This is been a wonderful discussion on ride
camp...and then there is the President's Cup. I perfect illustration of
the "two sides of the coin" is on Endurance Net's main page where there is a
wonderful statement by a Mr. Frank Solano on the subject of taking care of our
horses on an endurance ride. His very last sentence states "riders need to get a
grip and understand that there is something more important than being
fast." Then directly underneath that quote is the color add for the
President's Cup.
Way's to ensure better protection of our
horses:
1.Have races on absolutely flat courses so that the
horses rarely get to use different muscles in the course of the event and riders
can go all out the whole way.
2. Have races in the desert where the climate is
extremely severe when it come to endurance.(Ray Randall once told me why that
climate was so severe for the horses and it wasn't so much to do with the
heat..can't remember exactly what he said.)
3. Have said race on sand footing for the entire distance. (extremely hard
on horses legs regardless of packing it down)
4. Have race sponsored by individuals who have proven time again (ask
Maryann) that they only care about there own ego gratification.
5. Offer a HUGE purse to the top finishing riders.
6. And most improtant. Broadcast the entire thing to a huge viewing
audience...So the whole world can see, first hand, what a wonderful sport
endurance is, and how much endurance riders love and have their horses' best
interests at heart.
The President's Cup, to me, is so far removed from what I know as
endurance, that it makes my skin crawl that it is even called an endurance ride.
How I wish that some American would be interviewed on the Broadcast and state
such.
I just hope that all goes well...and that nobody watches.
