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> However, the overriding of young horses is the riders choice. They don't
> HAVE to ride younger horses, they CHOOSE to ride them.
This is true... it's always a choice... BUT...

FEI's version of endurance is racing. Race horses have a short career. By
necessity, the model of "find a fast horse, use him, and move on to the
next" promotes the use of horses as commodities. It's a rare horse who will
be competitive in that environment, and so those who wish to be competitive
there will be going through lots of horses looking for that magical winner.

Even if it can be argued that some horses peak in their speed and endurance
at a later age, you won't see those horses very often. Who could afford to
keep a large number of horses for even more years, hoping that one will peak
late? 

"To finish is to win" is simply a different world. Many of the AERC riders
*choose* not to be competitive. They have one horse, and they stick with
that horse, even though it may not be a top-tenner. Sure, there are
competitive people in AERC, but in this sport longevity is prized over one
or two flashy wins -- which is probably all a single horse will ever have in
the FEI model.


Melissa, newbie and not yet a member of AERC, but a supporter of the
revolution nonetheless



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