Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Okay - a round trip ticket to the UAE is around $1000.  Should we talk about how much $$ these team members spent in the past year plus because they were members of the team.  This included trips to Biltmore, Ft Howes, and Idaho, at the least.  Some members had to travel to other rides also.  Never mind how much time off work these people and their crews had to take (assuming they still have their jobs).  Now, they had to be in Fla for a month and a half (no paycheck again) and then off to the UAE for the remainder of January.  Oh, don't forget - $$ has to come out of their pockets if they want their whole crew with them.  It ain't all free!
The French team is financially supported by their government.  They have some say in what they are and are not allowed to do.  With no financial support from our governent for the national team, the team members have to brunt the majority of the costs to qualify for and compete at these such events.  The reason the price is not impossible is because the UAE is paying the ticket to have the Americans there (not including the full support staff/crews).  USEF/USET does their best to help defer some of the expenses that the team members incur, but not nearly enough.  Thank the team members for their sacrifices (time, emotional, professional, monetary).  No  one should be judged and/or condemned for selling a horse - we all have bills to pay.....  Add it all up and I bet that poor ball player still ends up waaaaayyyyy ahead of any of our riders.
Anne