Re: RC: RE: Barney/Valerie

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

> > >Much more interesting to watch those lunatics chasing over > log
cabinsin the cross country part of 3 day....Unless there are connections
> and power
> plays going on behind the scenes,

I've heard a few reasons why endurance *may* have a chance.  For one
thing, the cross country jumping is very popular, and a big draw in
broadcasting dollars, but they have an image problem. It's considered
elitest.  The (riders) names don't change very often, and they tend to be
from wealthy backgrounds.  Not many Cinderella stories.  Compare that to
endurance. Other than the big money people in the Middle East,
practically any competitor could be the subject of a rags to ummm, rags
at the Olympics bio. >g<  

Our horses generally don't fall under the, "I imported him for 2 zillion
dollars after my trainer chose him for me" catagory.  The public loves
stories like "I bought him out of the local shopper after he cured entire
stables of wanting to ride".  That's the sort of story that inspires the
grassroots riders.  They think, "Hey if she could do that so could I" and
the reporters know that and love to do something with a story like that. 


Nobody is going to cover an endurance ride start to finish... but they
can do a 1 hr. coverage that would be exciting.  More so than watching
emaciated men run their marathon.

Finally, equine sports are the ONLY sport where women and men compete
against each other.  They'll emphasize that.  

There's always an alternative you know.  We could ask to be a part of the
"Extreme Games".  From what I've seen the athletes there look like they'd
be fun to hang out with. :-)

Angie
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