Some weekends are about chasing deep mud holes. Some are about exploring brand new backcountry routes.

And some weekends are simply about getting back to the basics, learning to ride smart, and keeping the family safe on the trails.

This was one of those weekends

For this adventure, the Oak Hill Crew headed out to join Western Charlotte County ATV Club #58 for the official Quad NB ATV Safety Course right here in St. Stephen New Brunswick. The course delivered a perfect mix of classroom discussion and real-world, hands-on riding, making it an incredible program for riders of all ages from 7 on up.

Getting Certified on the Track

Whether you've been riding for decades or you're just sitting on a machine for the first time, proper safety training is an absolute game-changer for family trail rides. Participants had the option to bring their own machines or rent them right on-site, making it super easy for local families to get involved.

Our 17-year-old daughter Kathleen took the course to get certified, and it was awesome seeing her step up to help lead some of the smaller and younger kids through the drills as she learned right alongside them.

Mastering the Drills

Safety trainer Jim McGregor did a fantastic job breaking down the trail essentials for the group. The course started right at square one, walking through basic machine controls, brakes, proper startup, and kill switch safety before anyone ever shifted into gear.

From there, everyone headed out to practice smooth transitions between forward and reverse, before taking a large, slow loop around the field to build up a genuine feel for the quads. The skill-building wrapped up with wide cornering laps that tightened into steady circles to teach proper body weight leaning, a figure-eight awareness track to simulate crossing traffic, pylon weaving, and standing on the pegs to clear simulated logs.

They even covered high-speed emergency stopping so riders learn how to halt cleanly right between the pylons without skidding, sliding, or losing control.

Bringing Training Home

One of the best highlights of the day was seeing our local club president out on the track participating right alongside the group.

He spent the weekend taking the training to working towards being a certified instructor himself, with the ultimate goal of bringing these essential safety classes directly to our local area much more often in the near future. Having these resources close to home is a huge win for our off-road community.

The day wrapped up perfectly with everyone picking up their official graduation certificates. Huge thanks go out to Jim McGregor, Quad NB, and WCC ATV Club 58 for putting on a fantastic weekend of training and keeping our trails safe.

This training session showed exactly what it takes to ride smart: Basic machine controls and operations Smooth shifting and transitions Proper body positioning through tight turns Spatial awareness and group tracking Clearing trail obstacles with complete control Controlled emergency stops.