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[RC] FEI World Forum on Endurance - Steph Teeter

I'm here in Paris for the FEI World Endurance Forum. The format of the forum
is fairly rigid. Saturday morning each Federation will be allowed to address
the delegates and the FEI and express concerns, opinions, etc. Following
this will be workshops for 1. Veteriarians, 2. Judges, 3. Technical
Delegates. There will be another round of presentations by each Federation
on Sunday, and then a general wrap up. At the conclusion of the Forum, a
working group will be selected by the delegates to carry issues forward with
the FEI body. The selection of these committees will be crucial in affecting
any changes within the FEI.

We'll be following the discussions and progress of the forum at
http://www.endurance.net/riders/clubs/fei_forum.html

Some thoughts...

Where is the sport today?
Is FEI Endurance today the same sport that was formally founded almost 40
years ago?
Where is FEI Endurance headed? Will the 'old style' sport follow?

According to the FEI, Endurance is the fastest growing equestrian sport. But
many are wondering if this rapid growth is good for the sport, and many are
wondering if the speeds which are currently being attained in the sport
indicate the emergence of a "different" sport. Is a 7 hour 160 km (100 mile)
race in the desert really the same sport as a 15 hour race across the
mountains? Can horses sustain the current speeds of the fast flat courses,
or are we approaching an unnacceptable level of injury and metabolic
distress?

Many Federations are focused on the acceptance of Endurance as an Olympic
sport, but to do so one must evaluate the sport from a different
perspective: among other things, Endurance as an Olympic sport must be media
friendly, it must be viewer friendly, it must be engaging and entertaining.
And all agree that the sport must be palatable and humane. While some want
whatever changes must be made to create an Olympic style sport, many feel
that these changes are not compatible with the 'true' definition of the
sport, and foresee a potential split: one side favoring a fast, easy, viewer
friendly version of Endurance, and another side favoring a return to the
original sport - where the technical challenge of a natural course is the
important component of the race.

These are among the questions and concerns being brought to the table at
this forum. While there will be no definitive answers or decisions made over
the weekend, there will be questions raised. There will be alliances formed
between regional groups, and there will ultimately be working groups elected
to formally carry the issues into the FEI body.

It should be an interesting weekend! We'll try to keep everybody posted -

Steph


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