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[RC] FEI vs. AERC - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Bruce Weary, D.C. bweary@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== If only the horse could enter his thoughts in this discussion. Both FEI racing and AERC rides have evolved and been fashioned from the desires and needs of people. The desire to excel, or enjoy some countryside. The need to win or receive ever higher levels of recognition. All of us who participate find ourselves somewhere along the spectrum, from picking up our turtle award to slipping a gold medal around our neck. I think our sport is clearly growing, but evolving, also. This is natural, even to be expected. Let's not be surprised by it. The aspirations of many of the riders at the international level have produced money, effort, devotion and sweat in amounts that meet or exceed those found in professional sports around the world. However, this sport is, until we decide otherwise, an amateur one, and as such remains encumbered by the criteria of what it means to be amateur--volunteer based, financially challenged, prone to more errors at all levels than that which we would expect at a professional level. I say this with overwhelming and well deserved respect to the efforts of those who are involved at the FEI as well as the backyard levels. We need you all. In fact, I think we need each other if we are to successfully navigate the waters of change. Ms. Foti, who vigorously maintains her opinions regarding training and the differences therein, still needs the AERC contingency to race against, to be her sparring partner if you will, so that she can prepare a horse for international level competition. I think she would be hard pressed to prepare a horse adequately, training alone on a flat track. I do have to disagree that going slower, which by definition means longer time out on the trail, defines abuse by any stretch of the imagination. The level of fitness and preparedness of the horse influences what is abusive. Try telling a 6 hour finisher of the Boston Marathon after he recovers his breath and heart rate, and the feeling of nausea passes, that he would feel alot better if he had finished 2 hours sooner. Conversely, the winner may be aerobic at the finish, and feel he could have shaved a minute or two if he had trained harder. As long as we keep the welfare of the horse paramount,and recognize that he is our partner in our efforts to enjoy our lives more, and we are always willing to do a "gut check" regarding what we are planning to do with that horse, and why, I like our chances of nurturing this sport and the people and horses in it to greater levels of success, locally and abroad. Bruce Weary, D.C. AERC # 4160 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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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