Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

That's a very interesting point.  There indeed seem to be some very distinct 
differences between the three.  I do, however, feel that as important as it 
is to separate these "organizations", it's only fair not to bunch the good 
guys up with the bad guys by doing so.  What I mean by that is, I know some 
FEI riders personally, who made it their priority in life, their dedication, 
to be successful  and to set enormous example for the rest of those aspiring 
to some day compete in FEI.  These riders I am talking about, have done 
enormously well in FEI and aquired "world recognition" for their 
accomplishments.  Most of the ones I'm talking about have indeed been 
successful with the same horses over and over again, for many miles and many 
years.

So, athough the FEI's primary goal and focus may not necessarely be on how 
many years someone uses one particular horse, one ought to focus on the many 
FEI riders that are indeed committed to their horse's welfare, and have 
taken the initiative to prove themselves and their horses over and over 
again.

With all the recent posts, I am not at all convinced that peaking a horse 
for one magical season only, is necessarely such a bad idea, providing the 
horse finishes its season healthy in relation to the sport.


> From: terre <tobytrot@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC]   apples/oranges/UAE
> Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 10:34:38 -0800
>
> One thought for your consideration:
>
> It seems to me that there are 3 separate (but related) players here--AERC, 
> FEI, and UAE--and we have a tendency to lump 2 out of the 3 together at 
> different times during these discussions.
>
> FEI's "job" is to identify the horse(s) that are the "best in the world" at 
> any given particular event--the horse that can jump the highest, perform 
> the best dressage test, or go 100 miles the fastest.  They have no mandate 
> or interest in 'historical' mileage, any more than they do in recruiting 
> riders, education, or trail preservation.  These are AERC's "jobs".  AERC 
> seeks to represent ALL endurance riders in America--regardless of distance, 
> age, or goals--and going at any distance the fastest is only one of the 
> goals we acknowledge.
>
> Endurance is really a very 'new' FEI discipline.  We all 'grew up' under 
> AERC, are committed to its philosophy, and most of us do not aspire to 
> "winning races" (at least as our primary goal--we have others).  The 
> biggest adjustment "we" have had to make to FEI (those that compete at this 
> level), is accepting the rigid constraints of rules/dress 
> codes/stabling--and the total lack of interest in career longevity of the 
> horses, since this is an AERC "thing" and not an FEI "thing".  (Note that 
> in pretty much all other equestrian disciplines, it is EXPECTED that the 
> horses will be trained to 'peak' for one or two events, and will have a 
> short (5-6 year) competitive career.  Most of them only go to one 
> Olympics...they retire before the next one).
>
> UAE, on the other hand, is newer to endurance than FEI.  They "grew up" 
> under FEI, where the total focus is on 'winning the one-day 100'.  They 
> have no background of 'a bunch of buddies meeting in a field somewhere to 
> go for a ride'.  They may, someday, become interested in 'historical 
> mileage'--when they have a long enough history to record some!  The day may 
> also come (perhaps it already has) when they become interested in expanding 
> the sport in UAE to include shorter distances and 'the common man'.  But 
> for now, their sole exposure has been to the high profile 100-mile 
> race--and they have certainly perfected their approach to it.
>
> terre
>
> ============================================================
> If you treat an Arab like a Thoroughbred, it will behave like a Quarter
> horse. ~  Libby Llop
>
> ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/
>
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