Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Re: [RC] Ride shortages: EVEN LONGER

I am going to address you points one at a time:

> 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. 

Well Duh!  Who said it isn't?  Who said it should be made
easier?  Let's make a new rule: if you didn't haul over 100
miles to get to a ride, it doesn't count, since clearly
that is a necessary part of the "challenge" of the event!
Gimme a break.

>It requires a great committment of time 
> and effort, much of it solitary.

Double Duh!  Wow, hours of hard work in the saddle alone?
Guess I'll stick to dressage, peice of cake!  And all
be sure to tell all those panty-waisted eventers int he
area what pansies they are!  This area
 is full of very highly cometitive horse people who
could ride the pants of may AERC members.  I am NOT
talking about casual pleasure riders here.   

> 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. 

Re-read my original post.  These kids are hyper-competive,
show-crazy horse fanatics who compete at the upper levels of 
their events.  These people come up through Pony Club.  But the 
Pony Club DOES NOT SPONSOR ENDURENCE RIDES!!!!  And I can 
imagine what little effort AERC has made to reach out to the 
USPC!

>Making endurance "easier" won't solve that.

The only way I suggested makeing it easier was to make more LD 
rides available!  No other changes!  My hope would be that
many would go on to 'real' endurence rides, maybe even going on 
to MANAGE some!

> Endurance as a competitve sport is NOT the same as a bunch of 
kids bombing around on horse back.

Oh please.  My POINT was that it is sad that these kids don't 
know the joys and challenges of trail riding PRECISELY because
they hold the same bias AGAINST 'pleasure' riding that I so 
often read between the lines on Ridecamp!  It doesn't
lead to competition!  It isn't "blessed" by a sanctioning
organization!  There are (shudder!) NO RULES! So give them 
those things, and more LD rides to start out in, and maybe they 
will hit the trails and get into endurence
AND SUPPORT THE SPORT!  And grow up to be voters who will 
support trail preservation!  AND sponsor and manage rides!

> I always thought "hacking" somewhere was riding there, on the 
>horse.  Has it  taken on some new, modern, definition? 

Nope.

>You think competitors should be able 
> to ride their horses to the rides? 

Sure is nice if you could. Don't you wish you could?
But obviously it shouldn't be required.

>Do horse show participants ride to their 
> shows?

Yup, in this neghborhood many do.  At least they did until the 
local riding stables started shutting down (pushed out by 
development, NOT lack of interest in horses).  And every farm 
that closes is one less venue for a horse show. And here
are all these competitive equestriens, with horses in their 
backyards, surrounded by trails, what to do what to do?....

> 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.

I am seriously considering it, but I am not an experienced
endurance rider and would need the help of some. Do you think 
speakers/presenters would be as likely to come
to a non-sanctioned event as to a sanctioned one?
I sem to recall someone trying to organize a clinic in
Maryland last year, but there was some sort of 'conflict' that 
prevented it (scheduling?  conflict with another org's event? 
not sure)

> 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.

Sweet Mother Mary WHO SAID anything about changing anything
about the sport other than making more LD rides available?  
Points etc would all stay the same?  And what about the future 
of the sport?  News flash!  Each year a greater proportion of 
the US poulation (and their horses) live in urban areas!
I get the strong impression that many here would like endurence 
o stay exactly like it was X years ago (X being the number of 
years since the speaker started competing).

> 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?

No, I was responding to that thread. ;-)


> To reach those wide open spaces where the multi-days are 
held, riders 
> regularly travel 8 hours, and those are the "locals"!
> 

See proposed rule change above.

> Nancy Mitts
> 

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