Re: RC: AERC & FEI

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

Hi Roberta
Where did you ever find such a wealth of info! I'm impressed! I thought
all this high tech stuff with carbo chargers etc was relatively new.
Where did you learn of the old programs? I think if we could blend Ti
Susan Sarah and Gengis, our US team might not only be unbeatable, but
INVINCIBLE! <BG>
Bette

> roberta carleton wrote:
> 
> Right on Heidi!
> 
> An organization such as AERC, which has proven their rules and
> policies can set a high standard for horse welfare, competitive fun,
> and endurance sport enhancement, can also achieve an improvement in
> the sport of endurance on a world-wide basis by working with, not
> flailing against,  International competition.
> 
> As the world becomes more and more mobile, International sport of all
> kinds will  continue to become more accessible to more and more
> people.  Even schools are sending their school teams to neighbouring
> countries in order to expose the students to playing under different
> rules and among different cultures and languages.
> 
> The world is one community.  We must learn to live in the whole
> community even if our personal goal is to never ride endurance at more
> than the local level.
> FEI is trying to offer a level playing field for all competitors, from
> all cultures and with many different languages.  Not everyone speaks
> English.
> 
> AERC members can best support the promotion of the true sport of
> endurance, emphasising welfare of the horse and fair play, by
> encouraging AERC and AERC International, to be involved in working
> with FEI to develop policies and rules which will reflect the love of
> the sport while maintaining the safety and welfare of horses and
> competitors.
> 
> The idea of developing strategies and specialized diets to enable
> horses to carry riders and cover vast distances did not originate in
> the United States.  Many cultures were doing this hundreds of years
> before North America was even discovered.  And quite successfully.
> Genghis Khan had special equine diets designed to carry his Mongol
> hordes as far as Europe.  We still use techniques developed by the
> Huns and the Mongols -- i.e. riding with stirrups, adding fat to the
> horse's diet, thinning the blood of over-worked horses to prevent
> tie-ups, etc.   Well, we have developed better techniques but the
> principal is the same.
> 
> Even Alexander the Great, after acquiring Bucephalus in 340 B.C.,
> travelled many thousands of miles with this horse, conquering much of
> the known world. The horse reportedly died in battle at the age of
> thirty. The love, care, and respect shown to horses throughout history
> has contributed to how we use and care for them today. Knowledge was
> shared and the techniques improved.
> 
> We need to continue to work with other countries, other cultures, and
> continue to learn as well as teach others what we know.
> 
> A good solid working relationship with FEI will improve and expand the
> sport of endurance riding.  And we, as riders never travelling more
> than two hours to a local ride, will use the knowledge and techniques
> gained through International competition, as we have learned through
> thousands of years of human/horse contact, to be better horsepeople
> and to have healthier, happier horses.
> 
> Roberta
> 
> p.s. With so many horses being flown as air cargo around the world,
> competing internationally and being sold to other distant countries,
> it has emphasised the necessity of developing a better horse travel
> crate to prevent breathing problems, colic, travel sickness, etc.,
> from the currently used, poorly designed boxes.  We are forever
> learning!

-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of 16.2hh TLA Halynov
(yes, REALLY!)
http://www.arabiansporthorse.com