I've been biting my tongue trying not to get
involved in this, but what I find a little ironic about all the discussion about
the UAE sponsoring Tevis is that where did all our horses originate? Most of us,
anyways, ride Arabs and where did they come from? The same place, basically as
our Tevis sponsors. For 3500 years the Arabian horse has been used by these
people in the Middle East, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc.. (I don't want to
get technical geographic discussion on this, just giving you the basic idea).
They have been racing these horses way longer than we have. It is the "King of
Sports" over there. We wouldn't have our horses as they are today, if it wasn't
for their careful breeding over the centuries. Yet, instead of embracing their
sponsorship, many of you act insulted. I can understand the significance
of the reversed flag and the buckle, but I'm sure the flag was a mistake ( do
you really think they would go to such expense of giving all those crew gifts if
they were trying to 'dis.' us) and the buckle wasn't the same as the riders who
completed. IMHO, I for one, am grateful for the gifts and appreciate their
sponsorship. Too bad, there aren't any American companies that support us
as much as the UAE.
