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Re: [RC] Hidalgo Fallout--50 Mile Race Won by 2-Year Old? - Maryanne Stroud GabbaniI hate to be Cassandra, but people keep saying that a movie claiming to be a true story isn't important and that REALLY is not the case. I've seen the damage, up close and personal, that the improper introduction to endurance can cause horses. I think that Linda is being fairly conservative in her concerns if a mustang group can sponsor a race in which a 2 yr old runs 50 miles to win. How much conditioning can a 2 yr old have had? What are the odds that the horse is still alive even?Most of the people on Ridecamp are the sensible, caring sort who have gone to great lengths to learn about the sport and their horses. But that is not to say that the average bozo who might have access to a horse is the same. I own a beautiful Dalmation rescue....who I spayed at the first opportunity. These are not dogs that belong in Egyptian apartments under any circumstances. And I have gotten many lectures on how misguided I was, especially after the Disney movies. I'm sorry but Disney has a certain reputation and people tend to believe that what comes from the Disney factory has credibility. Credibility is an important issue. Just look at the debates going on now in the US and Britain over whether the information in Bush's and Blair's speeches was 100% correct or not. And look at the importance of the actions taken on the basis of this information. No, this isn't a tempest in a teapot. It is a seemingly small example of how people can forget what truth and credibility can mean. Even Bevis and Butthead used to have a "Kids, don't do this at home" disclaimer. Will Hidalgo have such a disclaimer, or will viewers simply see that horses can be raced willy-nilly without preparation over thousands of miles??? And don't forget that we are talking about an icon of American moviemaking here with the resources for enormous distribution. A couple of little short guys in white nighties with a bit of cash caused the deaths of hundreds of horses in Egypt ..... imagine what Disney could do. And many of the people taken in were not illiterate peasants....nope. Nice middle class folks who didn't bother to check if there were any caveats to this race stuff. Maryanne Cairo, Egypt where endurance in the true sense is left to those waiting for it to happen On Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003, at 17:48 Africa/Cairo, Linda B. Merims wrote: vondale joslin said: ? >I do know that Disney came out to >Oklahoma to One Creek Valley and did >a vidio about the mustangs. Plus >they had a 50 mils race on?june14. >A 2 year old won the race in 5 hours >or so. ? Oh that's just *great* >:-(? Somebody staged a 50 mile race won by a 2-year old? ? Who was "they"?? Disney?? Some local group? ? As I keep saying (and nobody ever reacts to), the release of this movie is going to generate a lot of interest in distance racing...and a lot of newbie-know-nothing-wannabe fiascos. ? Does AERC have any strategy for coping with this?? Like, say, a press release already drafted, edited, and approved?in hand that explains what years of experience have taught modern real distance riders is the safe way to run these events and bring their horses up to be ready for them? ? I wonder what the various Mustang/Paint groups are doing. ? Linda B. Merims lbm@xxxxxxxxx Massachusetts, USA ? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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