Ridecamp: Re: Re: [RC] Ride shortages: maybe it's time... V. LONG!

Have to comment on this thread from several perspectives.

1)  From the perspective of a ride manager:  This is a "free enterprise"
sport.  RM's don't get any financial help from AERC to put on rides.  In
fact, they pay for the privilege, with an upfront sanctioning fee, and
per-rider fees after the event.  These fees are not odious--but the
direction of the flow of money makes it clear that it is not AERC taking the
responsibility for the event, but rather the individual RM's.  So in order
for an RM to shoulder this responsibility, there has to be some indication
that the event can break even, or nearly so, as most of us who are RM's
can't go on working our fingers to the bone AND losing a bunch of money
doing it, year after year.  And I REALLY disagree with those who say that LD
"subsidizes" the longer distances.  It is a total package, where (as Truman
said), the more riders overall, the easier it is to pay the fixed costs.
And if anything, most of us have offered lower entry fees to LD riders over
the years as an incentive to get into the sport, so in actuality, it is
perhaps the longer distances that are subsidizing the LD rides.  At any
rate, the RM's budget is a total package, and in most areas, having multiple
distances (including an LD) is a necessity for fiscal survival for the
rides.

2)  From the LD rider's point of view:  If the LD rider is a newbie, who
better to have as role models than the experienced riders doing longer
distances?  I think that stand-alone LD's really cheat the newbie out of a
lot of valuable exposure and education.  And who besides newbies ride LD's?
Gosh, "oldbies" who are either getting past the point of being able to ride
further, or "oldbies" who have been laid off for a period of time for one
reason or another, or "oldbies" who are starting new horses--and having been
one of those (you can guess which two out of three of the above I'll claim),
I can say that I'd pass on an LD-only ride, because all of my peers and
friends are at the ride where there are longer distances as well.  And what
about the situation I've seen MANY times, where the newbie is a spouse of a
hard-core endurance rider, so the couple comes and one does 50 or 100, and
the other does the LD?  Not an option at a stand-alone ride.  I can't think
of one single solitary VALID reason (I've heard some made-up ones from folks
who don't go to enough rides to know what goes on) why a newbie would WANT
to go to a stand-alone LD and miss out on all the benefits of rubbing elbows
with the rest of "endurance-dom."

3)  From AERC's point of view:  Several people have been quite articulate in
expressing this one, but again, it does not behoove AERC to separate the
very avenue by which many people enter this sport from the actual sport
itself.  "Endurance" is 50 miles and up.  And just like someone taking
dressage lessons for the first time hasn't a clue what the sport is about if
they've never seen an upper-level horse work, likewise, how can newbies
REALLY learn about endurance unless they have the opportunity to see it?
Some folks will never attain distances further than LD--just as I'm never
apt to ride a dressage horse past maybe first level.  But having the
opportunity to SEE what the masters of the sport do is a big help in
teaching one to do a better job at the entry level as well.  AERC is about
endurance, and to segregate LD from the very sport of endurance would be
counter to the direction of the organization.

Regarding clinics--several posters have suggested that if you think a clinic
will "fly" in your area, go for it!  Again, it is not up to AERC to put on
clinics, any more than it is up to them to put on rides.  But you could
likely get some good materials and info from AERC, as well as contacts from
your regional director to people in your area that would be an asset to
"show and tell" at clinics.

And if you are truly faced with trail limitations that prevent you from
hosting a 50-miler, I also agree with the posters who have suggested trying
to host a CTR instead.  GREAT learning experience for newbies--human and
equine alike.  I've heard some rumblings that we may have some CTR's in
western Montana next summer--and you can bet that even though I am an
endurance rider to the core, we'll be there with some of our greener horses.
As to distance from home--I am THRILLED that these CTR's will be no more
than a 4 or 5 hour drive away--living in the back of beyond makes it as
difficult to travel to events as does living in suburbia.  If the ride in
Fairfield, Idaho, happens again this year, we will ONE endurance ride that
is under 5 hours from home.  The rest are all 6 or more, with possible
exception of the one up in Libby, MT, which is actually about as close as
the one in Fairfield, but the roads are slower (winding mountain pass
between here and there), so might not be any faster to get to with a rig.
(I hope to get to both next year, as well as some of those 6+ hours away.)
So pardon me if I laugh when it is suggested that such treks are "too far"
to go to rides....

Heidi


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