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Re: Not again - RE: Re: [RC] UAE - John Bass*This message was scanned for all current viruses and is certified clean* Steph, Perceptions can sometimes lead to putting someone on the spot. Thank You for your response. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "StephTeeter" <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "John Bass" <jbass@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 7:34 AM Subject: RE: Not again - RE: Re: [RC] UAE > *This message was scanned for all current viruses and is certified clean* > > Ok John - you've definitely put me on the spot and I'll respond to your > questions. > (Maryben - you can tell another Shultz story) > > >> > Steph, > The "camel jockey" issue is directly related to endurance riding and > should be allowed to be discussed on Ridecamp. > >> > It is only marginally related to Endurance riding, but it IS related to > politics and commerce between UAE and other countries (one of which is the > US). It was discussed on Ridecamp, to the point where no new ideas were > being put forward, only repeated accusations and me-too's. Until now I never > asked to stop the discussion, but after watching the Members list turn into > an unwinnable argument between a half dozen people, I figured it was an > issue that was talked out, and didn't want to see it start up fresh here. > Please go read the archives, you'll see the same posts over and over. > > >> The same people involved in the Emirates International Endurance > Village, > platium sponsers of the Tevis Cup and sponsers of the Arabian Nights ride > hosted by you, are the same people involved in camel racing in the UAE.>> > > We don't know this. The HBO show specifically mentioned one stable in Dubai. > Others (websites, individuals) have said that 'all of the Sheikhs do it'. > Possible, but unlikely. You should be aware that the Emirates in UAE are > different and distinct, socially, politically and economically. Abu Dhabi > and Dubai are two of the most prominent, and have oil - some of the other > Emirates still have fishing and agriculture as their main industries. These > Emirates were allocated to different tribal factions when the country was > established 30 years ago - there are deeply cultivated differences. > > >> It is no secret that you have cultivated relationships with the > endurance > community in the UAE which understandably puts you in somewhat of a > precarious position. After all you are the owner of Ridecamp which enables > us to discuss this issue. I believe out of deserved respect for you there > isn't more discussion. I also can see why you would want it to go away.>> > > Not fair John. I wanted to stop the discussion now becuase it has run it's > course. And Howard's post and Heidi's responses were the 10th iteration of > the same thing. > My relationship with UAE: I went to Dubai in '98 as a groom for my Belgian > friend Leonard. I went to Dubai in 2000 with my horse becuase we were > invited to participate in the World Cup (purely based on the horse's record > and performance). I 'met' the host, (Sh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum), at > a party that was given. I have never spoken with him or any of his staff > other than to thank them for the invitation. > I went to Abu Dhabi in 2004 as a groom for Leonard at the President's Cup, > held at the Emirates International Endurance Village (EIEV). I did not meet > the host (Sh Mansour bin Rashid al Nahyan)or any of his staff. > This spring USET received inquiry from EIEV regarding sponsoring a few rides > in the US. They did not contact any ride managers intitially, but went to > USET, and USET gave them the names of the organizers of the three FEI rides > that were currently sanctioned in the US. Biltmore, Fort Howes, and Arabian > Nights were approached by EIEV regarding sponsorship. Because of timing > issues, and whatever other factors were involved in their decision, they > offered sponsorship to Arabian Nights. (I suspect the name was attractive - > dumb luck). > Until this point I had NO relationship with anybody in the UAE. And now I > have met two people representing EIEV face to face - one of them a Texan > (Ted Lewis) who is helping with marketing and PR, the other HE Mohamed al > Sayed - chair of the Emirates International Endurance Committee (Abu Dhabi). > Mohamed lives in Indiana, with his American wife. I liked both of these men, > and Mohamed's wife Kathy very much, and the entire sponsorship experience > was good - there was absolutely no pressure on us regarding the ride. It was > very professional and cordial. > > >> > Steph, you could be real helpful on giving us some insight. What is your > opinion of all of this? Were you aware of the "camel jockey" issue before it > surfaced just a few weeks ago? Was it a surprise to you as it was many of > us? Do you think that UAE meeting the requirements that "camel jockeys" be > 15 years old and weigh 100 pound is unreasonable?>> > > I was not aware of the camel jocky issue before this, though I do recall > while in UAE hearing reference to 'small children riding the camels'. And > that the children were mostly from India or Pakistan. (all of the workers in > UAE come from elsewhere). I also have an image (and hundreds of pictures) of > smiling laughing children and men on camels as we drove past the camel > souks, and excersize strings. A fun 'touristy' impression. > Yes, the exposure of child trafficking and slavery was a surprise. Gives a > different perspective to my intitial 'fun/touristy' impression. > I don't think the law (15 years or older) is unreasonble, of course not!! > Even more reasonable is the concept of having 'robots' as jockeys. The camel > race is more like a greyhound race than a horse race. I've never seen a > camel race myself but have heard that they run around the track until > forceably stopped. There is no steering or jockeying involved. > > >>You, whether you know it or not, could be instumental with your friendship > with the UAE endurance community in trying to convince your friends that the > situation as it stands now is unacceptable to many people in the United > States. >> > > Although I think you greatly over-rate my 'friendship and influence' with > the UAE endurance community, I do realize that I now have a voice (very > small) that can be heard by some. Primarily because of Ted Lewis - who as an > American understands the importance of PR and perceptions, and is respected > by his Emirati employers. And yes, I have made inquiries, sent posts and > context, and have suggested that the bad PR should/could be corrected. The > ONLY reason EIEV sponsored the rides in the US is to build positive PR and > expose other nations to the EIEV - which Abu Dhabi hopes will rival the > Dubai Endurance Village in prestige and grandeur. You can be certain that > the issue will be discussed at the top level, the HBO show was a very > powerful expose. And I'm predicting that they will either try to clear their > name (if they are innocent), or will move more aggressively toward stopping > the illegal trafficking (if they are guilty). This is a big embarassment to > a modern and progressive Arab nation. And in most cases when an entire > Nation is embarassed or shamed, not every member is guilty of the crime, but > every member feels the shame. > > Steph > > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > 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!! > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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