Riders completing the 55-mile ride within 11 hours and

Riders completing the 55-mile ride within 11 hours and passing the veterinary inspection one hour after finishing are awarded a coveted Old Dominion belt buckle. For the 100-mile competitors the time limit is 24 hours.

There is also a 100-mile run over the same trails as the endurance ride. Runners have 24 hours to complete the route if they want to earn a buckle. This gruelling event draws a large number of runners from across the country. Last year 36 runners entered and a runner finished ahead of the first horse in the event. It was also the first time a woman finished the ultramarathon route.

Competitors in the Old Dominion Endurance Ride, which is sanctioned by several national endurance ride conference groups, receive points on a national basis which go toward year-end championships.

This year’s ride will be held the weekend of June 8. The course starts at the 4-H Center outside Front Royal, crosses the Shenandoah River at Limeton, makes a 75-mile loop south to Luray and the George Washington National Forest Visitors Center, and then returns to the start.

Only about 12 miles of trails at the beginning and end are repeated on the return ride. The route includes 35 miles of backwoods trail, 55 miles of old stagecoach roads and about 10 miles of lightly traveled roads.

Many of these trails have been discovered and cleared by members of the Old Dominion Ride Association and the group is always looking for volunteers to help clear trails. Members of the group are given maps of the many trails that are open to riders yearround.

The Old Dominion Endurance Ride also sponsors'a competitive ride, the Sherman Gap 35, to be held Sept. 29, and the Fort Valley 50-mile and 100 miles on Oct. 26 and 27.

The group will have a spring pleasure ride on Saturday, April 27, at White Post on approximately 10 miles of scenic trails to be ridden at a lei