated, put a comment on your bio regarding your concern and Admin will work with you to update. 

Questions can be addressed to the Admin.  Just put comments on the most recent Distance Derby post or click  Distance Derby Email. 

The Rules of Distance Derby 2013

PLEASE NOTE:  An email was sent to the group on December 26 with some information about the Derby.  It was sent to the email address that you provided to us with your bio.  If you did not get this email, you can see a copy of it by clicking here or on the Email tab above.

NEW ENTRIES:  We usually get team bios updated in 24 - 48 hours after you submit.  If it has been longer than that and you do NOT see your team name in the sidebar to the right, leave a comment at the end of this post with your email address and we will contact you.  Some emails aren't getting through for some unknown reason.

The Great Horsetrailriders 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) 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 Distance Derby.

2) The Distance Derby (aka Derby) begins January 1, 2013 and ends at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2013. All eligible mileage must be accumulated in that time period. All participants must be enrolled by January 31, 2013. 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, 2014 to be eligible for Derby credit.

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

4) To enroll, submit a brief bio, a favorite photograph and your team name to DISTANCE DERBY EMAIL . You will be assigned a team number and your bio information will be shown on this Distance Derby 2013 blog page.  (Click here for a sample entry/bio).

5) Anytime you ride or drive your equine, record your mileage with your GPS device. Enter date & mileage and commentary (optional) in the comments section shown at the bottom of your bio. 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.  

6)  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.

7).  Riders who do not submit miles for 60 or more consecutive days will be disqualified from competition.     

8)  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 the comments section of your bio within 7 days of the update.    

9) 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.

10)  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.


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!


Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Q1)  Do I have to use a GPS?  Yes.  You have to use a GPS.  Estimating mileage could be over or understated.  Technology gives us a tool for this type of competition.  You may only record what you GPS.  

Q2)  Do I have to record my tracks in the comments?  No.  Although it would be the most fair way of recording, it could turn into a tech support nightmare for me.  There is no big purse at stake here and does anyone really want to win by cheating?  See Q1:  You may only record what you see on your GPS.  I trust all of you will follow that very simple rule.

Q3)  Can I ride a borrowed horse?  Yes.  A team is you and whatever you are riding or driving.  It is your mileage that is being recorded.  

Q4)  Does arena riding or riding in demos count?  If you can GPS it, you can record it.  The activity does not matter; it’s the miles.  Please note that some GPSs do not work in a covered arena.

Q5)  Where do I enter my miles?  Click on your team name in the right hand column and it will bring up your bio.  Enter the date of your ride and your mileage in the comments section at the bottom of your bio.  

Q6)  Can I change my team name?  Yes.  Some of you submitted under a name, some didn’t so I just used your name.  You are welcome to change your name if you choose to.  Just email me and tell me your Team # and what name it is under and the name change.

Q7)  What if I don't get enrolled by January 1?  The Derby begins on January 1 for those entered prior to or on January 1.  Late entries will be accepted up until January 31.  Late entrants cannot record mileage incurred prior to their entry.  No entries will be accepted after January 31, 2012. 

Q8)  How do I sign up?    See Item #4 above in the Derby Rules.    

Q9)  Do I have to enter my miles after every ride or can I lump them together?  You can enter multiple rides at one time, however, to be fair to other participants, mileage must be entered no later than 7 days following the ride.  Miles submitted greater than 7 days following your ride will not be accepted into competition.

For up to date information on the Distance Derby, consider joining the Distance Derby Google Group.  Sign up here!  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/distancederby .  (This group was also used for Distance Derby 2012 so you will see information about this year's competition between now and the end of the year and you are welcome to join in the chat.)

Questions may be submitted to DISTANCE DERBY EMAILDISTANCE DERBY EMAIL  or in the comments section below.