Donna Snyder Smith/Election Commentary

[Sue Grahl <sgrahl@flash.net>]

   A.E.R.C. Board of Director (At Large) elections are coming up. If you

love this sport, you have to know it takes a little care and caring
about.
Your vote or non-vote will influence its future. It may take some time
to
Think about what really matters to you in endurance riding. Perhaps
That’s
something you can do for the next few weeks on those conditioning rides
(or while standing in line at the vet checks).  But don't stop with only

knowing  how you feel,  please vote! You count!  Most everyone I know is

caught in some sort of time crunch and it takes time to find out what's
behind a name or face you see at the rides, etc. You could simply play
pin
the-tail-on-the ballot (vote blind), or vote for someone because of the
miles they’ve ridden or because you’re riding buddy is voting for that
person, or;  having thought about what you want endurance riding to
be/become,  you can question candidates about how they feel regarding
the
issues, which are important to you and read old board minutes in the EN,

before you cast your ballot.
   I would personally try to persuade each of you that there is room
under this wonderful roof for a variety of levels of participation.  I
want
LD riders and 50 mile riders and 100 mile riders and multi-day riders to

realize we’re all related if for no other reason than our love of the
horse
and the trail.
   There are Regional, National and World Championships to be voted for
and there is the pride and joy of bringing your buddy,  your equine
partner
through his first event or his hundredth in good shape, but I  hope to
see
the sport take its rightful place among the other equestrian events in
the
Olympics as well. Endurance horses are the class equine athletes of tbe
world, wouldn't you like everyone to know that?
     I would like our organization, which has its tax exempt status
based
on education, to EDUCATE. I want endurance riding to come out of the
closet.  I want everyone who ever sat on a horse to know how much fun it

is to go down the trail on a crisp morning as dawn is breaking, with the

sound of hoof beats ringing in your ears. I want the quiet satisfaction
and
the screaming adrenaline rushes which accompany the sport to belong to
everyone who has the patience, persistence, guts, stamina, hope and
dreams to go for it...and get it!
     Lastly I want the members of our board of Director to run for the
office because they want to give to the sport.  Altruism seems to be
pretty
much out of style today,  none-the-less it is to be sought after in
public
officials.  In the big picture of life it is too easy to leave the less
important
things to those whose reasons for wanting to lead are the 15 minutes of
fame which come attached to recognition, even recognition in a small
pond.
Voting for someone because of their "title" can be dangerous. Titles can

give you some insight as to a person’s education but by themselves will
not
reveal the values of the title holder, and please consider if you really

believe an LD member would lack the personal assets, character or
desirable qualities to serve on the board based solely on the fact they
hadn't hit an arbitrary mileage benchmark?
   I'm for "the little things," in my BOD members, like honesty and
ethics.  Of course you can't ask anyone if they are honest or ethical
any
more than you can trust a fox to sleep in the hen house without eating
the
chickens. The cost to us of not being attentive when we vote, or of not
voting, will be fewer chickens and no eggs.
    In light of the above I would like to endorse the following
candidates, Rodger Rittenhouse, Tinker Hart, Robert Ribley, Doyle
Partick,
Sue Grahl and Mike Maul, who have shown a concern for the sport and all
of their fellow riders and who have repeatedly demonstrated that they
are
"as good as their word," and so to be trusted.
   Happy Trails, Donna Snyder-Smith