Re: RC: Re: Difference between 25's

["Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@hotmail.com>]

Sue,
Most of your issues have been addressed by others.
The only thing I can try to explain differently is the difference between a 
25 mile ride & the first 25 miles of a longer ride. When you do 25 miles and 
complete, you're done. You and the horse can kick back, relax & visit. If 
you're going on to do an additional 25, or even 50 miles farther, you not 
only have to have ability & conditioning, but LUCK on your side. And if 
somewhere after that first 25 miles your luck runs out & you have to pull, 
guess what, that first 25 miles DOESN'T count. You take the risks and get 
the rewards.
I'm proud of my LD miles. Unfortunately most of them didn't count in the 
AERC LD program (before it's time). And I expect I'll rack up many more in 
the future. For many reasons. But I don't want them mixed with my Endurance 
miles, thank you. It's not second class, just a different class.
Yes, a lot of people who can't/won't ride more than 25's can join the sport 
and change it into something else. If a lot of new members liked to jump 
they could vote mandatory jumps on trail, too. But that would be another 
sport. ( In fact, I think it already is.)
The fact is, Endurance isn't for everybody. Unfortunately, in a push to 
increase membership, it has been promoted as such. The fact is, it's for 
people who are willing to push a little beyond their comfort zone. The funny 
thing is, for me, the comfort zone always creeps a little farther down the 
trail.......

Nancy Mitts


>From: Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>
>To: BMcCrary27@aol.com, sbrown@wamedes.com
>CC: ridecamp@endurance.net
>Subject: RC:   Re: Difference between LD and other distances
>Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 09:13:41 -0700
>
>At 11:11 AM 10/16/00 -0400, BMcCrary27@aol.com wrote:
> >I have a new perspective on mileage after last weekend........
> >I entered a 50 miler, and due to an unfortunate turn of events (that is,
>if I
> >HAD turned instead of going straight ahead, I wouldn't have missed the
>proper
> >trail) I ended up at the finish line, without having gone through the vet
> >check with the one-hour hold.  In the end of it all, I did 38 miles 
>instead
> >of 50.  Now here is the perspective......my horse DID that 38 miles, how
>come
> >he doesn't get credit for it??  Because he did not complete the event he 
>was
> >entered in, that's why.
>
>How is this a different perspective on mileage?  I don't get the point and
>how it relates to what has been written before?  Must be slow this
>morning...haven't had my coffee yet. ;-)
>
> >
> >LD was, at one time, not even a part of the endurance riding program. At
>some
> >point, it seemed like a good thing to add on, because it offered a chance 
>to
> >introduce riders and horses to a sampling of that was yet to come....a 
>full
> >50 mile (minimum) event, that being the DEFINITION, in the bylaws of 
>AERC,
>of
> >an endurance ride.
>
>No one was arguing with the definition of ENDURANCE.  And it has become
>more than just a "Sampling", it is now a very active part of the 
>organization.
>
> >I think LDs are a wonderful tool.
>
>Agreed.  And they should be encouraged...the points mentioned recently are
>not very encouraging.  I've mentioned the on-going discussion to several
>people here who are not riding in this discipline and they were amazed that
>the miles don't count for Total Lifetime Miles for the sanctioning
>organization.  Their reaction -- "Why would anyone bother riding the lower
>distance if the organization won't even count their miles when they're
>helping support the organization?"  This is just the unanimous viewpoint in
>my half-dozen rat study of people involved in other disciplines. ;-)
>
>My young horse went
> >through three LDs before I was ready to take him into a 50 (and if I 
>hadn't
> >made a grievous error in navigation, we would have finished it).  Then at
> >some point, LD riders became angry.  The rest of the endurance world was
> >"treating them as second class citizens".  They wanted recognition, so 
>AERC
> >gave them their own division, recognition, awards, BCs, etc.  Now they're
> >angry again.  Now they want lifetime mileage, to be blended with the 
>mileage
> >of (defined in bylaws, remember) endurance rides.
>
>Times change.  A huge bulk of AERC is funded by LD riders who show up at
>all of the rides.  They pay their money to the organization and to the
>rides, but their miles don't count towards the Lifetime Total ridden under
>the umbrella of AERC.
>
>Somewhere, a line must be
> >drawn, or sooner or later, we will all be doing pleasure rides and 
>receiving
> >credit for them.
>
>This is not a serious comment, I hope! ;-)
>
> >What about lifetime mileage for conditioning rides at home?
>
>The issue was riding at a sanctioned ride, not conditioning rides at home.
>Another comment that I hope was not said in seriousness...altho it is a bit
>demeaning to LD riders who would just like to have the <sigh> miles they
>pay for counted for their Lifetime Total.  Nothing more.
>
> > The horse did the mileage, why not receive credit for it?  Because of 
>the
> >bylaws definition of "an endurance ride", I should think.  There are many
> >structures in our society that define limits, and we need to abide by 
>them.
>
>And yes, we've changed laws in society as times have changed.  God forbid
>we should still have some of the laws that are only known of now because
>they make some travelling joke list!! <g>
>
> >We have a division for LD rides; let's just live within its boundaries.
> >So couldn't we stop arguing this point ad nauseum, please?
>
>I've received a lot of support in regards to "miles ridden in a sanctioned
>distance which was completed according to criteria set by the organization
>should be counted in some kind of a total for the organization."  Doesn't
>mean that they are NOW endurance miles, it just indicates the number of
>miles the rider or horse has logged on and paid for in this organization.
>
>For those of you who are so adamant that LD riders don't count their miles
>ridden as actual miles ridden for the organization in a sanctioned ride
>because they are "not really endurance miles", would you be willing to
>subtract the first 25 miles of any other distance you might do since they
>are also "not endurance miles"?
>
>No one is asking for other changes or arguing the definition of Endurance
>vs Limited Distance...just that miles ridden for an organization be counted
>in the lifetime total, and not discounting them as if they were worth
>nothing towards miles completed...and this is for distances that are
>COMPLETED according to criteria, not just because you happened to ride a
>bunch and get lost or not finish.
>
>And why is the only part quoted in my former posts the one that was said
>TIC?  Why are we not actually addressing the issue itself?  (Except for the
>"imagine that!  The LDers actually now want their miles in the Total
>Lifetime Mileage column for the organization!")  Counting miles towards the
>lifetime total would help in not rushing people into higher distances
>before they are ready.  If someone rides a "sanctioned distance", are these
>not miles ridden as a member of the organization?  Why should they NOT
>count as Total Miles Ridden?  Perhaps the name or definition of the
>organization should be changed to include or say something in regard to
>Distance...since that's what it is about since it includes *both* LD and
>Endurance.
>
>Sue
>
>-------
>Sue Brown
>Tyee Farm
>ARICP Certified Riding Instructor
>Recreational Riding and Dressage
>Marysville, Wa.
>sbrown@wamedes.com
>
>
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