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Howard, Honey. Don't blame my post for your being
clueless.
Ok, so you want to believe that there is no money
in this sport and that it is pure and simple. Okee-doekey.
I am saying the money is already here. It may not
be at the finish line, but people do not spend money for
nothing. People don't need to have that cash prize as motivation to run
their horse to the ground. Just the investment alone, (trailer, truck, saddles,
etc.,) is enough to cause problems.
You said:
Just because they appear to have money certainly doesn't mean that they're
at an endurance ride to run for more money. I thought they were riding for
the same T-Shirt and top ten awards I was.
Howard, if they are riding here, there is no money,
period. And quite a few of the riders don't even stay for the awards. I believe
what I said was that fame is just as addicting as money. It
doesn't take just money for people to make bad choices, fame can do it
just as well. For some people, getting a few top tens makes them feel "known"
and that maybe they have arrived. They like that feeling and will try to
maintain it, even at the cost of their partner.
Do you honestly think that if a completion rate is
low it is because the ride was tough? HUH? Duh, it is an endurance ride. It is
suppose to be a challenge. That is an excuse. You think maybe the vets are too
tough sometimes? They are just following the rules. If your horse is lame, he's
lame. What is so tough about that? If the trail is that tough, SLOW DOWN. You
have 12 hours to finish a 50 mile ride. That is a long damn time. If
someone can't finish in 12 hours, there was no preparation made. If you want to
race it and can't get past the first vet check, you were not prepared. (Not
including accidents.)
If the horse is conditioned and prepared, why
wouldn't more riders (and you!) be able to finish in 12 long hours?? Because
people, including you, want to WIN, that's why. And they would rather
haul ass and chance a pull, than to assess the situation and make smarter
decisions to take it easy. And there is still no money at the finish line. Get
it? How would having cash prizes make that much difference?
My concern isn't whether putting money at the
finish line will ruin the sport. It is getting the horse to the finish line,
"fit to continue". If you have been pulled more times than you have completed, I
guess we won't see eye to eye on that part. If your horses are in better shape
now than ever, how come you don't complete more rides?
My thought was why can't we have it
both ways? Why can't a rider be rewarded with cash for riding well? They are
rewarded for not doing such a good job, all the time. "To finish is to win" is a
load of crap. Especially when the horses just barely finish. A horse does
not have to be on an IV to be in bad shape.
AERC has some very good rules put into place to
keep our horses safe. You know, the same rules those tough vets follow.
I don't think adding money would shrink the safety net all that much or
make this sport that much less pure. But there is no rule that says ignorant
people can't ride. Getting pulled is a learning experience. If someone doesn't
learn from it after the 3rd or 4th time (not including happy hour pulls) , well
then, that is pretty thick headed.
My point Howard, is that the very large investment
people make in this sport is ultimately the motivation for winning. (not for
everyone, I understand that) They may not see cash at the finish, but they see
cash going out of their pockets and want something in return. They want a return
on their investment, whether it is fame or fortune. And here at home, we need to
figure out why more horses doesn't even make it to the finish line and/or in
better shape. That, to me, should be a priority. Not whether or not they have
cash prizes in other countries.
How about you?
Lisa Salas, The Odd fArm
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