Hello CuChullaine, Thank you for the
links and contacts, i knew you'd have them. This is an Event in planning,
that i think will implode from the sheer magnitude of its infrastructure, just
like the Twin Towers. To get 1 horse ready for the Great American Horse
Race was all i could pull together. To get 4 horses together when we
re-created something Will Tevis (he actually rode 200 miles in 10 hours in an
inside oval )did in 1932 of riding 4 horses in a 24 hour period, that we used as
a fund raiser for St. Judes Childrens Hospital, was daunting, even tho we only
had a 1.52 mile course.
The logistics alone will be insurmountable in
todays society, not counting the access to Trail. The entry fee of $3500
is 7 times that of the GAHR and yet the winner receives $20K which is 5K$ less
than Virl received in 1976 for winning. I'm sure the AERC Vets will have
nothing to do with it in its current format, but i could be wrong, and they will
need Vets. There are probably some that would look upon this as a
challenge and attempt it, but i think Endurance Riders of today will look at the
1K$ non-refundable deposit w/ skepticism, but i could be wrong. That will
leave the novices and cowboys to be the entrants and thats where the problems of
horse abuse will happen.
Being a dreamer myself, i'm impressed with the
sheer magnitude of the spectacle, but in its current format and structure, i
don't think this bird will fly. I don't think i'm wrong.
I'll keep you posted as this Event evolves and
will most likely go thru changes. If they would slim down the structure
and limit the horses to 4, there may be a better chance of its success, but it
is still a daunting task at hand for the Organization Committee.
Tying Hopkins in with Aubry is really
the worst thing anyone could do.
Shame on Santa Fe
"It is indeed ironic that the organizers
of the so-called Santa Fe race have sought their inspiration in the
misdeeds of the horse-killing Aubry and the lies of the Old West charlatan
Hopkins. To participate in the ancient art of endurance racing is a fine thing.
But to ride in this lurid spectacle not only enriches the organizers, it
unjustly enhances the memory of the two biggest equestrian villains in the
history of the Old West. Shame on Santa Fe if this race occurs."
