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Re: [RC] Lynne & complaints - Barbara McCrarySome years ago, when the Swanton Pacific ride came into our yard for the last vet check, we were awakened in the wee hours of the morning by someone coming into the hallway outside the bedrooms. This rider apparently had been pulled or ????, but anyway, came into our house, walked into the bathroom, and proceeded to take a shower. Nothing in the pre-ride briefing indicated our house was open to anyone, let alone for a shower. I was quite surprised, to say the least! Fortunately, due to trail re-configuration over the years, the trail route does not come into our yard anymore. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <rides2much@xxxxxxx> Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 8:02 AM Subject: Re: [RC] Lynne & complaints I posted my thoughts last night, & woke this morning with such Hate Mail. SO SORRY I didn't sign my name. My bad.YES, your bad! Not signing your name is like dumping your trash in someone's yard. It's hard to have a reasonable discussion with someone faceless/nameless. When you hide under the cloak of anonymity, the only assumption the reader can make is that you are not willing to take responsibility for what you say. Alas, the Internet makes that sort of "hit and run" communication all too easy.To the best of my knowledge NO ONE COMPLAINED ABOUT A LACK OF TRASH CANS. My point was that if you feed 100? people on paper plates & plastic ware & soda cans & dont have any trash cans readily available, dont be surprised if you find trash laying around when they leave. It is a sad, but true statement of humans. As I said before, I packed my own trash out.Good for you. But I find this statement to be an appalling commentary on the mentality of those in attendance. Yes, I would be both surprised and disappointed to find garbage left like that. I just wasn't raised that way. The inside of my truck frequently bears witness to the fact that my mama would have tanned my britches for pitching anything out the window that the squirrels wouldn't eat post-haste. And as Lynne stated, not only was there a garbage TRAILER, there was a poster showing where it was as well as mention of it in your welcome letter. Yes, I've sometimes missed obvious "clues" like that myself. And I reiterate that a mere polite query to a ride staffer will generally alleviate my ignorance. What you are basically saying here is that a number of riders in attendance at Lynne's rides were lazy slobs who expected someone to pick up after them. FWIW, I can remember picking up camp one year after managing a ride with over 100 entries. I picked up FOUR (yep, count 'em and have fingers left over) pieces of trash. Heck, I didn't even need a bag. And as I recall, one of those was a weathered car part of some sort that most likely wasn't even left by one of "ours." THAT is the sort of courtesy that most endurance riders show--not just for their RM but for their environment--so it is indeed disappointing to realize that "the times they are a-changin'!"It is also a fact that if you invite (by Lynne) 10 - 15 people who have been in the dirt & with horses all day into your home, they might leave dirt behind & they might let your cats out.Why should that be a "fact"? It is clear from Lynne and from other ride volunteers that letting people into Lynne's house was NOT the norm. It is also clear from other riders that at least a few who went in had the courtesy to remove boots, etc. This is like the trash thing. HOW DID YOUR MOTHERS RAISE YOU TO BE? Both this and the trash issue have to do with basic respect for someone else's property. Clearly that was lacking--what a shame. And you apparently think that disrespecting your host's property is ok. At one point several years ago, I also put on a ride from my own home. And like at Lynne's, most of the business was transacted outside. But there were times when it was easier to come in. I live in a different part of the country, and this occurred a couple of decades ago, so maybe I had riders with better manners. I know that NONE abused the privilege of coming into my house the way riders apparently did at Lynne's. It IS possible to be a polite guest, believe it or not. Well, those close to you apparently know who you are, as you say. You've stated that you won't go back to any of Lynne's rides. I suspect other RMs are fervently hoping that you don't come to theirs, either. I've known a few other PITA folks to make such rash statements as they stormed out of ride camps in years past--and most of us present just rolled our eyes skyward and said, "Please, God, let it be true!" Heidi ============================================================ If people would just think of the hoof as the foundation for the horse like a house foundation. when your horse plants his foot down in the ground and pushes forward if the foot isn't 100% balanced your chances of injury go up. ~ Paula Blair ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ============================================================ In my experience (22 year worth) most endurance riders are great people who will go out their way to help and be friendly. ~ Laura Hayes ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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