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And not all of us Arabian owners have 100 mile fannies and are into 100 
milers yet want to demonstrate the athleticism of our horses. You're 
wrong, Lif, if it's an Arabian sponsored event, you have to ride an 
arabian (at least part) and some of us like the look and temperament of 
the Arabian and the family bonding of the breed-- that's why we would go 
to Arabian shows and not other breeds. I enjoyed watching the Arabian 
racing more than thoroughbreds (more bang for your buck and prettier to 
watch) yet I didn't like the methods quarter horse trainers were using 
on them (no, not all--- but a good many). Still I love the breed and 
consider it the most versatile of all the breeds (not to mention beauty 
and intelligence--- and personality) so there I am--- I choose not to go 
to other shows and pick my classes very carefully---  and I do liken 
watching a Western Pleasure class to watching the snow melt in a spring 
thaw--- but give me a good jumping class!
New folks aren't going to be attracted to the breed by endurance--- very 
few have the dedication to devote hours and hours into conditioning and 
fewer yet have the desire to push the limits of their horses and 
themselves to the extremes that some do. There is a far better chance of 
people being drawn to the breed by seeing them in a show than there is 
seeing them on the Tevis. No moral judgment her--- just simple common 
sense. There are no soap boxes in life-- at least few stop to listen-- 
what people do see is the sight of kids and parents hustling to get 
ready for their classes and the excitement -- if we could promote those 
kinds of things in the show world and less of the halter-- big trainer 
promotions, then the breed has a chance for survival in today's market. 
I know a lot of people who were into showing when it was fun-- could be 
so again and balanced with family rides-- there is the hope for the 
breed. Kind of like Pop Warner football-- the way it USED to be (before 
over-zealous adults got into it) as opposed to the NFL-- few people 
qualify for that and Liv-- you and many on this chat room are part of 
that elite-- but don't expect most neophytes in the breed to follow in 
your footsteps. Many have jobs that don't allow it even if they had the 
dedication and some of us just like to hack around on our buddies--- a 4 
hour ride at the beach is just fine. I believe you'll find the majority 
in that category and the shows-- well they should be just for fun and 
for the amateurs and kids--- in a perfect world-- and it was very much 
like that 30 years ago-- you should hear the stories I hear of the "old 
days". OF course, most of us here are too young to remember those :-)
Bette, who is too old to stay up much past 10PM--
Night!


Lif Strand wrote:

> At 08:02 PM 6/17/2004, Bette Lamore wrote:
>
> > So when we are bashing, we have to be careful which classes we are 
> > bashing--- some are still great to watch!
>
>
> A horse doesn't have to be an Arabian to compete in any of the classes 
> you mention, and in fact, in an open class, an Arabian would do poorly 
> against the breeds which are "specialists" in those areas.  While 
> Arabian Sporthorse, Dressage and Jumping classes might be still fun to 
> watch, they aren't the big money classes, they don't drive the way 
> Arabians are being bred these days, and they aren't attracting lots of 
> new Arabian owners.
>
> My point wasn't that an Arabian couldn't be shown, just that showing 
> has not been very good for the breed.
>
> ________________________________
>    Lif Strand      fasterhorses.com
>            Quemado NM USA
>
> ============================================================
> The only thing worse than crewing for a female Endurance rider is crewing
> for a wet, tired female Endurance Rider! A good crew person has 
> patience, a
> sense of humor, and knows that sometimes it's best to say nothing at all!
> ~  Jim Holland
>
> ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/
>
> ============================================================

--
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians
Home of Bunny and 16.2h TLA Halynov
who lives on through his legacy Hal's Riverdance!
http://www.arabiansporthorse.com

Always remember: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." (George Carlin)



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