Re: [RC] Re: [RC] Ride shortages: maybe it's time... V. LONG! - Nancy Mitts
A,
I think you are seriously over-estimating the number of people who would be
interested in pursuing endurance riding. Endurance by definition is not a
quick, easy and convenient pastime. It requires a great committment of time
and effort, much of it solitary.
The greatest rewards are the self satisfaction of setting goals that AREN'T
easy and meeting them. Are kids not being encouraged to set these types of
goals? Possibly not. Making endurance "easier" won't solve that.
Endurance as a competitve sport is NOT the same as a bunch of kids bombing
around on horse back.
I always thought "hacking" somewhere was riding there, on the horse. Has it
taken on some new, modern, definition? You think competitors should be able
to ride their horses to the rides? Do horse show participants ride to their
shows?
As I said in my private post, AERC neither organizes or funds rides or
clinics. If you are so sure a clinic would be successful, organize one.
IMO re-packaging the sport so it will fit neatly into an urban environment &
time schedule would change it into something else entirely, not something
AERC should encourage.
Didn't this thread started with yout lamenting the lack of multi-day rides
in the SE? Or do I have you mixed up with someone else?
To reach those wide open spaces where the multi-days are held, riders
regularly travel 8 hours, and those are the "locals"!
Nancy Mitts
From: "A. Perez" <walkergirl@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: <walkergirl@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "RDCARRIE@xxxxxxx" <RDCARRIE@xxxxxxx>, jlong@xxxxxxxx
CC: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Re: [RC] Ride shortages: maybe it's time... V. LONG!
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:53:52 -0500
In my immediate area, the Doncaster and the rides in
Fort Valley (No Frills/Old Dominion) are pretty much it.
Unfortunately my schedule has never permitted me to make the
O.Ds. rides.
I was toying with the idea of trying to organize a ride at the
Manassas Battlefield Park (conveniently located almost in my
back yard). It is a large park with horse-friendly management
(has a Volunteers in Parks(VIP) program where volunteers help
patrol the park on USPS police horses,
host the battlefield equestrienne society which does
reenactments and goves mounted historical tours (etc). Great
Falls National Park and the C&0 canal parks are also nearby.
I do not know, however, if there is enough mileage of trails
to do anything more then an LD, (repeated circuits over one set
of trails could trash them pretty badly, not to mention the
boredom factor). Here on the densely populated East Coast,
there simply not as many wide-open-space areas available for
events.
My immediate neighborhood is 1. very 'horsey', 2. has an
extensive and gorgeous system of trails, and a very active and
effective trails committee
(http://www.geocities.com/greatfallstrails/) 3. a very wealthy
populace (we are proud to be the blight on the neighborhgood).
If ever there was a community primed for endurance, it is here
(check out the new county equestrienne park, the second of it's
kind in Fairfax County:
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/cdpturnerframe.htm)
A REALLY tragic thing is that there are kids in the area who
own show-ponies who have never ridden outside a ring. In many
cases Mom and Dad have entrusted their kids equine education to
the nearest 'authority': ritzy riding stable, pony club, hot-
shot trainer. These kids have never had the opportunity to
just bomb around on horse-back unless it's under some sort
of 'authoritative' auspice, Sad, but true. So unless some
sort of 'official', supervised, stamped-of-approvaled
AND conveniently located venue is provided, these kids (and
adults as well) are unlikely to 'discover' endurance.
Another sad fact is the importance of competition for so many
young riders: if there is no competetive objective,
forgaddaboutit. Then there are folks like me who can hack to
several possible LD/clinic sites in the area but can't hack to
Fort Valley or Doncaster.
It seems to me AERC needs to put some effort into making it
easier for 'wanna-bes' to get intot he sport by providing MORE
clinics and entry-level events. If allowing separate LD events
makes this easier, I can't see any harm in it.
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