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Re: [RC] RE:The Emperor's New Clothes: Why Endurance isn't, never will be, and shouldn't be an Olympic sport - Heidi Smith"So, with the money the Middle East has to dump into the sport THEY Call Endurance riding, after hearing reports and some able to watch the web cast,my gut says if endurance heads to the Olympics, THIS is how it will be presented to the world" Keep in mind that since virtually ALL sports are played under different rules in different countries, the Olympic version of just about everything is different than how we play it at home. Wanting to see Olympic endurance (should it ever come to pass) look like AERC endurance is unrealistic, never mind provincial, isolationist, elitist, and downright "Ugly American." Our job is to run AMERICAN endurance the way we want it, the way we see fit, and the way we find ethical, protective of horses, etc. Furthermore, we will have FAR more influence on what goes on elsewhere by being POSITIVE about our version instead of NEGATIVE about theirs. Someone asked or made comment about where did they find all that flat track "over there." One of the tenets of endurance, even here in THIS country, is that we ride endurance with the terrain we have. If you live in Auburn, CA, the Tevis trail is "endurance terrain." If you live in Texas, broad grasslands are "endurance terrain." If you live in Florida, sand and a "hill" that is 200 feet tall are "endurance terrain." Even here in the NW, we have Tevis-type terrain and desert terrain and just about everything in between, and rides on ALL of those different types of terrain are still "endurance rides." Where do the Middle Eastern riders "find" that flat sand-track terrain? Just go to the UAE and look around you in all directions. That is what they HAVE. It isn't like they went out and "invented" the terrain just to alter the sport. I've likewise ridden in western Germany on cobblestones and asphalt--was that any LESS of an endurance test, simply because it didn't look like Tevis or OD? I think not. Meanwhile, more power to them for trying to adapt the sport to what terrain they have, and getting vets from the US, Canada, and Europe to help them set acceptable standards, etc. Flame away, guys, but instead of dissing what goes on elsewhere, let's keep our sights leveled on what we can do to make endurance riding better HERE, in the good ol' USA. And let's keep our FEI involvement aimed at having a POSITIVE influence on what goes on at a world level, instead of just aiming pot shots about what we don't like about how "they" do it. Kudos to Dane, Tony, Art, and others for maintaining a positive front and making the effort to have a positive impact. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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