This was one of my major concerns when the AERC BoD chose to treat
horse deaths at Endurance rides as something that should be spoken of by the
BoD in hushed tones in the back rooms during secret meetings with the Vet
Committee. Although there were those that disagreed, AERC did the right thing,
addressed the issue with the Horse Welfare Committee, made the Vet Committee
reports public, and involved the membership. What could have caused irreparable
harm to our discipline if that “cameraman with an "agenda," and outlet for that
agenda” had appeared became a positive issue. We now
LEARN from the deaths, have become more aware of the dangers, and as a result,
AERC, the horses, and the membership all gained. At our Convention, AERC now
discusses horse deaths in detail with the membership and readily acknowledges
that mistakes are sometimes made…by all involved.
Horses die in every discipline, and so do backyard horses…horses
die from abuse, are sent to slaughter because of indiscriminate breeding, and
from many other causes and factors. IMHO, from our (AERC) perspective,
this is irrelevant. Just because people die all over the world from
hunger and abuse, it doesn’t mean that is acceptable in this country.
Endurance is about the horses, and I believe the vast majority of Endurance
riders “love” and care for their horses to a level far beyond that
of the average horse owner….and they are constantly looking for ways to
improve their health, make them better athletes, and their welfare is paramount.
It is obvious to the most casual observer that International riding
doesn’t think this way. (I am gratified that our riders did not
choose to sacrifice their principles for the sake of “winning”)
IMHO, we are again at a crossroads. Will AERC again do the
“right thing” and say this is NOT “ Endurance, is NOT in the
best interest of AERC, and is NOT in the best interest of the horse, and back
away from the “racing” mentality? I’m sure this issue
is also being discussed in the “back rooms”. I hope they make
the right call.
Based on Truman’s analysis, 92% of us are not interested in
International. IMHO, AERC’s involvement…..call it
“blessing” if you like…is far more skewed toward the 8% who
DO participate in International. I can’t believe the BoD allowed
the National Championship Ride to be FEI sanctioned. Another
perfect example of the International “bent” of the BoD.
Worried about attendance at the NCR in the future? It’s too far away for
me to attend this year, but if it were next door I wouldn’t go.
There are many who feel that way. Let’s back off FEI and enhance
our NCR.
This quote regarding the NCR was sent to me in a private post.
With a little “tweaking”, I think this is a great idea.
“I would
run it in weight divisions but add an over all first place. I would add a
regional champion just like the ROC had and I would add team competition with
each region being a team. I think a merger of the ROC and the AERC NC formats
would provide something for everyone. It would reward longevity in the
nomination criteria. It would reward on weight divisions. It would reward the
overall first place and it would be a bigger draw for outside regions with the
regional awards and it would reward smart riding with the team concept. It
would not take much effort to do it.”
What if AERC provided a few “$$$” as in
incentive (for those of us who are “poor”) J
and set up a team competition from each region made up of the first place rider
in every weight division from that region? The winning region gets to take home
a perpetual trophy. To me, this event would be of great interest. It
rewards “seasonal performance” and “finish to win”.
Betcha SERA would help fund our SE “team”. I would vote for
it…and agree to a ride “surcharge” to pay for it.
Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic
The world is smaller today than
yesterday, and it only takes one cameraman with an "agenda," and
outlet for that agenda, to set things in motion.
If the "world" perceives that
the horsemen and horsewomen involved in this sport are not good stewards of the
horse, I guarantee that some faction will rise up and take the reins out of our
hands.
