Jean, I think I read the right article in the
New Mexican and I don't see what is so questionable. I don't follow what you
think they "really" want to do other than put on a ride. No, AERC is not
mentioned (not sanctioned) but I have spoken to Mr. Phillips and I know they
have met with AERC. I have also e-mailed Barry Waitte and asked him to update
the membership as to the time line and sanctioning of this ride.
I haven't seen that yet. I am pretty sure they are
having a meeting sometime in July. I think the RM is trying to get all of their
ducks in a row before applying for sanctioning. I am just guessing, though.
Of course Jean, you can also contact Dean Jackson
or Courtney Hart who are the ride managers and they will be happy to answer any
questions, I'm sure.
Mr. Phillips assured me that they want to put on a
reputable ride complete with AERC blessings/sanctioning and possibly doing it
annually. I don't think he is a horse person but I think he is trying to have
more experienced horse people involved to make it happen. I guess he could be
full of B.S. but I didn't get that when I talked to him. Maybe you know
something about the people involved that make it questionable, I don't know.
All I know is I would like to do this
ride. This one at least will have some historical value, I hope, and I can
pretend to be a cowgirl :) If it is sanctioned, I will do everything I can to
get there. If it is not, I won't go. Not that you have to be sanctioned to put
on a great ride, but I would at least want the mileage.
Get the facts first. Newspaper articles are rarely,
completely factual. As I said, I have asked Mr.
Waitte to update the membership so that we can start to plan and make some
decisions. The comments on the AERC web page, (along with many other things
apparently) concerning the ride are outdated.
